Joseph Roach was born in London, England in 1876. He was educated at the Manchester Grammar School, University College London, and the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Roach emigrated to Philadelphia in 1898 and became a successful businessman
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When the Great War broke out in 1914, he offered his services to the Red Cross and served as a major in France. He left the army after the war's end in 1919, resumed his career in business, and by 1926 had become rich. His first book of short stories, The House By The Lake (1926), earned him instant fame and acclaim and he soon established himself as one of England's foremost writers.
Between 1926 and 1930 he wrote ten more novels – most of which were best-sellers – and three volumes of short stories, all published during this period under the pseudonym "Julian West." In 1931, he moved with his wife to New York City where he continued to write for more than thirty years. His novels included A Man on Fire (1928), The Secret (1929), A Time To Be Born (1930), A Time To Die (1930), The Valley Of Fear (1931), The Gilded Cage (1932), The Landscape Of Fear (1933), The Dark Horse (1934), The Roots Of Heaven (1935), A View From Mount Olympus (1936), A Time To Choose (1937). He also worked as a screenwriter for films such as Whirlpool (1931) and Dive Bomber (1941).
He also wrote two books on screenwriting: Screenplay: How To Write It And Sell It In Hollywood And Beyond (2001) and Screenplay: How To Get Your Screenplay Written by Agents or Producers with Hollywood Secrets Revealed! (2009).
