Jason R. James
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BIOGRAPHY


This is me.  I love to write.

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Except for a brief time at the age of seven (when I wanted to be an archaeologist with a leather jacket and a fedora), I have ALWAYS wanted to be a writer.  Of course the road to becoming an author was far from straight.  Like any good story, there were more than a few twists and turns along the way.

South Jersey

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I was born and raised in Bridgeton, New Jersey -- a small town in rural Cumberland County.  I held summer jobs as a lifeguard and camp counselor.  I spent most of my free time either playing tennis for my high school or roller hockey in the school parking lot with my friends.  I graduated from BHS in 1998. 


William and Mary and Wake Forest

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I left South Jersey for historic Williamsburg, Virginia and the College of William and Mary.  I have fond memories of playing Madden Football way too late into the night, and not-so-fond memories of writing last-minute papers way too early in the morning.  I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in religion in 2002.
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That same year I started the Master of Arts in Education program at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  I earned my master's degree and teaching certificate in 13 months, and spent my next two years teaching English and coaching tennis at Ledford High School in Davidson County, North Carolina.

Dreams Aren't Silly

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In 2005, I returned to South Jersey, and accepted a position teaching English at my alma mater, Bridgeton High School.  For a long time after that, I didn't write . . . at all.   There was no time for writing.  I was married.  I had a child on the way.  Then, two years later, I had a second child on the way.  I was a father of two and a husband and a homeowner -- and suddenly there was very little room in my life for that silly dream of writing.  And I wasn't very happy.

Everyone could see it (except me) and everyone told me the same thing -- you need to write.  This was especially true of my wife, Vanessa.  I lost track of how many times she told me to write, but I had too many excuses.  I said things like, "I don't have time."  Or, "I don't have enough quiet space."  Or, "I don't have any ideas worth writing about."  Then, two years ago, a funny thing happened.  I just started writing.  It wasn't the ideal situation, but that didn't matter.  It was a start.  After three months, that start became a habit.  Then, after a year, that habit was a book.  Another year later, and it turned into a second draft.  Now my first novel, ANOM: Awakening, is six months away from publication.


What Next?

So what comes next?
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I am still happily (and proudly) married to my beautiful & intelligent wife, Vanessa.  She's the love of my life, my best friend, and my number 1 choice to join my zombie survival team.  I have a brilliant son, Aidan, who teaches me something new about compassion and life every day.  My daughter, Fiona, is a natural-born leader.  She will probably either grow up to be a pop-diva princess or the future president of the world.

​​And I'm a writer . . . who cares about what comes next?
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