Horror Author
Sitting in a coffee shop
Writing on a notepad
Sipping glorious bean water
Feeling destroyed but also numb
I don’t want to be here anymore
And there’s nowhere to go
All exits lead to other
Places I don’t want to be
I sip the bean water
I write the words
Life continues around me
Without me
My contribution to the
Human condition goes ignored
Will they remember it
When I’m dead
From the poetry collection Cats, Coffee, Catharsis.
June 14 is Flag Day. In the United States, we celebrate June 14 as the day the flag was adopted as the symbol of our country on June 14, 1777. The Flag Resolution by the Second Continental Congress stated: “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Given the recent turmoil in the United States, I think it’s more important than ever to consider the idea of a ‘new constellation.’
The future of the United States is in flux as it was in the 1960s and even in the 1860s. Our country has been through this kind of change before and I know we’ll come out on top. When I say our country, I don’t mean the government. I mean the people; the citizens. The government can change while the country always has and always will belong to the people who call it home. That’s what the flag represents to me at least. I have other reasons for thinking about June 14. And some might feel the same about this as they do about what the flag represents.
June 14, 1775 is the Army Birthday. I imagine many people see the military as an extension of the government. But I know there are good people in the military trying to change things for the better. I served in the Arizona Army National Guard some years back. This was the one weekend a month, two weeks a year. I never deployed and I never served long enough to gain veterans status and do not claim to be a veteran. My job was in the Finance Corps. The Finance Corps Birthday is June 16, 1775.
If you never served, maybe you don’t care about the Army Birthday and I’m sure you care even less about the Finance Corps Birthday. But for those who have served and are serving, I’m sure you all were happy when Finance made sure your pay was squared away. The two departments no one messes with in the military are Finance and Supply. I hope you all celebrate Flag Day in a way that’s meaningful to you. Peaceful Protesting is always a healthy option for celebration. Our fight for change isn’t over. Never give up. Never surrender.
I wanted to go over the many projects I’ve been working on. I have a total of six projects in different stages of development. The first draft of my first novel, The Hook, is about two-thirds complete. There is still a lot of writing to be done before I can start revision. I’ve already seen several things I need to go back and fix. I’m forcing myself to finish writing the entire thing before any revising. I am happy with how the story is unfolding and the characters that I’ve developed. I even made a cover for the book, but I’m hoping to have this one traditionally published.
I also have two poetry projects in the works. The first is called Black Chaos and has a lot of content about depression and other mental health issues along with life issues. It’s like my other poetry collections but more focused on the theme. My poetry project has a Halloween theme. I wanted my poetry to fit along with my horror writing. I hope to have this collection called The Monster That Ate My Mommy ready in time for October. I want this collection to have illustrations, but I need to finish writing first.
I have outlined my next novel. It’s a rough outline that I’m sure will change as I develop the story further. It’s called Fiends of Antilles. It has pirates, vampires, mermaids, and all sorts of other things. It’s a continuation of my short story “Ceres” from The Morbid Museum collection. Speaking of short stories, I’m developing another collection titled The Baku Banquet. This collection will be centered around the Japanese mythological creatures who devour nightmares. Each story will be a nightmare that one of the Baku is sharing with others. I’m excited for this project.
Finally, I have another novel for which I’m still outlining the plot. It will be a continuation of one of the stories that I’ll feature in my next short story collection. This story, “White Magnolias” is also in development. The novel will be a sequel to “The Sapphire Cat” from The Morbid Museum collection featuring the Private Detective John Adler. Dead Magnolias will take place in central Louisiana. To be honest, part of me wants to start writing this novel now but I’m trying to finish some other things first. No matter the order, I have plenty of things to keep me busy.
I do look forward to the day I can write full time and still pay my bills and buy food. I got a taste of this during quarantine and have made this my goal and dream career. I think I can do it. Wish me luck! And I hope you enjoyed learning more about the projects I have in the making. I’ve also included the covers I’ve made for two of my projects that I’ll have finished before all the others. Enjoy.
James Pack 