James Pauley, Jr. was born and raised in a small town in southwestern Michigan. He received his bachelor’s degree from Albion College, with a double major in German and Spanish. Spending a semester each in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Heidelberg, Germany, piqued his interest and lifelong love of international travel. He began his career as a flight attendant in 1978, a job that he enjoyed for almost forty-five years. Throughout his life, he’s worn many different hats: massage therapist, real estate agent, house flipper, painter, busboy, groundskeeper, delivery person, wine steward, waiter, babysitter, caterer, house cleaner, bartender, cake decorator, window washer, substitute teacher, janitor, and salesman. He is the author of Bumpy Rides and Soft Landings: Stories of Coming Out, Flying High, and Not Learning to Play the Piano. He is also the coauthor of soon-to-be-released An Unconditional Friendship: Messages from a Colorful Granny and an Off-Color Gay Guy with best-selling author Charlene Potterbaum. He lives with his spouse, Rich, in Indiana.