Jim West grew up on a small farm in rural West Texas. Following a four year tour in intelligence with the US Navy, he finished college and joined the US Air Force as a pilot. After sixteen years and one tour in South Korea, he retired and joined American Airlines. As a pilot, he flew primarily within the United States, Mexico, and Canada. After retiring again, he began writing books based on his experience with military and airline operations. Trying to ensure each book accurately portrayed the characters and situation, Jim spent countless hours researching those areas of the stories where he had no firsthand knowledge. Plausibility and possibility are the basic tenants of every book.