James was born in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, on the lands of the Bundjalung Nation, in the mid-sixties, where he lived until graduating from Southern Cross University at 34. Before his degree in Information Technology, he worked as a shop assistant, storeman, and bookkeeper in various businesses. He loves whiskey and football — the roundball version; according to him, the only true version. 

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Upon graduating in 2000, James moved to Brisbane to begin his career as a software engineer, where he still works today. However, during 2013, he took a 3-month sabbatical and completed a Graduate Certificate in Creative Industries (Creative Writing) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

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He hasn't stopped writing since.