The Renaissance Man

James knows a bit about the publishing business and the print-versus-electronic debate. His book Host was published on two floppy disks by Penguin in 1994 as the World’s First Electronic Novel. “Storytelling is storytelling,no matter what the format,” says James.

While most writers go from writing stories and books to screenplays,Brighton-native James took the opposite route,studying at the Ravensbourne Film School and shifting to North America for several years,writing and producing TV shows and movies before returning home and starting his career as a novelist. “The thing with films is that they’re a collaborative effort with everyone,from the director to the producer to the director of photography,taking credit for the final product. With a novel,creatively,the piece is entirely mine. It’s my words and my vision that come out,” he explains,adding “Besides I’ve wanted to write since my early teens.”

James’ books are lauded for their faithful narration of police procedurals,something which has made him beloved of the authorities. “I’ve always been fascinated by human nature and think no one’s more exposed to it than a cop. I’ve been associated with police forces from the US,Germany,and the UK,specially Sussex where I stay,and have been consulting with them for more than 30 years. This association gives me much material for my work,because of the insight it provides into the ways people think and the actions they take,” he says.

James’ other abiding interest is the paranormal world,an enthusiasm that was sparked when some friends contacted him in the early ’80s asking him to write about their experiences with a medium. “These people’s son had died in a car crash and,after his death,they conducted seances with a medium in an attempt to contact him. I went with them for seances and spiritual meetings and the whole thing fascinated me,” he says.

He has a personal paranormal experience,too. “In ‘88-’89 I bought a country house which,I was told,was haunted. My mother-in-law,an old caretaker and I had strange experiences there. It was built on the site of what was first a Roman villa and later a monastery,and was haunted by four ghosts,including a Grey Lady. Apparently,in the first half of the 20th century,a couple lived there and the wife was a man hater. Since her death,the four subsequent couples that have lived in the house,including my former wife and I,have divorced. I wonder what happened to the couple who bought the house from us,” he says.