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James Anderson

Goodreads Author

Born

Seattle, Washington, The United States

Website

http://www.jamesandersonauthor.com

Twitter

JAndersonAuthor

Genre

Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction

Influences

Thomas Pynchon, Terry Southern, Bruce Jay Friedman, Gary Snyder, Mikka ...more

Member Since

September 2014

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James Anderson was born in Seattle, Washington and raised in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. He received his undergraduate degree in American Studies from Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and his Masters Degree in Creative Writing from Pine Manor College in Boston Massachusetts.

Undergraduate thesis: Word-man/Poet: The Poetry and Poetics of Lew Welch
Masters thesis: The Never-Entered Kingdom: Beyond Linguistics in the Rendering of the Literary Child in Adult Fiction

His first publication in a national magazine, a poem entitled Running It Down, occurred at age nineteen, in Poetry Northwest. The poem was later anthologized. His poems, short fiction, essays, reviews and interviews have appeared in Northwest Review, New Letters, The Bloomsbury ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Thanks for Lullaby Road,I can't wait to read the first novel.Your characters are so totally real,are they based on people you have encounters in real life?

James Anderson Dear Karin:
First, thank you. My favorite books have always been character-driven. For me, plot develops naturally through setting and character. Yes—a…moreDear Karin:
First, thank you. My favorite books have always been character-driven. For me, plot develops naturally through setting and character. Yes—and no. The character of Walt Butterfield is roughly based on a real person, long-since passed, who was a friend and neighbor. Tough as a pound of nails. Ginny is based on friends of my son. Usually my characters are based on a several people and the person/character seems to grow before my eyes. BUT, yes, to one degree or another, everyone is based on someone or encounters I have actually experienced, though through time and distance and fictionalizing, it would be very difficult to reconcile the seed with the flower. :) Thanks for writing.
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Hi James, I was wondering if you have any story ideas such as characters, items, or places that you've thrown out or given up on that I can use for one of my stories? The story that I'm thinking of is about an island where all story bits end up if they are thrown out or given up on. I've asked other authors so I can get a variety and some truth to the story. It's fine if you don't want to share any. Thanks. ~Hannah

James Anderson Dear Hannah:
Interesting idea. The short answer is I do not, since I tend to throwaway everything—into a drawer, and return to that drawer from time to…moreDear Hannah:
Interesting idea. The short answer is I do not, since I tend to throwaway everything—into a drawer, and return to that drawer from time to time. The long answer is there is stuff in that drawer that I doubt I will ever write—or rather, the idea will not rise to the level I will try and explore it further. No story is, or should be, based on one idea. Sometimes a number of ideas coalesce into one story. Write your island story! I really like it.(less)

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Combine Editions
James Anderson’s books

Average rating: 3.89 · 4,256 ratings · 969 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Never-Open Desert Diner (Ben Jones, #1) 3.90 avg rating — 3,083 ratings — published 2015 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lullaby Road (Ben Jones, #2) 3.87 avg rating — 1,173 ratings — published 2018 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Series by James Anderson

Ben Jones (2 books)
by

James Anderson (Goodreads Author)

3.89 avg rating — 4,256 ratings

Quotes by James Anderson (?)

“Sometimes the smallest things are so damn unforgivable. Maybe because they aren't small—they only seem that way to someone else. You never know what someone holds scared until it's too late.”
― James Anderson, The Never-Open Desert Diner

tags: forgive, forgiveness, little-things, mistakes, pain, small-things, unforgivable

11 likes

“Out in the desert what doesn't kill you just pisses you off and will probably kill you the next time.”
― James Anderson, The Never-Open Desert Diner

tags: deadly, desert, kill-you, piss-you-off, what-doesn-t-kill-you

7 likes

“I remembered a definition of chivalry I'd heard once: a man protecting a woman against every man but himself.”
― James Anderson, The Never-Open Desert Diner

tags: chivalry, men, protect, protection, women

7 likes

See all James Anderson's quotes »

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