JAMES PHELAN Biography - Writers

 
 

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JAMES PHELAN

James Phelan was born on the 21st of May, 1979, in Melbourne, Australia. His     
creative spirit was nurtured from a young age, and he credits his overactive     
imagination to being exposed to such works as The Hobbit, Treasure Island, The   
Jungle Book, and The Little Prince.                                               
As a teenager James discovered a love of thrillers, of being entertained and     
informed on topical global events. James cites influences from reading such       
authors as Alistair MacLean, Clive Cussler, Jeffery Archer, Ken Follett, Tom     
Clancy, Jack Higgins, Robert Ludlum, John LeCarre, and Jeffery Deaver.           
In 1995, aged fifteen, James started his first novel for his VCE English         
assignment. A thriller involving a terrorist attack on the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 
James eventually abandoned the storyline when Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six was     
published in 1998. While this storyline died, the lead protagonists of Lachlan   
Fox and Alister Gammaldi did not, and James went in search of another             
introductory tale.                                                               
After high school James went on to study in Architecture, and then English       
Literature, eventually graduating with a Master of Arts in Writing. During his   
masters degree James developed the idea that would become his first published     
book, and would lead to seeing his novels in print.                               
Literati: Australian Contemporary Literary Figure Discuss Fear, Frustrations and 
Fame was published to critical acclaim in August 2005, by John Wiley & Sons.     
Comprising 21 candid interviews with key Australian authors and publishing       
figures, Literati answered many questions for would-be writers, those in the     
industry, and readers with a keen interest in the writing and publishing         
process.                                                                         
Fox Hunt would prove to be the story to propel Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi   
into the world stage of successful international thriller characters. With a     
publication date in Australia and New Zealand of August 2006, Fox Hunt is a       
bridging novel between the aftermath of the Cold War, and the new age of         
globalisation and War on Terror era. It is a book that pays homage to the greats 
who have defined the genre and reflects the times we now find ourselves in. From 
Chechnya to New York, Venice to Washington, the storyline looks at the dangers   
of the Star Wars Missile Shield (aka National Missile Defence), and the fragile   
reality of the remnants of the Cold War: political, military, and personal.       
Patriot Act is the sequel to Fox Hunt and second book in the Lachlan Fox series, 
currently underway and contracted for publication August 2007. This storyline     
involves France, the US and her allies, and the inherent dangers of               
communications and signals intelligence. It’s nexus is the “USA Partiot Act”
which resulted from the September 11th terrorist attacks.                         
James is currently focused on the Lachlan Fox thriller series. As part of the     
research for this series, James consults several active and retired members of   
the Australian Defence Force, including members serving in the special forces.   
James draws on the experience of many journalists to add credence to Lachlan Fox 
and Alister Gammaldi, who work as New York based investigative journalists in     
the series.                                                                       
James lives in Melbourne, and is working on several other writing projects. He   
teaches post-graduate writing at Swinburne University and is studying for his     
PhD.