 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.Phelan wrote a series of post-apocalyptic young adult novels called the "ALONE" trilogy, consisting of the novels - "Chasers", "Survivor" and "Quarantine" - and features 16-year-old Jesse and his three close friends, who escape from a crashed subway train to find New York City in ruins after an attack.In September 2011, Phelan released a free Lachlan Fox short story titled "Trust".