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Sir James Winterwood is a fictional English traveller, adventurer and writer in the second half of the 19th century and a recurring character of the Brazilian writer Rita Maria Felix da Silva. He was introduced in the short story San Juan Romero. In the stories, James travelled around the world collecting "curious facts" to use in his books. More frequently than he would like, these facts turned out to be supernatural.
During his adventures, James found the dark secret about a Mexican village; he was involved in the strange contend between Lord Douglas Whitehill and the bizarre Skykeeper and, by dreams, travelled to Earth's past and knew Mareish-Loh (the Spirit of Winter). At another moment, he had a dangerous meeting with the Egyptian mythological monster called "the Ammut". He was in Brazil (where he found out about the refuge of monsters and other supernatural beings called "Arena"), and in Portugal, when he involuntarily participated in Jose Fagundo de Solemar's plans, a sorcerer of Coimbra.
Four important features define James Winterwood:
1. A melancholic temperament (as result of James' tendency to try to "understand" the reality, more specifically the "evil in the world and in the human heart").
2. An extraordinary memory. Since he accumulated a plenty of painful memories during his life, James practiced memory-blockage, using a technique he learned from an African shaman.
3. A heart probably sapient that works as his conscience, "talking" to him and advising him. In the 21st century, Sam Winterwood, of who James was ancestor, had a heart like him.
4. His desire that his books can make his name immortal.