James WallaceBorn in the small port city of Burnie in Tasmania, I moved to the north shore of Sydney before my 9th birthday. I had a passion for the arts, especially writing and music, but loved sport even more at that age, and cricket, tennis, and rugby successflly hijacked most of my time.After high school, I attended Macquarie University, where I played in a band and occasionally attended classes in economics and politics.After university, I turned down a sought-after role as a journalist due to a severe paper allergy that had secretly troubled me for years and went into the world of currency trading where paper shuffling wasn't necessary. I loved the chaotic and barely regulated markets of the nineties. I worked for major banks in Sydney, London, and New York before moving into the world of hedge funds, where I set up and ran two global macro currency businesses for a total of 13 years.In 2014 I needed a change. My passion for adventure and storytelling had long been unfulfilled. So, I gave finance away, formed a film production company, rallied some iconic sponsors, and trekked the Kokoda Trail as my first foray into the world of film and television. The documentary, Life Challenge Kokoda, was aired multiple times on the Nine Network, EMTV, TVNZ and Virgin In-Flight Entertainment. It was quite the adventure and one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life to date.In December 2020, I decided to change my life after a challenging 18 months in film production through Covid-19. I wanted to try a year without alcohol, eat a healthy ketogenic diet, get back into running and novelize a few of my screenplays. It's been one of the best decisions of my life. The combination of no alcohol, minimal sugar and limited carbs significantly reduced the inflammation in my body, and my liver and kidneys are now working like new. But the most significant change has been the clarity in my mind and idea flow. It's as if Thalia, Melpomene, Euterpe, and Erato have been sitting with me every day as I work, and I am grateful for their company.The journey to write Pre-Devoted was remarkable. I wrote the screenplay first and then allowed myself to explore the characters' backstories as I novelized it. The story is very dear to me and riddled with elements of my personal life, including my love for New York and France. Sock Puppet is based on a screenplay that I wrote with Madeleine West during the lockdown in 2020. The story was born out of some strange events in my dating life right before the Covid-19 virus spread across the planet. I have always believed in true love and would like to think I am still a hopeless romantic. But it's easy to become addicted to the reckless and somewhat counter-productive pursuit of perfection. We must find beauty in the imperfections of others and ourselves to have any chance of finding contentment. Exploring this topic in Sock Puppet has helped me let go of many ridiculous expectations I have placed on myself since I was a teenager. I think I have finally embraced my many flaws. It's been liberating. I hope that Sock Puppet resonates with all of you that have been stuck in the pursuit of perfection like I was.Thank you for your time, keep safe, and I hope you enjoy the upcoming releases. Read More Read Less