James Aquilone was raised on Saturday morning cartoons, comic books, sitcoms, and Cap’n Crunch. Amid the Cold War, he dreamed of being a jet fighter pilot but decided against the military life after realizing it would require him to wake up early. He had further illusions of being a stand-up comedian, until a traumatic experience on stage forced him to seek a college education. Brief stints as an alternative rock singer/guitarist and child model also proved unsuccessful. Today he battles a severe chess addiction while trying to write in the speculative fiction game.
He writes the Dead Jack series of horror/fantasy novels and short stories. The books have been optioned and a TV series is in development.
James is also the Managing Editor of Weird Tales magazine and the editor of the upcoming anthology Classic Monsters Unleashed (Crystal Lake Publishing & Black Spot Books) as well as the Kolchak: The Night Stalker 50th Anniversary Graphic Novel (Moonstone Books). Suffice it to say, things are going much better than his modeling career.