Steven James (born 1969) is an American author who has written more than forty books, including the critically acclaimed Bowers Files, an eleven-book series of

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...

s that consists of ''Opening Moves'', ''Every Crooked Path'', ''Every Deadly Kiss'', ''Every Wicked Man'', ''The Pawn'', ''The Rook'', ''The Knight'', ''The Bishop'', ''The Queen'', ''The King'', and ''Checkmate''. The series has received four

Christy Award The Christy Awards, established in 1999, are awarded each year to recognize fiction of excellence written from a Christian perspective with matters of faith at its core. Awards are given in nine categories, including romance, suspense, visionary ...

s and numerous other honors. His standalone book, ''Synapse,'' a standalone sci-fi thriller, released on October 8, 2019. The book received a

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

starred review A starred review is a book review marked with a star to denote a book of distinction or particularly high quality. A starred review can help to increase media coverage, bookstore placement and sales of a book. Outlets that published starred review ...

in July 2019 and a

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

starred review in October 2019. His latest nonfiction, ''The Art of the Tale'', co-written with Fortune 50 speechwriter Tom Morrisey, released on August 30, 2022 through

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

Leadership. ''Broker of Lies'', his latest fiction novel, was released in April 2023.

Personal life

Steven James was born in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

in 1969 and earned his M.A. in Storytelling at

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...

in 1997. He lives with his wife and three daughters in the foothills of the

Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, ...

eastern Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 counti ...

The Bowers Files

Steven James' most famous works to date form the psychological thriller series ''The Bowers Files.'' Each book delves into the life of Patrick Bowers, an Environmental Criminologist. Although each book is its own standalone story, they all tie together at various points. The crimes are gruesome and sadistic but presented without verbal profanity. Romance is shown, but without graphic sexuality.

Career

Steven James is a nationally bestselling author whose award-winning novels continue to gain wide critical acclaim and a growing fan base. Best known for his

s, he has received dozens of honors and awards for his books, including four

s. His novel ''Every Wicked Man'' won the 2018 International Book Award for best Mystery/Suspense. ''Suspense Magazine'', who named James's book ''The Bishop'' their Book of the Year, says that he “sets the new standard in suspense writing.” Publishers Weekly calls him a “master storyteller at the peak of his game” and

RT Book Reviews ''Romantic Times'' was an American genre magazine specializing in romance novel A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, typicall ...

promises that “the nail-biting suspense will rivet you.” Equipped with a unique master's degree in Storytelling, James has taught writing and storytelling on four continents over the past two decades, speaking more than two thousand times at events spanning the globe. James's groundbreaking book on the craft of fiction, ''Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules'', won a 2015 Storytelling World Award and was recognized as one of the year's best resources for storytellers; his latest book on writing, ''Troubleshooting Your Novel'', also won a Storytelling World Award. Both books were published by

Writer's Digest ''Writer's Digest'' is an American magazine aimed at beginning and established writers. It contains interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles. History ''Writer's Digest'' was first published in December 1920 und ...

Books. Widely recognized for his storycrafting expertise, James has served for a number of years as a Master CraftFest instructor at ThrillerFest, North America's premier training event for suspense writers hosted by

International Thriller Writers International Thriller Writers (ITW), was founded October 9, 2004, at Bouchercon XXXV, the "World Mystery and Suspense Conference", in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Six months later, some 150 authors with more than one billion books sold worldwide h ...

. He also regularly teaches Novel Writing Intensive retreats across the country with renowned international bestselling author

Robert Dugoni The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

. James's short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

Accolades

* 2020 entered into the Christy Award Hall of Fame * 2019 Christy Award for Mystery/Suspense/Thriller (''Every Wicked Man'') * 2018 International Book Award for best Mystery/Suspense (''Every Wicked Man'') * 2018 Storytelling World Award (''Troubleshooting Your Novel'') * 2015 Storytelling World Award (''Story Trumps Structure'') * 2012 ECPA Book of the Year - Fiction (''The Queen'') * 2012 Retailers Choice Awards Finalist (''The Queen'') * 2012 Christy Award - Suspense (''The Queen'') * 2012 International Thriller Award Finalist for Best Original Paperback (''The Queen'') * 2011 Library Journal's One of the Best Christian Fiction Books (''The Queen'') * 2011 Christy Award - Suspense (''The Bishop'') * 2011 INSPY Award - Mystery/Thriller (''The Bishop'') * 2011 INSPY Award - Thriller/Suspense (''The Knight'') * 2010 Suspense Magazine Book of the Year (''The Bishop'') * 2010 RT Book Reviews Best Inspirational Suspense (''The Bishop'') * 2010 The Christian Manifesto's Lime Award (''The Bishop'') * 2009 The Suspense Zone Book of the Month, November (''The Knight'') * 2009 Suspense Magazine Top 10 Books of (''The Knight'') * 2009 The Christian Manifesto's Lime Award – Best Fiction (''The Knight'') * 2009 Christy Award - Suspense (''The Rook'') * 2008 The Suspense Zone Reviewer's Choice Award (''The Rook'') * 2008 Best Crime Thriller Christy Award, Finalist (''The Pawn'') * 2007 A Peek At My Bookshelf (''The Pawn'')

Bibliography

The Bowers Files

The Jevin Banks Experience

The Blur Trilogy

Other fiction

Nonfiction

References

External links

*
Monthly Podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Steven 21st-century American novelists Living people American male novelists American crime fiction writers American thriller writers 21st-century American male writers Christian novelists 1969 births