James Pylant is the author of a family-authorized celebrity biography, In Morticia's Shadow: The Life & Career of Carolyn Jones. He has also interviewed several famous personalities, including Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street), Dan Bucatinsky (Scandal), Audrey Landers (Dallas), Ruth Buzzi (Laugh-In), Peter Mark Richman (Dynasty, Star Trek), Linda Purl (Happy Days, Matlock), Stanley Livingston (My Three Sons), Mother Dolores Hart (King Creole), Dr. Henry Louis Gates (Finding Your Roots), Sydney Biddle Barrows (Mayflower Madam), and Playboy Playmate Stephanie Adams.

Using his skill as a researcher, James extensively documented a case of identity theft and bigamy for the book Destiny in Texas. He is also the author of Blood Legacy: The True Story of the Snow Axe Murders, Sins of the Pioneers, and co-wrote The Oldest Profession in Texas. His book, Texas Gothic: Fame, Crime & Crazy Water, won first place in the 2016 North Texas Book Festival Book Awards for Adult Non-Fiction.

A former contest judge for the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors, James wrote for The Bottom Line, Family Chronicle, and Ancestry. He currently serves as editor of GenealogyMagazine.com, a source utilized by wikipedia.org, the Texas Historical Commission, and Learning and Teaching Scotland’s SCET.NET for History: A Virtual Department.