Michael S. Pack was born in the Deep Southern U.S., but he fled to Canada after an encounter with a particularly fierce mosquito swarm. His short stories have appeared in several anthologies, most recently Missing Monarchs (Fox Spirit 2014) and Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse (Exile Editions 2014). He is currently working on an epic fantasy novel. He sometimes posts on twitter @Michael_Pack and on Facebook at facebook.com/M.Pack.Author.
Are your characters based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
From late 2011 through to 2013, my son spent a lot of time in the hospital including several extended ICU stays. My wife had a lot of nerve-wracking days similar to those experienced by Lorraine, though without the raven. While my son’s doing better than ever now, I did draw on those months for inspiration when writing “Visiting Hours”. Anyone who has ever tried to use the elevators at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC will recognize my description of their operation.
Is this your first time writing about corvids and/or scarecrows?
I’ve written a number of stories that have birds, including two published featuring ravens. So much mythology involves ravens that they work well in a number of places to convey meaning.
What age did you start writing stories/poems?
I don’t remember. When going through old papers at my Mom’s once, I found a story I’d written in second grade. So, a long time.
What is your favourite theme/genre to write?
I gravitate to stories with speculative elements, and I have a preference for fantasy. I love magic and mysticism and the strange. New worlds to explore old ideas. Almost all of my stories have some element of the weird or unusual. I tend to prefer darker themes.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it?
If there is, I haven’t discovered it yet, and I can’t imagine what it might be. If someone suggested such a topic, I’d take it as a challenge to write about it.
What book are you reading now?
The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
What genre is your next project? What is it about?
I’m currently putting the final polish on the manuscript for an epic fantasy novel. It’s the story of a young man caught up in a war he doesn’t understand, fighting to defend his home and family against an overwhelming enemy. I hope to begin querying agents with it soon.
Michael S. Pack was born in the Deep Southern US, but he fled to Canada after an encounter with a particularly fierce mosquito swarm. His short stories have appeared in several anthologies, most recently Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse (Exile Editions 2014) and Corvidae (World Weaver Press 2014). He sometimes posts on twitter @Michael_Pack and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/M.Pack.Author
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