Ron James’s Quantum Deception launches on Amazon this week
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Local Author Brings San Diego to Center Stage in New Cyber-Thriller
San Diego, CA — August 21, 2025
San Diego native and award-winning journalist Ron James is set to release his debut novel, Quantum Deception, a fast-paced cyber-thriller that blends international intrigue with strong San Diego roots.
Glowing reviews are already coming in from beta readers.This one is from Susan, an avid reader who shuns thrillers: “I finished your book at 3:30 a.m. — I couldn’t put it down! It moves so fast, with people, places, and knowledge woven through every page. To think a thriller can be written without sex, excessive swearing, or over-the-top violence — and still be this good!”
At the heart of the story is Luke Payne, a retired Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer with deep roots in San Diego. An Ocean Beach native and Point Loma High School alum, he later earned his MFA at UC San Diego. Payne, now a local artist, is a reluctant hero thrust from the quiet of his Liberty Station studio into a global battle against cyber warfare and espionage. While the novel is a globe-trotting thriller spanning Mumbai, Shanghai, and Washington, D.C., its emotional core remains firmly in San Diego. Readers will recognize iconic locations from Ocean Beach and Balboa Park to a high-stakes showdown aboard the USS Midway and a dramatic rescue in North County’s San Pasqual Valley.
Not surprisingly, many of Luke’s talents reflect those of the author himself. James is an avid traveler who knows firsthand the exotic destinations where Luke and his team land. He is also an abstract painter — though, as James admits, “not nearly as talented as Luke.”
The technology driving the story also fascinates James. A digital news pioneer and early adopter, he co-authored The Multimedia Casebook in 1994, a work that predicted the rise of the internet. “AI is at the same stage that the internet was at when we wrote about it in 1994,” James notes. That perspective grounds Quantum Deception in a mix of cutting-edge realism and thrilling speculation.
James is also well known in Ocean Beach for his association with his brothers and their iconic company, The James Gang, which spearheaded some of Ocean Beach’s most cherished traditions.
Local readers will also recognize some of the haunts both Luke and Ron frequented, including Ocean Beach classics like Hodad’s and Pacific Shores, woven into the fabric of the novel.
“San Diego has always been part of my story,” says James. “I wanted to give readers an international thriller that’s also a love letter to Ocean Beach and the city where I grew up.”
James, a longtime San Diegan with deep roots in San Diego, is known for his career as a journalist, columnist, and magazine editor. With Quantum Deception, he brings his storytelling skills to fiction, weaving together themes of loyalty, redemption, and courage in the digital age.
Quantum Deception will be available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon starting August 28.
About the Author:
Ron James is a U.S. Navy veteran, award-winning journalist, and nationally syndicated columnist. His career includes roles with Time Warner, San Diego Magazine, Uptown News, and The San Diego Union-Tribune. He is also editor and publisher of Wine Dine & Travel Magazine. Quantum Deception is his first novel in the Luke Payne thriller series, with his next adventure, The Savannah Code, coming in 2026.
Contact:
Ron James
ron@winedineandtravel
hollyoakpress.com
About Quantum Deception: A Luke Payne Thriller.
In a world of predators, the fiercest threat lurks in plain sight.
Luke Payne—retired Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer, Ocean Beach native, and reluctant hero—just wants a quiet life with his art. But when a ruthless tech magnate unveils an AI capable of manipulating nations, Payne is drawn into a fight that spans San Diego, Mumbai, and Shanghai.
From cyberattacks that can cripple cities to betrayals that cut close to home, Payne and his allies must unravel a web of lies before Quantum Dawn is unleashed—a plan that could shift global power overnight.
Fast-paced and gripping, Quantum Deception blends cutting-edge technology, espionage, and human courage. With its vivid San Diego settings, international intrigue, and relentless momentum, it’s a thriller that proves you don’t need gratuitous violence or profanity to keep readers turning pages late into the night.ustomers.
About Ron James
Ron James is a Navy veteran, journalist, and lifelong storyteller who has spent his career chasing both truth and adventure. From newsrooms to far-flung travel assignments, and from painting abstracts in his Ocean Beach studio to exploring cyber-threats reshaping our world, Ron weaves his own experiences into every page he writes.
His debut thriller, Quantum Deception, reflects a lifetime of knowledge—about technology, people, and the courage it takes to face danger head-on. When he’s not writing, you’ll find him traveling with his wife Mary, painting, or sharing stories in Wine Dine & Travel Magazine.
