William C. James

William C. James is a distinctive voice in both fiction and non-fiction. His debut novel, The Chariot Protocol, is a techno-thriller set inside the Department of Veterans Affairs' IT infrastructure, following a cyber threat that targets veterans through the very systems built to serve them. James spent a year researching and writing the novel, drawing on his own personal experience working inside VA's systems to get the technical detail right. His earlier memoir, The Accidental Executive: Finding Purpose in Public Service, chronicles his rise from a GS-1 clerk, the lowest level in federal service, to the Senior Executive Service, a path very few have traveled. Throughout his four-decade career, James played pivotal roles at the Defense Mapping Agency, US Transportation Command, the Pentagon, and the VA, modernizing IT systems and expanding healthcare access for veterans, earning honors including the Fed100. He lives in Vienna, Virginia, where he consults for companies in the VA IT market.