Jim Nichols became interested in writing fiction while working as a ticket agent for a commuter airline in Rockland, Maine. Nichols has worked variously as bartender, pilot, skycap, taxi driver, fence builder, orange picker, ramp and ticket agent for a commuter airline, travel agent and dispatcher for an air taxi service. His work has appeared in Esquire, Narrative, and many other publications. He has been nominated several times for Pushcart prizes, and his novel, Hull Creek, was the runner-up for the 2012 Maine Book Award for Fiction.