James Clay spent his childhood watching Hopalong Cassidy on TV and devouring Fran Striker's Lone Ranger novels. Not surprisingly, he yearned to be a western hero. While toiling as a literary agent by day, James would write westerns by night. This approach allowed him to play cowboy while proving that he didn't always have to live off the work of other people. James is now a full time western writer. He lives in San Diego with his wife and two cats, all of whom, he notes, are very patient with him.