James Alexander Craig Thom (born May 26, 1933 in
Gosport, Indiana
Gosport is a town in Wayne Township, Owen County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 826 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bloomington, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Gosport was platted in 1829, and named for ...
) is an American author, best known for his works in the
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
genre and
colonial American history which are noted for their historical accuracy borne of his painstaking research. Thom graduated from
Butler University
Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...
in 1961 with a BA in Journalism after serving in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
in the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. He taught a course in
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...
at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universi ...
, and was a contributor to ''
The Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...
''.
Works
* ''Let the Sun Shine In (a collection of short stories)'' (Gibson Publishing, 1976)
* ''Spectator Sport'' (a novel about the tragic events of the
1973 Indianapolis 500
The 57th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Wednesday, May 30, 1973. The race was held over three days due to rain and suffered two major accidents. Three competitors - two dri ...
auto race) (
iUniverse, 1978)
* ''Staying Out of Hell'' (Ballantine Books, 1985)
* ''Long Knife'' (a novelized biography of General
George Rogers Clark, victor of the Battle of
Fort Sackville
During the 18th and early 19th centuries, the French, British and U.S. forces built and occupied a number of forts at Vincennes, Indiana. These outposts commanded a strategic position on the Wabash River. The names of the installations were change ...
in
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. Founded in 1732 by French fur ...
, and conqueror of the
Northwest Territory) (Avon, 1979)
* ''From Sea to Shining Sea'' (a novelized biography based on the lives of the John and Ann Rogers Clark family, their 10 children which included brothers General
George Rogers Clark and Captain
William Clark
William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Miss ...
of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gr ...
to the Pacific) (Villard Books, 1981)
* ''Panther in the Sky'' (a novelized biography of
Tecumseh, the Shawnee Indian chieftain) (Ballantine Books, 1989)
* ''Follow the River'' (based on the
Draper's Meadow massacre
In July 1755, the Draper's Meadow settlement in southwest Virginia, at the site of present day Blacksburg, was raided by a group of Shawnee warriors, who killed at least four people including an infant, and captured five more. The Indians brough ...
of 1755) (Ballantine Books, 1981)
* ''Red Heart'' (Random House, 1997)
* ''Sign Talker'' (a novelized biography of
George Drouillard, who was with Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery expedition) (Ballantine Books, 2000)
* ''The Children of First Man'' (a novelization of the genesis and the demise of the
Mandan
The Mandan are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still re ...
Indian Tribe) (Fawcett, 1995)
* ''St. Patrick's Battalion'' (a novel about
Saint Patrick's Battalion in the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
of 1846) (Ballantine Books, 2006)
* ''Warrior Woman'' (with Dark Rain Thom, a novel about the life of Shawnee peace chief
Nonhelema
Nonhelema Hokolesqua (–1786) was an 18th century Shawnee leader and sister of Cornstalk. She was a participant in Pontiac's War and advocated Shawnee neutrality during the American Revolutionary War. Following the war, and despite her support ...
, born ca. 1720) (Random House, 2007)
* ''The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction'' (
Writer’s Digest Books, 2010)
Personal life
Thom married Dark Rain in 1990. Dark Rain is co-author with Thom of the books ''Warrior Woman'' and ''The Shawnee: Kohkumthena's Grandchildren''. His website describes her as the Water Panther Clan Mother of the East of the River
Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
of Ohio.
Film adaptations
* ''Tecumseh: The Last Warrior'' (1995), TV-movie based on his novel ''Panther in the Sky''
References
External links
Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thom, James Alexander
1933 births
20th-century American novelists
American male journalists
American male novelists
Living people
Writers from Bloomington, Indiana
Butler University alumni
20th-century American male writers
Novelists from Indiana
20th-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American novelists
21st-century American non-fiction writers
Journalists from Indiana
People from Wayne County, Indiana
United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War