James D. Robertson first displayed a talent for fiction in high school. An English exam required a report on a novel he had found too dull to read. Rather than stare into space for the test period, he wrote about a story he invented on the spot. When the graded papers were returned, Robertson was shocked to see a B-plus at the top and See me after class! in bright red ink at the bottom. The teacher privately explained that, while Robertson had obviously not read the book, his characters and plot line were so well crafted the teacher felt Robertson deserved a passing grade. “There are two things you must do in life, Jim,” the teacher said. “First, go to college. Second, write a book. You have a rare gift.” The praise preceded a warning to never try this again.

Since then, Robertson has held many positions in the business arena, but writing always played a part. In the course of his several careers, he wrote sales proposals, literature copy, an occasional cartoon, a newsletter for a Fortune 500 company and, in his spare time, did some freelance newspaper reporting. He was a contributing editor for two non-fiction works, Doc: Platoon Medic, a Military Book Club selection by Daniel Evans Jr. and Chuck Sasser (Pocket Books, 1992), and Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts, a New York Times bestseller by Colonel David H. Hackworth and Eilhys England (Ruggedland Books, 2002). Robertson served with the authors in Vietnam. He is a decorated combat veteran.

He is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Long Island Writers’ Guild. He is co-founder of a critique group that call themselves, with tongue in cheek, the Future Best Selling Novelists of Long Island. The group published an anthology of short fiction in 2012 entitled Chapter One. Robertson’s debut novel is For Good Reason. He lives with his wife, Elizabeth, on New York’s Long Island, where they raised three children: Tom, Suzanne and Kate. James is currently working on his next novel.