997. His Journey to Becoming a Writer

“I like to write. In fact, I’ve always found time throughout my adult life and in my legal career to put aside time to do it. I used to do it because I wanted to be a published author, even just out of college. I kept writing, realizing the reason I’m doing it is because I like it. It’s very satisfying and enjoyable for me to write fiction. Then I got to a point where I said to myself, ‘I ought to just make a go of it.’ So about four or five years ago, I developed a main character, and series of interrelated characters, and a concept for a series of stories. I wrote the first one, which is Friends Like These, and then wrote the second, which is called Friend of a Friend. All of a sudden I realized that these characters are interesting because they will continue to have tension and conflict between them, and I think that will work. All of a sudden, I’ve got a series of books.”

James Irving spent two years employed as a private detective pursuing wayward spouses, locating skips, and handling criminal investigations. Then, after getting his law degree, he started his career practicing criminal law. With his investigative experience and trial work, and becoming a member of the bars of Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts, he finally decided he was ready to write a fiction book series.