MARK JAMES writes Geopolitical thrillers/dystopian fiction.  His novel Friendship Games is a modern take on the USS Maine incident that launched the Spanish-American War in 1898; this time it is a US aircraft carrier that sinks in the Persian Gulf amid tensions with Iran and a changing world order.  Friendship Games earned a coveted Kirkus starred review and consideration for the Kirkus Prize for literary excellence.  It was selected by the editors of Kirkus Reviews as one of their Best Books of the Year.  It also earned a MWSA Bronze Medal Book Award, and is a Finalist for Chanticleer Reviews' Global Thriller of the Year.  It is also a Finalist for Chanticleer Reviews' Clue Book Award for Suspense/Thriller of the Year.  Friendship Games is available at Amazon in Paperback, Kindle, and Audiobook, and wherever you buy your books (just ask for it).  

His debut novel Alter Road, about unrest in Detroit, Michigan following decades of economic decline and neglect, is likewise available at Amazon and wherever you buy your books (again, just ask for it).  

Mark earned his PhD in Geography from the University of Cincinnati, his MS in Geography from the University of Alabama, and his BS in Political Science from Towson University.  He has published research in various academic journals including Antipode, Regional Studies, Journal of Urban Affairs, Growth & Change, and Southeastern Geographer.  He has taught Political, Economic, and Urban Geography for over twenty years.

He enlisted in the US Navy after high school and deployed to the Philippines, Japan, Guam, the Aleutian Islands, and Hawaii during the last years of the Cold War and after.  Following his naval service, he used the GI Bill and worked his way through college and graduate studies.  He is a first generation college graduate.

An avid surfer, you might find him on any given day amid the breaks off Delmarva in Maryland or Delaware when he probably should be working.

Feel free to contact Mark James via email or social media.