James Van Eaton’s career as an author began not with writing, but with dictation, when, at the age of three, he began telling stories into a tape recorder. Dreamed up as they were by the mind of a child, the tales were fanciful and outlandish in both setting and tone, yet nonetheless focused on the plights and personalities of the characters. Each were real, empathetic people caught up in circumstances ranging from the majestic to the bizarre to the completely absurd. Now, nearly forty years later, James’ approach to writing hasn’t changed much.

He still delights in creating settings with a heightened sense of style which nonetheless feature relatable, down-to-earth characters, the struggles of whom are both contemporary and timeless. After years of writing short stories while reading everything he could get his hands on, James finally sat down to write his first novel, and in 2007 debuted Down the Darkening Road, an epic fantasy. Following its publication, James immediately began work on a new book, but decided to set the manuscript aside when he was hired to co-author a family-based novel of historical fiction called Chasing Moonshine (with Raymond L.F. Johnson) which released in 2009. Chasing Moonshine would go on to be adapted for stage and enjoy two successful runs at community theatres in Northern California. Following his second novel’s success, James returned to his book in progress and released his young adult fantasy novel Cartoon Eyes in 2009, adding a sci-fi sequel, Into the Neon Night, in 2014. 

Over the next few years, inspired by his involvement in the productions of Chasing Moonshine, James began to write for the stage. His script Help Me, completed in 2019, was selected by the Twilight Theatre Company of Portland, OR and served as their entry in the Fertile Ground Festival that year. Over the past year, James has been compiling a book of short plays. James continues to write and he is always looking for more opportunities for his novels to be read and his plays produced.