BIO

James O’Neal was raised in Florida, learning all he could about his home state from an early age.  He has worked in law enforcement for more than twenty years.  His love of writing pushed him first to writing history articles on Florida, then a successful series of crime novels under the name James O. Born .  It was natural for him to combine his interest in the history, as well as the future of Florida and his police background to write a police thriller set in the future.  He is in a unique position to predict trends not only in the evolution of crime, but in Florida population and state political issues.

An avid reader, Jim has been a fan of science fiction since childhood.  From Robert Heinlein, George Orwell, Phillip K. Dick, and Rod Serling to more contemporary writers like Terry Brooks, John Scalzi, Neil Stephenson, Ben Bova and Harry Turtledove, Jim has a wide spectrum of reading interest.  Jim has a number of interests including windsurfing, white water river rafting, scuba diving and kayaking.  He has earned two black belts in Shotokan and Isshin Ryu Karate.  He has completed the New York and London marathons.  His assignments as a police officer include; Special Operations Team member, defensive tactics instructor, dignitary protection, undercover in narcotics and in extremists groups, general investigation and public corruption. 

After embarking on his career as a novelist, Jim visited the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle in 2006.  Earlier in the day he had finished writing the first draft of a crime novel and was inspired to venture into the world of science fiction.  After completing The Human Disguise his agent submitted it to TOR senior editor  Bob Gleason who, with editor Eric Raab, bought the novel and then the sequel, The Double Human.  To this day Jim has a quiet appreciation for Paul Allen, the founder of the EMPSFM. 

Jim enjoys public speaking and has built a thriving career on the speaking circuit and teaching at writing conferences.  He has more than one hundred appearances all across the country.

Short Bio

James O'Neal is an award winning autor, career law enforcement officer and life long fan of science fiction. Publisher's Weekly called hs first SF novel, The Human Disguise, "Wildly entertaining," and awarded the novel a coveted starred review. O'Neal has used his experience and research to predict the socail and law enforcement problems tht might face the country in the years to come.