James Parsons

Jim hails from Australia. He grew up in the bush - not quite the outback - at Moree, NSW. He spent 40 years on a sheep and wheat farm near Pallamallawa, which became the setting for his purely fictional 1950s village of 'Beetle Creek' in the humorous Australian novel of the same name.

Tired of going round and round in circles on a tractor, at 45, Jim studied externally at the University of New England and steadily (8 years) worked towards a Degree and Dip.Ed., majoring in English Lit. and German Lit. with a dash of History and Sociology thrown in for good measure.

Jim moved into teaching English, Communication, Creative Writing and Adult Literacy in the Access Studies section of TAFE (Technical and Further Education), the major adult education provider in Australia. He retired in 2004 as Head Teacher, Access Education, and has subsequently moved to beautiful, tropical Brisbane, where he devotes himself to his new wife (2006) , writing and publishing, travel and fishing. In retirement, he operates an on-line creative writing course (super value!) and also does budget editing and proofreading for both aspiring novelists and tertiary students. He has had an anintravenous drip inserted, so remains connected at all times to the Ethernet and can receive and answer emails in his sleep.