James Phelan

"Don’t confuse honours with achievement."

James Phelan is the bestselling and ward-winning author of thrillers, Young Adult, and children's books.

James was born on the 21st of May, 1979, in Melbourne, Australia. He grew up in Parkville, going to sleep to the sound of lions calling in the night at the Melbourne Zoo. His creative spirit was nurtured from a young age, and he credits his overactive imagination to being exposed to authors such as Roald Dahl and Paul Jennings, as well as such works as The Hobbit, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, Tales of the Punjab, Siddhartha, and The Little Prince. He holds an MA and PhD in literature. He is the author of 25 novels.

After high school James went to RMIT to study Architecture, and worked for two years as a student architect on the Federation Square design team. He then attended the University of Melbourne to study Creative Writing, culminating in an MA (Writing), and PhD (Young Adult Literature) at Swinburne University of Technology. It was during his masters degree and while working at The Age newspaper James developed the idea that would become his first published book – Literati - and would soon lead to seeing his novels in print.

Since 2006 he has been a full-time novelist, selling over a million books world-wide.

What genres does James Phelan write?

James Phelan writes thrillers, Young Adult novels, and children's books.

How many books has he published and what are some career highlights?

He is the author of about 25 novels, his first published novel was Literati, he has been a full-time novelist since 2006, and has sold over a million books worldwide.

Does he write series or standalone novels?

He writes both standalone novels and series. One notable series is the Jed Walker thriller series.

Where should I start if I am new to his work?

Choose by genre: thriller readers can begin with his Jed Walker novels or his adult thrillers; teen readers should try his Young Adult books; younger readers can start with his children's titles. For any series, begin with the first book in that series.