J.C. Bruce

In His Own Words

Hi. I'm J.C. Bruce and I'm a journalist and author of a series of books recounting the adventures of Alexander Strange, the world's only full-time weird-news columnist. The books in The Strange Files series are THE STRANGE FILES; FLORIDA MAN; GET STRANGE; STRANGE CURRENTS; MISTER MANNERS; and STRANGE TIMING.

I first encountered Strange when we worked together at the Phoenix Daily Sun, which, sadly, like so many newspapers these days, has seen its shelf life expire. Alexander now lives in Naples, Florida aboard his fishing trawler, the Miss Demeanor. I live in a house.

Before I began occupying my time deciphering the notes Strange has kept of his various assignments, I was the journalist-in-residence at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and, earlier, I served as an editor, managing editor, or reporter at a handful of newspapers including the Naples Daily News, the Dayton Daily News, the Austin American-Statesman, the Miami Herald, the Palm Beach Post, the Longview News Journal, the Mesa Tribune, the St. Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times) and the Tampa Times (now deceased). Once, I even served as the press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a congressman who ended up getting indicted and sent to prison.

This job hopping has allowed me to experience varied swaths of our great country, sometimes without flashing blue lights in the rear view mirror. (Next to the law of gravity, my favorite statute is the one about limitations.) I nailed down a Master of Arts degree from Antioch University Midwest somewhere along this journey, and a bachelor's degree from St. Edward's University in Austin. I also served time at the University of South Florida.