The New York Times Book Review has said that my "writing is smooth and clear. . . . It wastes no words, and it has a rhythm that only confident stylists achieve." I am the author of thirteen critically acclaimed novels, and a new book on fiction writing, The Essential Guide to Writing a Novel, 2nd edition, available at Amazon in both hard copy and for the Kindle.
My fourteenth novel, House of Eight Orchids, was published by Thomas & Mercer in 2016. The Associated Press said about the novel, "Thayer delivers a vivid and compelling thriller set in 1937 China. A gripping portrayal of loyalty and treachery in a rarely seen world." I taught novel writing at the University of Washington extension school for ten years, and was the recipient of the school's 2015 Excellence in Teaching Award in the Arts, Writing, and Humanities. I have given many seminars on writing and editing.
I am a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Washington State University, and of the University of Chicago Law School. I live in Seattle. The web site for my novels is www.jamesthayer.com. I can be reached at jim@thayerediting.com.
