James J. Houts was born on the threshold of Death Valley in a remote region of California's Mojave Desert. A born wanderer, he has traveled the world extensively, living and working in many cultures. After teaching high school English for several years, he traveled the U.S., tending bar in desert towns, Colorado ski resorts, and on Bourbon Street in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. During his career as a chemical engineering consultant, he lived in California, Hawaii, and as an expatriate in the Republic of the Philippines. He has worked throughout the globe and has spent a great deal of time in...