James J. Houts was born on the threshold of Death Valley, in a remote region of California’s Mojave Desert. A born wanderer, he has traveled the world extensively, living and working in many cultures. After teaching high school English for several years, he traveled the U.S., tending bar in desert towns, Colorado ski resorts, and on Bourbon Street in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. During his career as a chemical engineering consultant, he lived in California, Hawaii, and as an expatriate in the Republic of the Philippines. He has worked throughout the globe and has spent a great deal of time in Southeast Asia and the People’s Republic of China, where he learned to speak Mandarin Chinese. He has also managed engineering projects in Europe, South America and Africa. Educated in Southern California, the author earned his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside and a post-graduate degree in technical writing from California State University, Long Beach. His scientific research in electro-analytical chemistry has been published in The Journal of the American Chemical Society. His books include Carnival of Cannibals, Spirit of Error, Quality of Quantity, Reminiscences of a Stock Market Flea, The Stock Market Flea: Trading the Crash of 2008, and The Stock Market Flea: Lessons from the Front. James currently resides in Los Angeles, where he writes and trades the Options market.
