He was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA, and attended Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, earning undergraduate and masters degrees while studying business and computer science. He has spent most of his working life in the corporate world managing software ventures for large and medium-sized companies in the USA and overseas. He and his wife, Winnie, enjoyed living in Hong Kong for eight years, during which they traveled extensively throughout Asia. It was during this time that James wrote stories about his travel and photographed what he saw. Even though he now lives and manages video businesses in the States, James has returned to Asia to continue his love affair with photography, videography, writing and exploring the people and lands he has come to admire and cherish.