BIOGRAPHY Write what you Know. Or more to the point: Know Before you Write. James A. Hillebrecht has held to this creed throughout his 40+ years of spinning tales and enchanting readers. Four decades of fantasy role-playing supplied the basis for the six sword-and-sorcery books of The Darius Saga that consists of The Paladin Trilogy and The Gorgorin Wars. Years of patient research into Ancient Egypt provided the background for Pharaoh’s Mountain, a novel of the looting of the Great Pyramid in antiquity. And a career as a process engineer was the rich clay from which his techno-thriller, The Conductor, was formed.
His newest project, a paranormal mystery trilogy called the Behind the World series, has a different origin. The two main protagonists, Father Homer and his foul-mouthed, agnostic bodyguard, Francisco Stampa, first appeared in an aborted horror novel written decades earlier. The book was a failure, but these two were such memorable characters that he wove a story of mystery and marauders specifically for them. That first book, Black Jack: Behind the Waves, was so well received that he was compelled to continue the series with Mortimer: Behind the Walls which led, in turn, to the climatic final work, Long Tom: Behind the Woods. Knowing these characters for so long and so well provides the power that drives these novels. There are more works featuring these same characters in the offing.
James began writing seriously in 1981, and over the past four decades, he has completed fourteen novels, eleven published, the others gathering richly-deserved dust on the shelf. His academic background in history, psychology, and philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh provided a solid foundation for his writing, complemented by his avid reading of historical, technical, and a wide range of fictional works.
Professionally, James is passionate about crafting compelling narratives, meticulously analyzing other authors' techniques to refine his own style. Renowned for his tenacity, James writes primarily for an audience of one, himself, believing that if his work resonates with him, it will with others as well. His dedication is best displayed by his determination to grow as an author with each new project, not simply repeat the same techniques that have worked in the past.
Now retired, James lives in Latrobe, Pennsylvania with his wife Maggie and gets occasional visits from his astonishing three daughters, Barbara, Adella, and Katie. With his days of working for others finally behind him, James is now able to get on with his real career of reading, writing, and living.
