Adelaide Novelist JAMES HOUSTON TURNER Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Beating Cancer

Jan. 25, 2011 - PRLog -- Acclaimed "Ludlumesque" novelist, James Houston Turner, is glad to be alive, and kicked off his twentieth anniversary of surviving cancer by attending the prestigious G'day USA black tie gala in Hollywood. "G'day USA and Qantas Airways have played important roles in my writing career, so it was an honor to be at one of the Qantas tables to celebrate my anniversary," James said, who recalled leaving Australia with his face disfigured and scarred. But a Qantas flight attendant clasped him on the shoulder and said, "You're going to beat this stuff."

Having no health insurance nor the $200,000 needed for an operation in San Diego, where he was living when diagnosed with cancer, James flew to Australia with his Australian wife, Wendy, where for $17,000 a team of surgeons at the Royal Adelaide Hospital removed a tumor the size of an orange from his jaw. That was in 1991.

"I saw breast cancer survivor, Olivia Newton-John, at the gala with her husband, John Easterling, and told her this was my twentieth anniversary. She gave me a high-five and said, "Put it there, brother!" There is no one more supportive of cancer victims and survivors than Olivia. It was great to see her again."

James has beaten the odds in other ways with a new publishing contract for his espionage thriller, DEPARTMENT THIRTEEN, which is based on his years as a smuggler behind the old Iron Curtain, as well as an actual covert assassination and sabotage unit of the KGB. Department Thirteen chronicles a week in the life of retired KGB informant, Aleksandr Talanov, who is happily married in Sydney to a woman he does not love. But when a group of assassins from his past narrowly miss killing him and his wife, Talanov discovers he has broken the first rule of survival by falling in love with the woman he must now fall out of love with if they are to survive.

Says Comfort Publishing's Book Division Senior Vice President, Pam Tolen: "What I like most about this book is the twisting, turning, completely unpredictable storyline. No wonder The Dallas Morning News called it "Ludlumesque," after the great novelist, Robert Ludlum. Jim's novel is extremely timely in light of the Russian spies caught operating in the United States. The time is ripe for a hero like Talanov, who helped the West during the Cold War, and whose experience in KGB sabotage and spy tactics makes him a valuable asset."

Says James, "It was an emotional experience getting cancer. You have all sorts of highs and lows, all kinds of fears and worries, and having my face disfigured only added to that. Plus, I was ripped apart from friends and family in the US when I moved to Australia for treatment. I now try to draw on those emotions in order to add depth to my books. Talanov is not just another action hero. He's a guy with real emotions, real enemies, and real threats. I want my readers to face those adversities with him and feel what he feels when he kicks ass, or when he loses somebody close to him."

James will be sharing his inspirational story on his upcoming book tour across America. DEPARTMENT THIRTEEN will be available in bookstores October, 2011. From Comfort Publishing.

For more information on James Houston Turner, his books and upcoming tour, visit http://www.jameshoustonturner.com.