Meet James Pack | Writer and Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with James Pack and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi James, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have always had a passion for the arts. I wrote my first short story when I was 6-years-old. I participated in a lot of performances in elementary school and I always enjoyed the freedom I had in art classes. I participated in choir classes and some theatre through high school. I studied theatre arts for my undergraduate degree and minored in creative writing. The arts have always been a part of my life and I’ve always been drawn to them. It was in college that I realized I wanted to be a writer. I felt, out of all the artistic areas, writing was the one I felt the most comfortable with and the most knowledgable. I studied entertainment business for my graduate degree and I’ve been pursuing a part-time career as a writer, self-publishing books and learning all I can about the publishing industry. I get the most satisfaction when someone tells me they enjoyed one of my books or stories. It feels like I made a small impact on that person’s life. I hope to one day have my own small press publishing company.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Over the last few years, I’ve focused on writing horror fiction and dark poetry. This started as my own way of understanding and working through my own nightmares. Then it developed into something I excel at and I wanted to pursue it full-time artistically. I am a member of the Horror Writers Association and through that I’ve been exposed to the works of peers in the same field. I feel this has helped me improve my own work as well as get to know new colleagues and fellow writers. The most difficult part has been finishing projects. My first collection of horror stories took almost 10 years to write. It started as several short stories I had written and wanted to do something to include all of them. I am still working on my first full length novel. I started writing it in 2019 and as of today, I still have about 3 chapters left to write. The actual time writing hasn’t been that long, but I don’t have the luxury to write full-time. I have a job and other responsibilities that take away from my writing time. The important thing is that I never gave up on the project. I will finish every project no matter how many years it takes.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are many events in Tucson, AZ throughout the year. Depending on the time the person is visiting, this will determine what local events to attend. As a horror writer, I naturally enjoy the many Tucson events in October. Nightfall at Old Tucson Studios is making a comeback and I’m excited to go this year. The Tucson TerrorFest has some great independent horror films to check out at the end of the month. I would certainly like to take my visiting friends to some of the local bookstores such as Antigone Books, Mostly Books, and Bookmans. We’d have to get some Eegee’s as most people outside of Arizona have never had something like that. I’d definitely have to take them to the 4th Ave Deli; they have the best sandwiches in town. Caffe Luce has some of the best coffee in town. And probably my favorite restaurant in town is Sushi Cho Restaurant with the best Japanese food I’ve had. Beyond that, I would let my friends choose everything else they would like to do. There are plenty of outdoor activities like seeing the state parks and driving up to Mt. Lemmon. These are some of the places I would take a visiting friend.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have overcome many struggles in my life. One organization that helped in a time when I needed it most is a website called TheMighty.com. This is a mental health site where people write about their own personal struggles with mental health. I wrote a few articles several years ago. This website helped me not only vent some of my own frustrations, but also gave me the opportunity to hear other people’s stories who had similar experiences. It helped my to not feel alone in my personal journey. There have been others, friends and family, who’ve helped me along the way but there are too many to name. So, I thank my friends and family and I thank everyone who has ever shared their story on TheMighty.com.

Website: http://www.thejamespack.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jamespackwriter

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jamespackwriter

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamespackwriter

Other: This is a link with several links listed I use on my social media pages. https://bio.link/jamespackwriter