ABOUT ME
My name is Anne James, I was born and raised in rural Texas without cable television, which surprises most people. The outdoors, encyclopedias, and fiction books were the only forms of adventure I knew. Today I still live without cable and local television, but my adventures are real. From standing with the remnants of the Berlin Wall, climbing the steps to the top of Notre Dame, driving up Pacific Coast Highway, and toasting the 4th of July with champagne at the top of the Eifel Tower. I have also received a speeding ticket on the Autobahn—yes, really. I am considering having a trophy made to mark the occasion. I want to share the best of what I have seen, lessons learned, and itineraries created along the way.
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My life is shared with my husband, our youngest daughter, and three dogs. Our two oldest girls are away at college. They are my biggest supporters and source of joy. I received my B.A. in English & Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University in May 2021 and am currently in graduate school. SNHU has been with me all the way on my writing journey, cheering me on.
In recent years, mainly through SNHU, I discovered the world of literary nonfiction and memoirs. These have helped me to take my experiences from memory to page as a nonfiction writer.
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In November 2017 I became the victim of a violent assault, attacked by a stranger. My journey through physical recovery, panic, anxiety, and PTSD has been a long road. My upcoming book, To the Bone, is a look into my life during and after the assault. I pull no punches and am transparent about the good, the bad, and the ugly—even when I am the one being ugly.
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Two years later in November of 2019, I had the honor of helping care for my Granny in the end stages of her life. In late January 2020 when my cousins asked me to put all the grandkid’s favorite memories together for her eulogy, I had to make myself stop at nine pages. For over 50 years she cooked Sunday dinners for our family, and she and our Grandpa hosted all of the holiday dinners as well. She could make a dollar stretch a mile when it came to cooking and was a pro at reincarnating a leftover dish into a new one for the next day’s dinner. My second work in progress, Helen: Food as a Love Language, is a biography and cookbook tribute to a woman who worked harder than any man, always had food and drink to serve, was devoted to her family, and taught lessons of love in a plethora of ways.
