James Andrew Bowen

Andrew Bowen is a “recovering journalist,” having had a nearly 20-year career as an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor at four dailies. Well, actually, before that, he was a military journalist in the service and editor of his college newspaper. In those capacities, he has written thousands of news stories, features, commentaries and editorials.

As a public relations executive, he has written perhaps hundreds more news releases, blogs, commentaries and media advisories.

So, why not books? Really. One day after a Christmas many years ago, pondering a yuletide comment made by his young daughter, he dreamed up and wrote his first book, “A Tree’s Christmas,” about a talking tree’s adventures in the house. It sold all 5,000 hardback copies.

Then came “Five Steps to Predictable Business Success,” co-authored with his then PR client, the late Laurence B. Valant. Along the way, he edited a Canadian author’s first novel.

After rigorous tutelage by professional screenwriters and intense self-study, Bowen has completed three feature-length screenplays and two animated shorts.

Both of the animated short scripts have been adapted into illustrated children’s books, one entitled “Anne’s Forever Christmas Tree,” loosely based on the first Christmas book. The second illustrated children’s manuscript is adapted from Bowen’s script for the animated short film ‘The Three Lines of Zaila,” about how all wolves and dogs are descendants of the mythical Wolf Goddess Zaila.