Author L. Frank James Jr., was born into a Christian home in Pasadena, California. (The 'L' is for Leroy.) Having a rich Christian family heritage, he was raised in the church and was taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ from an early age.

     Frank's early Christian background was heavily influenced by his Godly parents. As a lad, he would accompany his mother to the Pentecostal prayer meetings, healing services, and special crusades and events that faith preachers would conduct in Southern California. His dad was a dedicated servant around the church, serving as a deacon, a trustee, and in the capacity of general ambassador to people and missions during his working days and even after his retirement from the business world.

     At the age of eleven, at the behest of his mother, Frank knelt down beside her at the edge of his bed and asked Jesus into his heart. Of course, given to exaggeration, the next day when asked to describe the event, he characterized it as being "struck by a lightning bolt."

     Frank had a speech impediment when he was young, causing him to stutter badly. Consequently, he was afraid to go to the lunch counter at John Marshall Jr. High School in Pasadena, because he would stammer too much while attempting to order a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He underwent years of speech therapy with his teacher Mr. Gray who, himself as an adult, had a distinctive infantile 'R'.

     When Brother Oral Roberts came through town, Frank's mother took him down to the evangelist's revival and healing tent ministry crusade. Brother Roberts placed his hands on Frank's head and prayed over him that the Lord would loosen his tongue. Though not healed right away, he is convinced that God answered that prayer through the medium of theater.

     It was Frank's first year of high school when he chose to take a drama class as an elective. He vividly remembers standing on stage in the Little Theater at Pasadena High School and having to read a part in a play - a script that he had previously reviewed. Having the opportunity to rehearse what he would be saying before he auditioned, allowed him to read it perfectly, without stuttering. Consequently, this experience taught him that if he could preview and practice beforehand, he would be relieved from fretting, stammering, and groping for the words he needed to speak.

     Drama and theatre attracted Frank during both his high school and college years. (He says that the only thing he could do was to stand up in front of people and make a fool of himself.) At Pasadena City College he was a Drama Major and graduated from Cal State LA with a bachelor's degree in Theatre.

     His mother's death from cancer in 1975, caused Frank to begin to re-think the faith of his youth - he was assured that she had prayed for him during his backsliding years.

     He met and married his bride, Charlotte, in 1977. They have five children: Barbara Lyon (Married to James Lyon), Patrick, David, and sixteen-year-old-twins, Martha and Beth. The family stayed in Southern California through 1988, allowing Frank to earn a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Theater from UCLA.

     During the '80s Frank often worked in theater and tried to break into film and TV as an actor. He had a day job working at a billboard company and at night he would do theater - writing, producing, directing, and performing in local theatrical efforts.

     Frank, Charlotte, and the kids moved to Northern California in 1989 to help plant Valley Springs Presbyterian Church in Roseville, CA. He held the position of drama Director under David George, Senior Pastor, and is now the Pastoral Care provider.

     Being a former member of the Screen Actors Guild (Frank hasn't actually paid dues for years) and AFTRA, officially puts him in the position of a lot of people - 'Don't quit your day-job!' He originally obtained his SAG card when he landed a part as a security guard on General Hospital. (That's the high point of his TV career.) He taught high school drama and has a long list of acting and directing credits in community as well as professional theater.

     He is the recipient of numerous acting awards, including; the Elly Acting, Birdsal Acting, Robert Reed Acting, and Bank of America Best Actor. Frank is an accomplished playwright and has performed, directed, and toured with groups such as; Theatre Du Terte Paris, Last Minute Production (co-founder), Actors Alley Theatre, Long Beach Civic Light Opera, and Richmond Sheppard Theatre, Hollywood, among others.

     Mr. Inside is Frank's second novel. His first, An Opened Grave: Sherlock Holmes Investigates His Ultimate Case, is a highly endorsed, award-winning book.