James (Jim) Pence is versatile writer, published both in fiction, nonfiction, and textbooks. He began writing in 1987 as a means of processing his grief after the death of his one-week-old daughter Michelle. James broke into publishing in 2001 when Osborne/McGraw-Hill published How to Do Everything with HTML, a how-to book on Web authoring, written “by a non-techie for non-techies.” He followed this book later the same year with Cascading Style Sheets: A Beginner's Guide. A second edition of James's HTML book, retitled How to Do Everything with HTML & XHTML, was released in 2003 and is still available in Kindle format.
Also a fiction writer, James is the author of Blind Sight (Tyndale, 2003), a suspense/thriller set in the mind-control cults. Blind Sight tells the story of Thomas Kent, a reclusive ex-pastor who rescues two children from a cult and in the process finds his own redemption. James’s second novel, The Angel (Kregel, 2006), is set against the backdrop of the euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide movements. The Angel provides a chilling look at what can happen when society no longer values human life. It is also a compelling portrayal of one character’s struggle with Lou Gehrig's Disease. Both of James's novels were re-released in 2014 by Mountainview Books under the titles of Unseen and Mercy Killer respectively.
James moved into collaboration and narrative nonfiction with Terror by Night (co-authored with Terry Caffey, Tyndale, 2009). Terror by Night tells how Terry survived a horrific home invasion that left his wife and two sons dead, only to learn later that his 16-year-old daughter helped plan the murders. James followed up Terror by Night with More God, the story of Nate Lytle, a surfer who suffered a massive traumatic brain injury when he fell off a 10-foot ladder. The doctors told Nate’s parents that his injury was not survivable. But God had other plans. One year to the day after his accident, Nate was surfing again.
In 2011 James collaborated with bestselling author Stephen Arterburn on a novella titled The Encounter: Sometimes God Has to Intervene (Thomas Nelson, Nov. 2011). For this book, James was asked to develop a novella, set in Fairbanks, Alaska, based on two true incidents in Stephen’s life. The result is a story of one man’s quest to come to grips with his past and one woman’s desperate desire for forgiveness and grace.
James also works as a freelance editor. His most recent editing project, Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream through the Eyes of an Immigrant, by Ali Master is set for a July 2, 2019 release by Morgan James Publishing.
A talented chalk artist, vocalist, and speaker, James has shared Christ across the United States through music and art, appearing in venues as large as the Anaheim Convention Center and as small as a family’s living room. James often takes his art and music into prisons, sharing the grace of Christ with a frequently overlooked and rejected people.
James graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2002 with a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies with an emphasis on creative writing. He lives in North Texas with Laurel, his wife of 39 years. They have two children and two grandchildren.
REVIEWS & ENDORSEMENTS:
Blind Sight – The author had me on the first page—first paragraph, actually—and never let go right up to the last word. I read it in 24 hours! (Kathi Macias, author of Deliver me from Evil)
The Angel – I had a hard time putting [The Angel] down—trite phrase, but very true. The plotting was tight, the characters well-drawn, and the story line gripping, with a great ending. As a physician, I was pleased to see all the medical details accurately depicted. (Richard L. Mabry, M.D., author of Diagnosis Death)
Terror by Night – Pence and Caffey do a phenomenal job of painstakingly recounting the details of the case, unpacking the emotional story in a thriller-like manner. It's not often that I can't put down a book, but this one kept beckoning me to turn the page well into the night. (Mary E. Demuth, author of The Muir House, Thin Places, Daisy Chain)
More God – Loved the book. I'm a surfer, so that's an added bonus. Even so, it is a great story of a man's faith in his God, his God's power, and the power of loving and supportive people. (Scott St. Onge, Amazon review)
The Encounter – Wow. It's 3 a.m. I considered going back to sleep, after waking up at one thirty for just a few more pages. I started reading this book this morning, well, yesterday morning, and just couldn't put it down. I even took it to the park, a walk, and in my truck to read between appointments…. The story, simple and of itself, presents as a mystery, people story—very gripping, pulls you in, fast paced—and urges you to want to know how it will turn out. (A. Acord-Wright, blogger)
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