About
I am the author of about a dozen stories published in literary journals and THE SPEED OF LIFE, an Illustrated Novel (TSOL). TSOL explores themes of what is real and how can we know what is real in the context of whether one of the characters is guilty of a heinous crime the theme of what is real transcends a search for truth in a criminal trial.
From my legal experience representing individuals in high-stakes civil and criminal cases and multi-national corporations in high-risk transactions and litigation, I came to see contemporary uncertainties about truth and justice, love and tolerance. From that vantage, I developed the novel’s theme.
After earning my bachelor’s degree in philosophy and my Juris Doctor degree from UCLA, I studied creative writing at the University of Southern California, where I was awarded a Master of Professional Writing degree.
I am a descendant of Eastern European shamans. My hobbies include travel and photography. I live in Santa Monica, Ca. with my wife, Andrea, and our standard poodle, UC.
Featured Work
The Speed of Life, an Illustrated Novel
THE SPEED OF LIFE launches with a crime so horrific that if the first great tragedians—Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides—had imagined it, no historical record remains to prove it. From themes as modern as #MeToo to leitmotifs of Greek tragedy, Western philosophy, and modern understandings of astrophysics, the novel tells the stories of diverse characters who are brought together by the seminal crime and rewards the reader with psychological revelations worthy of Stendhal.
T. C. Boyle praises The Speed of Life: From the courtroom to the swamp primeval to the underpinnings of the universe, James Jordan takes us on a wild ride. A hugely ambitious and thoroughly enjoyable triumph of a first novel. All I can say is "Bravo!"
Physics Nobel Prize winner Kip Thorne says: I hugely enjoyed this remarkable novel. It blends human courage & cruelties with solid astrophysics and with Seminole culture & mythology – resulting in a richness that held me tightly in its grip.
Madison Smartt Bell says: "The Speed of Life, by James Victor Jordan, is a ground-breaking, scientific/philosophical novel -–wrapped in a Carl Hiaasen-flavored thriller. Jordan relates cutting edge theoretical physics to ancient Seminole shamanistic practices and produces a credible explanation of why and how old magical methods may have tangible effects in our world. At the same time, this novel is sparklingly contemporary, bright and crisp around the edges of its plot, and ingenious in braiding elaborate story lines to bring an extraordinary cast of characters together. And it fires itself forward at a break-neck velocity; this is not a book you will want to put down."
Other Works
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THE SPEED OF LIFE, an Illustrated Novel
2018
Awards and Recognition
- T.C. Boyle’s blurb From the courtroom to the swamp primeval to the underpinnings of the universe, James Jordan takes us on a wild ride. A hugely ambitious and thoroughly enjoyable triumph of a first novel. All I can say is "Bravo!" Aram Saroyan’s blurb The Speed of Life is a fast-paced, character-rich, thought-provoking novel that takes the reader from the heart of Western philosophy and civilization to the heart of millennial America. A fine storyteller, James Jordan knows his characters and where all their secrets are buried, and something more—the hope still strong in their restless, striving hearts. A remarkable debut. Kip S. Thorne’s blurb: I hugely enjoyed this remarkable novel. It blends human courage & cruelties with solid astrophysics and with Seminole culture & mythology – resulting in a richness that held me tightly in its grip. Tom Holland’s blurb: What happens when a rapist says that he was hired by a mother’s son to rape her? An old Florida family and those
