The Official Home Page for "Soulsaver" by James Stevens-Arce

A graduate of the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana Campus, where he earned a B.A. in Creative Writing and an M.A. in Theatre, as well as completing three years' doctoral work in film and theatre, James Stevens-Arce has sold and published twenty pieces of short genre fiction (science fiction, horror and fantasy) and one novel.

His stories have appeared in such national publications as Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine and Amazing Stories, as well as in a number of original hardcover and paperback anthologies in the U.S., Italy, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, including the prestigious New Legends anthology edited by Greg Bear.

His novel Soulsaver (Harcourt) shared the 1997 UPC Award for Science Fiction, cited by renowned British SF critic, historian, and Science Fiction Grand Master Brian Aldiss as "the most prestigious science fiction award in all of Europe."

Soulsaver has been included in the The San Francisco Chronicle's Notable Science Fiction/Fantasy 2000 list and in Locus Magazine's recommended Best Books/Stories of 2000. The Denver Rocky Mountain News named it Best First Novel of 2000 in its list of Best of 2000 Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror, and Locus Magazine also named it one of its Best First Novels of 2000.

Soulsaver is also recommended by The New York Review of Books' Readers' Catalog, was published in translation in Spain as "El salvador de almas" and in France as "Sauveurs d'âmes."

Stevens-Arce has worked as a writer-producer-director of film and video -- television specials, film documentaries, and close to two thousand television commercials, for which last he has won two regional Emmy Awards, three Telly Awards, silver and bronze medals at the New York Commercial Film Festival, and twice been a Clio Awards finalist.

Jim began his professional career in film as assistant director on the award-winning television special for Chase Manhattan Bank, Tempo 70. He subsequently directed the documentary-style television specials Festival en Bogotá, featuring Puerto Rican pop stars Nydia Caro and Danny Rivera, and Casals en Catedral, featuring world-renowned classical cellist Pablo Casals.

As writer-editor of the television special Diario de Vietnam, he shared in a Best Documentary nomination from the Directors Guild of America (first non-English-language film ever so nominated). In addition, his half-hour documentary Felma Helton: Meter Maid, which he wrote, produced, directed, shot, and edited, won the Best Documentary Award at the first Champaign-Urbana Film Festival.

He scripted an award-winning original teleplay titled "What is a Puerto Rican?" for the bilingual (English and Spanish) sitcom "Mundo Real," produced by Connecticut Public Television and directed two San Juan stage productions that made their respective best-of-the-year lists -- The Killing of Sister George and They're Playing Our Song.

His screenplay Sins of the Heart made the:

Semifinals in the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting (top 2%)
Second round at the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition (top 10%)
Quarterfinals in the Slamdance Screenplay Competition
Finals in the Drama Category of the Hollywood's Next Success Screenwriting Contest (top 13 scripts)
Semifinals in the Screen Arts Foundation Prize for Screenwriting Contest (top 5%)

His short story Cycles earned an Honorable Mention in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Third Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois. His novelette The Devil's Sentrybox did the same in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifth Annual Collection, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.

His short screenplay Souls took first place at the L.A. Screamfest Film Festival Screenwriting Competition.
His screenplay Blind Man, Preacher Man made the semifinals at the New York Latino International Screenplay Competition.
His screenplay Soulsaver, which he adapted from his novel of the same name, was one of the top 17 scripts in the Science Fiction & Horror Category at the Hollywood's Next Success Screenwriting Contest and made the second round at the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition (top 10%)
His one-act stage play APARTMENTS, Furnished received an Honorable Mention in the Samuel French National Playwriting Competition.

Stevens-Arce grew up with two native languages, English and Spanish, both of which he reads, writes and speaks fluently, the result of having a father from Illinois of English, Irish, Scottish and Dutch descent, and a mother from Puerto Rico, of Spanish ancestry.

Though born in Miami, Florida, he called San Juan, Puerto Rico, his home for many years and completed his grade school and high school education there. He has also lived for varying periods of time in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana; Shanks Village, New Jersey; New London, Connecticut; Arlington, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Champaign, Illinois, and currently resides in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

The author's interest in religion was stimulated by his having been raised and educated a Roman Catholic, having graduated from La Academia del Perpetuo Socorro / Our Lady of Perpetual Help Academy (The School Sisters of Notre Dame) and having attended Georgetown University (The Jesuits) his freshman year of college.

Stevens-Arce also writes pop music and has had two songs recorded, "Mas si regresas" by Latin singing sensation Marc Anthony's first wife, former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, and "No lloraré" by Ivonne Arana.

The author belongs to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), the Horror Writers Association (HWA), the Dramatists Guild of America, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers).

Stevens-Arce is president of Stevens/Palmer Creative Services, Inc., which provides a wide range of creative services (copywriting, film and radio production, graphic design, music, translation, etc.) for advertising agencies and direct clients. (Click here to download a PDF of the company brochure.)


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