JM Williams is a writer and historian, currently living in South Korea, but originally from the United States. Well, still from the United States if anyone asks. He has been writing since childhood, usually with some sort of fantasy slant or twist. Luckily, he outgrew his penchant for blood and gore, which can’t be said of Stephen King. As a child, Williams was inspired by fantasy and hero stories and Star Wars. Everyone loves Star Wars.
Williams was born in Duluth, Minnesota. The dull ordinariness of small-town life was likely what prodded him to start daydreaming and creating stories in his head. Much like electric cattle prods must create new villains in the heads of cows. And like cows, Williams ate grass from time to time, and ants. He was a disgusting child.
Growing up, he was lucky to have teachers who encouraged his strange and often macabre ideas. The first big push came in sixth grade with a teacher who allowed him to write about monsters during what was supposed to be diary time. This was the same class where Williams promptly answered the question “What’s an Apache?” with “It’s an attack helicopter! With Hellfire missiles!” Not the answer Ms. Legg had been hoping for.
Later in college, where he majored in English with a focus on writing, he met another similarly inclined teacher. The guy was a fan of big L literature, as shown in his reading selection for his writing classes. Let’s just say the class read more Joyce and Carver than Asimov or Gernsback. Come to think of it, they never read Asimov or Gernsback. Or any sci-fi whatsoever. Shenanigans! So, being somewhat disgruntled by it all–and having a touch of rebellion in his little toe–when it came time to write, and while his peers were writing stories about alcoholics having arguments, Williams wrote hero-centered, action-heavy stories. Things like assassins stopping bank robbers by stabbing them with a click-pen. Lovely stuff. His teacher loved it.
Williams has a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota, and an M.A. in History with Pittsburg State University, where he won the Distinguish Thesis Award for writing about dead people. He previously worked as an English language and writing teacher for almost a decade.
Williams has published six books and around forty-five short stories. He has earned five Honorable Mentions in the Writers of the Future Contest and several other awards. A list of his publications can be found here.