I am an English author, living with my family in a rural region of France. A dog and a cat have also taken up residence but are good company when they are not sleeping or eating, habits that seem to be a major part of their lives. Speaking moderate French allows me to pass time with local folk who enjoy a lifestyle built on tranquility, good wine, and meals that seem to last forever. Like many here, I enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden and the relaxed approach to living in a non-materialistic world (apart from the laptop and the i-phone, of course).

 

Each month, I join members of a writing group in a nearby town where we discuss and critique our projects, often helping each other to achieve higher standards in our work. Occasionally, I also contribute to an English language newspaper with a circulation of over 14,000 copies in this region. I run Writers' Workshops locally, and contributed to the first Charroux Literary Festival in 2015 by running a workshop entitled 'The Structure of a Novel'; I will be attending again in August 2017 where I will be launching my latest novel, 'The Housekeeper' and running another workshop.

 

Often, people I meet ask why I write, when I started, etc.

I wrote my first published story, entitled 'Nonsense' at the age of ten; it appeared in the school magazine of that year! I tried again when much older but sadly, work commitments obstructed my progress until I relocated to France. Now I write for pleasure and especially enjoy the interesting research necessary for a credible novel.

 

Some of my books are in local libraries where there is an English section. Copies of my novels are also on sale at various outlets in Haute Vienne. Over the past four years, I have hosted eleven book-signing events in France. I recently contributed a short story to a global project, The Magic Diary that features 50 writers from across the world. My story can be read in Volume II of A Pocketful of Dreams.

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Here are some perhaps little known facts about me:

 

1. I sang as a chorister in Chester Cathedral

2. I once drove three circuits around the Silverstone F1 track

3. As a town councillor, I attended one meeting dressed as a Roman warrior

4. Performed as a disc-jockey & booked pop groups for live gigs

5. I spent time inside the KGB’s Lubyanka headquarters in Moscow

6. I played soccer for a team in Rapallo, Italy

7. I delivered meat for a butcher to earn my first wage...

8. ...and now live on a former dairy farm in France

9. I spent a day with Miss United Kingdom when she was George Best’s girlfriend

10. As an actor, I played the role of ‘The Common Man’ in an award-winning production of ‘Man for All Seasons’​

11. A keen fell-walker, I scaled many Lakeland Fells

12. I am a member of ELMS, the WW2 Escape Lines Memorial Society

 

In a nutshell, that is me...James R. Vance.

 

 

                P.S.    Though a little dog-eared now,

                          this is my 'best friend' when I

                          am writing  and editing.