"Fox Hunt", Phelan's first fiction book, was published by Hachette in August 2006. The story is set as a bridge between the aftermath of the Cold War and the War on Terrorism, with Lachlan and his best friend thrown unwittingly into a war that crosses time. "Patriot Act", the second installment in the adventures of Lachlan Fox, was published in August 2007. Set mainly in New York City, Washington, D.C., and France, it tells the story of Fox investigating a series of murders in Europe linked to a forthcoming hack on NSA computers. The third Lachlan Fox novel, "Blood Oil", was published in August 2008 and is set in Nigeria, the US, and the UK. The fourth Lachlan Fox novel, "Liquid Gold", was published in August 2009 and is set in the US, Pakistan, and India. It was during these early years as a novelist that James completed his PhD in Young Adult Literature, which lead to his next creative venture.