Alumnus kicks off book tour at UHCL

Wardah Ajaz

The Signal

A writer’s journey begins like a roller coaster, full of unpredictable ups and downs, leading to a successful career only if the writer has the passion to continue facing the challenges.

James Houston Turner, author of “The Identity Factor” and “Department Thirteen,” has worked relentlessly to get his thrillers published. Turner is currently in North America promoting his books and the lessons he learned in life on his “Too Ugly Tour.”

“Becoming an author is not an easy task,” Turner said. “Rejections become your best friend and reality hits you hard.”

Turner’s life is an example of how the highs and lows play a major role in building personalities and discovering passions. Turner found his direction at University of Houston-Clear Lake.

“I was trying to find myself when my friend invited me to come down to Houston,” Turner said. “I drifted through a series of jobs until I happened to see an ad for a new University of Houston campus.”

Turner received his bachelor’s degree in religion from Baker University located in Baldwin, Kansas. Since he loved doing research, he started his Masters of Arts at UHCL. During his time at UHCL, Turner met Professor Robert Weghan, who inspired him in a new direction – writing fiction novels.

“This book was born here,” said Turner, picking up a copy of “The Identity Factor.”

The story was inspired by the biblical book of Genesis that Turner discovered during his time at UHCL.

“I stumbled onto a unique literary construction of the biblical book of Genesis, which became the backbone for my international thriller, ‘The Identity Factor,’ making that novel over 35 years in the making,” Turner said.

After graduating with his master’s degree in 1976, Turner moved from Houston to San Diego, where he self-published a book of poetry that reflected upon his life growing up in Kansas. He also published “101 Ways to Fix Potatoes,” which gained him popularity and led him into the field of journalism.

With part-time jobs on the side, Turner started smuggling books, Bibles, medicines and other items to Poland. There he met a lot of people who had suffered during the Cold War and were in need. Smuggling items into the Iron Curtain landed him on the KGB watch list.

“I did it [odd jobs] because I was willing to do whatever it took to support my family while pursuing my writing,” Turner said.

In 1991 Turner had a cancerous tumor removed from his face. He felt like his career was going nowhere, so he applied for a customer service job with a large company in Adelaide, Australia.

“The company said, ‘we can’t have someone looking like you in the company doing that kind of a job,’” Turner said, “They were referring to the facial scars that I carry from my 1991 successful battle against cancer.”

That is when Turner solidified his goal and turned back to writing. This incident inspired him to name his book tour the “Too Ugly Tour.”

“I decided to dedicate my tour to that moment when I was called too ugly,” Turner said. Instead of becoming discouraged, he made his comeback as a writer, hard and strong.

One of the books Turner is promoting on his “Too Ugly Tour,” which officially launched at UHCL on Sept. 15, is called “Department Thirteen.” This book was inspired by his time behind the Iron Curtain and the people he met there.

“We are honored to have him choose to launch his book here,” said Kristine Thompson, special events coordinator in the office of University Advancement.

Turner got in touch with the UHCL Alumni Association through Facebook and really wanted UHCL to be included in his tour since it played a huge role in his political thriller, “The Identity Factor.”

While promoting his books, Turner will also convey the message he has learned in his life.

“Don’t let the hard knocks of life defeat you,” Turner said. “Sometimes, those hard knocks are blessings in disguise.”