James Houston Turner
- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Winner of numerous awards, including "Best Thriller," bestselling author James Houston Turner is known for his Aleksandr Talanov series of spy novels. Talanov the fictional character was inspired by the actual KGB agent who once leaked word out of Moscow that James was on a KGB watchlist for his smuggling activities behind the old Iron Curtain. "His act of heroism - he could have been executed for what he did - gave me the idea of a good-guy KGB agent who became a spy for America."
A native of Baldwin, Kansas, James Houston Turner has been writing since he was ten. He attended high school in Kansas before graduating from Baker University with a bachelor's degree. He then moved to Texas, where he earned his master's degree from the University of Houston (Clear Lake).
After a move to San Diego, California, his love of writing turned into a profession with publication of The Spud Book: 101 Ways to Cook Potatoes. Publisher's Weekly called it "A cookbook with ap-peel." Between TV cooking tours, he worked as a journalist at the famed Los Angeles Union Rescue Mission, where he revised their magazine, Lifeline, from a needs-based ministry appeal to a collection of interviews from the streets about changed lives. Those interviews included numerous victims of human trafficking. The magazine won several awards.
During this time, James also worked as a smuggler into Soviet-occupied Eastern Europe, where he transported tons of food, clothing, Bibles, and medical supplies, to needy hospitals and churches. While there, he interviewed many heroes of death camps, gulags, Siberian exile, persecution, illness, hardship, and torture, including assassination squads.
James is also a cancer survivor after doctors in Australia removed a tumor the size of an orange from his face. "I was told if I lived eighteen months I would probably live to be one hundred. That was in 1991, so I am happy to report I am well on my way toward that goal. These experiences influenced my storytelling, whether in magazines, novels, or, now, in film. My stories are 'overcomer stories,' because that's what I've had to do, and is why I want my stories to leave people with the same hope and faith that strengthened me."
His debut film, Square Pegs (2024), garnered twelve film festival awards, including Best Screenplay, Best Picture, and Best Project by a First-time Filmmaker.
After nearly twenty years in Australia, James and his wife, Wendy, now live in Austin, Texas.
A native of Baldwin, Kansas, James Houston Turner has been writing since he was ten. He attended high school in Kansas before graduating from Baker University with a bachelor's degree. He then moved to Texas, where he earned his master's degree from the University of Houston (Clear Lake).
After a move to San Diego, California, his love of writing turned into a profession with publication of The Spud Book: 101 Ways to Cook Potatoes. Publisher's Weekly called it "A cookbook with ap-peel." Between TV cooking tours, he worked as a journalist at the famed Los Angeles Union Rescue Mission, where he revised their magazine, Lifeline, from a needs-based ministry appeal to a collection of interviews from the streets about changed lives. Those interviews included numerous victims of human trafficking. The magazine won several awards.
During this time, James also worked as a smuggler into Soviet-occupied Eastern Europe, where he transported tons of food, clothing, Bibles, and medical supplies, to needy hospitals and churches. While there, he interviewed many heroes of death camps, gulags, Siberian exile, persecution, illness, hardship, and torture, including assassination squads.
James is also a cancer survivor after doctors in Australia removed a tumor the size of an orange from his face. "I was told if I lived eighteen months I would probably live to be one hundred. That was in 1991, so I am happy to report I am well on my way toward that goal. These experiences influenced my storytelling, whether in magazines, novels, or, now, in film. My stories are 'overcomer stories,' because that's what I've had to do, and is why I want my stories to leave people with the same hope and faith that strengthened me."
His debut film, Square Pegs (2024), garnered twelve film festival awards, including Best Screenplay, Best Picture, and Best Project by a First-time Filmmaker.
After nearly twenty years in Australia, James and his wife, Wendy, now live in Austin, Texas.
