From the age of eight until fifty three James Valentino led a life primarily on Galveston Bay.  Commercial fishing with his father began at an early age where sunsets, salty men, and shrimp consumed his summers. After two years of college he began his own career on the water as captain and later owner of two shrimp boats, most notably the twin screw steel hull, the Ruffian. In addition, he bought and sold oysters wholesale from docks on the bay. As markets collapsed in the early 2000's James returned to an old love, history. He went back to college, and achieved his Master's Degree in American History in 2011. While engaged in teaching history in several community colleges his greatest passion is to to reach a wider audience by uniting his own experiences with scholarship. Valentino's first book, now out of print, told the story of a simple promontory on Galveston Bay. In 2014 he self-published Looking Over the Gray-Green Bay, a book of personal stories and historical oddities of bay life. His latest effort is From Maine to Galveston, Republic of Texas: the Life and Letters of Lucy Parker Shaw.  Early in 2018 he will publish an historical novel.