Jessica James

My name is Jessica James and I’m the Civil War fiction reviewer for TOCWOC.
I grew up about seven miles from Gettysburg, but my love of the Civil War didn’t begin until I moved to Virginia for my dream job at a horse hospital. That’s where I learned about Col. John S. Mosby—and the rest, as they say, is history.

By a roundabout route, I’m back in Gettysburg now, and the author of “Shades of Gray,” which, I am happy to say, has won two Best Regional Fiction awards since its release in January 2008.

In addition to being an avid reader, I’m a recovering book collector (Well, I’m kind of recovering… There’s always room for one more first edition). In my spare time, I enjoy frequent trips to Virginia and love locating obscure historical landmarks and buildings. To stand in the exact spot where historical figures stood, to see the land, hear the sounds and just “absorb” the energy that emanates there is what gets my creative juices flowing. I’m not sure how other authors do it, but I like to experience it and feel it before I write about it.

I encourage readers to recommend Civil War fiction titles for me to read or review—old and new. You can contact me through TOCWOC or at writefromthepast(at)yahoo(dot)com.