James T. McMahan—Travis to his friends—began reading fiction at an early age and never stopped. Growing up, the books of Piers Anthony, David Eddings, Terry Brooks, and Robert Jordan were read and re-read until the characters were old friends.
His interest in historical fiction began with Bernard Cornwell's The Warlord Chronicles and Saxon Stories, along with far too many hours spent on strategy PC games. Somewhere in all that, he started asking: what if history had gone differently?
McMahan teaches high school literature and lives in Oklahoma with his Siberian Husky, who has strong opinions about his writing schedule. The Winter Princess explores what happens when ambition, duty, and love collide in sixth-century Britain—and what it costs to build a crown from nothing.