Meet The Author

James D. Loy was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and educated at the University of Tennessee (BS) and Northwestern University (MA, PhD). He taught physical anthropology at the University of Rhode Island from 1974-2010 and for twenty-five years, he studied and wrote about the social behavior of monkeys. In the mid-1990s, however, unable to think of anything else he wanted to know about monkeys, Jim shifted his research interests to a biography of Charles Darwin's wife (J. D. Loy and Kent M. Loy, 2010, Emma Darwin: A Victorian Life, University Press of Florida). In 2010, the Loys moved to Hendersonville, NC, where they are enjoying retirement in the beautiful Appalachian mountains. When Jim isn't writing or working around the house, he is busy trying to learn Change Ringing on the tower bells of St. James Episcopal Church.

What do you like best about writing?

Several things come to mind. First, with Fish Food it was fun watching the characters come to life and begin to influence the story line. I enjoyed trying to keep Mike Uxem, Uncle Leroi, and Cousin Velma under control. Second, I enjoy trying to make words do what I want them to do, whether it's draw a convincing word picture of a place or situation, or evoke a particular reaction in the reader. Third, when I'm writing, I'm not painting the house.

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James D. Loy