Contemporary fantasy author James A. Hetley lives in the Maine setting of his novels The Summer Country, The Winter Oak, Dragon's Eye, and Dragon's Teeth. Place names, events, and people have been changed to protect the author from lawsuits. The weather, on the other hand, can't sue for libel and is real.

He also writes as James A. Burton, with new fantasy novel Powers out in May 2012 from Prime Books.

A self-employed architect, he specializes in renovation and reuse of older buildings. Some of those also show up in his stories, playing themselves. Other diverse connections to his writing include black belt rank in Kempo karate, three years in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, a ham radio license, and such diverse jobs as auto mechanic, trash collector, and operating engineer in a refrigeration plant. His wife, a professional naturalist, provides advice on the realistic limitations of dragon behavior.

Unlike many other writers of fantasy, he does not have a personal cat to supervise and critique his work. However, neighborhood cats pursue him for professional-grade chin-scratching services.