In 1984, James began to study fine arts and film production at the New York University - Tisch School of the Arts. In 1987 he finished his studies. But he decided to continue learning and in 1995 entered at the University of Connecticut School of Law where James got a Degree of Juris Doctor.
In high school James decided that he wanted to make movies, that's why he graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he won awards for his films, then James moved to the Los Angeles area and tried the Hollywood thing. One script that he co-wrote with a friend was produced and after that he abandoned his career as a writer-director. From August 1990 to October 1993 James worked as a head of Human Resources and Assistant to the President/CEO at CIGNA Hospital of Los Angeles. Between 1993-2003 he worked as attorney at Bingham McCutchen LLP. Now James writes books.
All five of his thrillers ("The prettiest one", "Shady cross", "Brothers and bones", "Jack of spades", and "Drawn") spent time in the Kindle Top 100 and became Amazon #1 bestsellers, while "The prettiest one" reached #1 in the entire Kindle Store. "Shady cross" received a coveted starred review from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews gave "Brothers and bones" a starred review and named it to their list of Best Books of 2013.
Quotes from others about the person
Good Book Alert: "James Hankins’s Drawn uses a combination of mystery and sympathy keep you turning its pages…. This is my kind of book. I’m a huge fan of horror writers like Stephen King and Joe Hill…. I won’t say whether this horror/thriller tale has a happy ending without spoiling it, but I will say there is a twist bringing these four together that is unexpected. James Hankins makes it worth your time."
Blogger review: "The writing is full of cliff hangers which leave you on the edge of your seat craving answers. The story moves at a really fast pace and each chapter is filled with action…The characters are well-developed and although the story takes numerous twists and turns they work together to weave together a story that sheds light not only on Jake’s disappearance but on the heart of who Charlie truly is and how far he is willing to go for justice."
James is married and has twin sons.
