James Gault, prize winning writer born in Scotland, has retired to SW France after spending ten years in the Czech Republic . There he enjoys the sunshine, writes novels, short stories and English Language textbooks.
" I write mostly political thrillers with a touch of humour, set in the present but sometimes with references to the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of my books are in the Scottish vernacular. (This one is not) and some are really comic novels (this one is not). They always have references to social issues. I try to offer readers interesting and engrossing characters, and favour relatively complex exciting plots with more than one unexpected twist in them. Above all, I try to be innovative and produce work that is unique to me and in no way derivative."
He has written four novels, all available on Amazon as e-books and paperbacks:
His latest novel, Best Intelligence, is a detective thriller set in Glasgow, France and Spain.
{ 4 and 5 start reviews e.g.
Why are Scottish/Glaswegian cops the best? Not since Taggart ruled the Mean City have we had the pleasure of the polis dealing with the wee scumbags on their manor (to use a London term). There's none of that fancy Edinburgh/Oxbridge Detecting or Midsummer Murders here. This is a tale of double dealing, drugs, death, and deception with a hefty side order of paranoia to boot. From the depths of the Gorbals to the vineyards of France and the Spanish Costas Charlie Best shares DNA with the much missed Taggart. He gets things done, but is no friend of the brass, so when he inherits a windfall he is gone faster than a bottle of Bucky at a sixteenth birthday party. But will Glasgow let him go? There's an old tune that goes "I belong to Glasgow, Dear old Glasgow Town." and Charlie belongs to Glasgow when the local criminals pop up on the Costas he can't just retire and let it go - he has to go back - he is polis after all. Its a great story which had me guessing from the beginning. (Its taken me a while to read but that's no fault of the book, I have been busy.) Its a recommended read for all you Weegie lovers out there. }
He also produces the on-line literary magazine Vox Lit with monthly notes by writers for writers and readers, news, features (short stories, poems and extracts from novels.)
Other books:
Teaching Tania (Young Tania tries to put the world to rights with the help of her English teacher - a comic detective story)
Ogg (Supernatural being tries to teach teenage Antonia how to think rationally as they try to save the world from destruction - comic philosophical thriller)
The Redemption of Anna Petrovna (Young woman in ex-communist country tries to build a career in a totally corrupt society - political psychological thriller
As well as ELT books and his novels, he has written short stories published in various reviews and magazines. In 2007, he won the writing prize from the British Czech and Slovak Society for his short story 'Old Honza's Day Out'.
In his time James has been an IT specialist, a businessman and a teacher as well as a writer, and has traveled extensively throughout Europe. He has worked with and taught English to students of many nationalities. He has an international outlook on life and his writing reflects both this and his other interests.
Apart from writing, his passions are politics, philosophy, film making, computer system development and his grandchildren.
