About the Author

Born on the threshold of Death Valley, in a remote region of California's Mojave Desert, James J Houts has traveled the world extensively, living and working in many cultures. As a student he worked his way across the United States, tending bar in desert towns, Colorado ski resorts and on Bourbon Street in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. During a long career as an chemical engineering consultant, he has lived in California, Hawaii and the Republic of the Philippines. He has worked throughout the globe and has spent a great deal of time in South East Asia and the Peoples Republic of China where he learned to speak Mandarin Chinese. He has also worked in Europe and Africa. Educated in Southern California, he received degrees in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside and a post-graduate degree in technical writing from California State University, Long Beach. His scientific work has been published in The Journal of the American Chemical Society. Although he is a born wanderer, he presently resides in Southern California.