About

James Ory Theall, or Jim as he prefers being called, is the author of three novels, and several short stories for periodicals or collections. He has co-authored his families’ history with his wife, Lorraine, an award-winning author for her novel “Beginnings”. He is a frequent contributor of guest opinions to local newspapers. He is an avid listener of audio books, as he believes in order to be a good writer, he must read as much as possible.

Jim hails from South Louisiana Cajun country. Upon his graduation from Mount Carmel High School, now Vermilion Catholic, in Abbeville, Louisiana, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950. During his second enlistment, doctors discovered that he was going blind with retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable condition of the retina. Jim was medically retired from his military career. He remained in Omaha, Nebraska, and attended Omaha University, now University of Nebraska at Omaha, and worked in the area for several years. He later moved his family to Louisiana, and worked there in various establishments servicing the oil exploration and production activities in the Gulf of Mexico.

Jim returned to Omaha and completely retired in 2000. While active as an advocate for the blind, he pursued his love of creative writing and moved to Longmont, Colorado, in 2002.

Jim lives with his wife, the former Lorraine Hansen of Council Bluffs, Iowa. They serve as co-presidents of the Longmont Writers Club.