who is Jim P Spencer

Who is Jim P Spencer? Well I was called Phil (that’s the P) until I was in my twenties. I was born in January in Northampton, Massachusetts. I attended the public schools there graduating from Northampton High in 1962. I spent two years at Holyoke Junior College were partying took precedence over studying. I joined the Air Force in 1965. I made maps, interpreted aerial and ground photos, edited reports, analyzed intelligence, worked in disaster preparedness (what some people called crash and dash).

In 1967, I married Susan Marie Conz. Our most memorable times were spent while I was stationed at the 548th Recon Technical Squadron in Hawaii. How could I not have enjoyed Hawaii with that much water and so many big game fish just a short boat hop away from the dock? I have been stationed at Lackland AFB in Texas, Lowry AFB in Colorado, Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, Saigon Vietnam (67-68), Nakhon Phanom ( affectionately known as "Naked Fanny) Thailand, Beale AFB in California, Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio. Did I mention Hawaii – well I did two tours there. That was a real hardship. I also spent some time at locations in Japan and Korea.

Still in the Air Force, i went back to school at Wayland Baptist University in Hawaii where I received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a BSOE in intelligence systems management. I retired in 1986 as a Master Sergeant. I then attended Springfield College where I received a master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational psychology.

Since my graduation in 1988, I have held various managerial positions. One of significant note is that I was hired as a training administrator for the Federal Deposit Insurance Company in Massachusetts. I loved every hour of that position. As all good things seem to end, I was a victim of a downsize and had to find other employment. I tried a few more jobs, and they for a zillion reason didn’t work out. I was in training for a financial advisor for American Express when I had a heart attack in 2000.

While recuperating, I found out that people enjoyed the words that I write and the plots that I can create. I got carried away and wrote my first novel. I went off to change the world with my new found skill. It wasn’t long before I found that I had the tools to write but they were dull. I honed my skills as a writer over the years by attending a zillion workshops, conferenced and writing groups. I finally finished my book Red, White and Black Lies seven years after I first put pen to paper. It did so well that I decided to do a series and the 2nd book is due out shortly.



So, that is me in a nutty shell and you can find me most of the time marketing, writing and all that goes with that business. I still teach both writing and photography. My other passions are travel, fishing and cooking. More will come every week – hope you enjoy my comments on writing and life in general.