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 a lifelong love of international travel. He began his career as a flight attendant in 1978, a job that he loved for forty-four years. Throughout his life, he’s worn many other hats as well: 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. Pauley is the award-winning author of Bumpy Rides and Soft Landings and coauthor of An Unconditional Friendship with best-selling author Charlene Potterbaum. He lives with his spouse, Rich, in Indiana.