James Egan was born and raised in Seattle and attended Seattle Public Schools. He graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington in 1994 with a degree in Philosophy. Mr. Egan honed his writing skills as the Editor-in-Chief of the Whitman College newspaper, The Whitman Pioneer. He traveled and spoke publicly with the Whitman College Debate Team and Theater Program. Mr. Egan then served as a public defense investigator with a Seattle area Public Defense Agency (SCRAP) over two years and published stories as a newspaper reporter for a weekly in Cornwall, Southwest England.