2024, and beyond...

Some cool things from this year and some cooler things on the horizon.

I loved 2023. Seriously, it was great! But 2024— well, it’s shaping up to be simply spectacular, and I’m so happy you’re along for the ride. More than that— I’m so happy that you’re supporting my writing on this ride. It means more to me than you know.

Okay, enough with the gushing. Onto the happenings.

What’s happened?

Well, I started The Sword & Pen in February. Since that time, I’ve published nearly two dozen essays and academic papers, but managed to keep my emails to about 1 per month. There’s some Marine Math involved there but go back and look in your spam folder. You’ll see. I really don’t want to jam anyone’s inbox up, so you can expect similar output in 2024 with one exception, but I’ll talk about that in a few moments.

For now, here’s some images from Substack which really made my day.

Italy? New Zealand? South Korea?¹ That’s crazy!

And the Stateside representation is great! With 26 states showing up to the polls, I could run for office and really improve a few things! Don’t worry, The Sword & Pen is a political free zone. You can take your finger off the cancel subscription trigger now. Feel free to move it to the share Substack trigger and fire away!

I’ve posted quite a few Notes and they seem to be unintrusive for y’all, and I created a tab for my academic writings for folks interested in that sort of reading. I’ll continue to upload academic work there without mass notification. If you would like to read some of that material, you can go to the top of the homepage and click “Academia,” or you can check it out here.

On the home front, life is grand. We’ve decided to keep watering and feeding the girls, so they’re still growing. Bear hasn’t eaten anymore of my favorite books, so he’s still with us.

Bear trying to figure out why dad is still upset with him four months after he ate Steven Pressfield’s Gates of Fire. “Will he ever let me in his office again?”

Chezarae wrapped up her first class of explosive detection canine handling teams as the Team Chief and knocked it out of the park, as usual. And I was accepted into four Master of Fine Arts in writing programs and committed to the Vermont College of Fine Arts, so that’s pretty cool. Oh, and I’m building a chicken coop for this house, so fresh eggs are just around the corner. My awesome sister has a flock which produces about 6 different colors, so we’re planning on raiding her hen house in the spring.

What’s to come?

For starters, more Notes, more work for Academia, and more regularly scheduled essays which I hope you’ve grown to appreciate. But wait, there’s more.

In addition to attending VCFA, the other big news— the HUGE news is that I’m working on a book which I intend to publish in time for the ‘24 Holiday season. Hot Box is a compact collection of three short stories which are based on actual experiences during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. That would be great in and of itself, but wait, there’s more!

I’ve teamed up with an exceptional artist to illustrate the book. Major Mike Reynolds, USMC, with Forty Mike Mike Art, will be collaborating with me to bring this story to life.

Maj Mike Reynolds, USMC

Sorry for the fellow crayon eaters out there, but I don’t think this book will be scratch ‘n sniff. However, you will have some amazing art to accompany visceral descriptions of what it was like to be a young Marine invading another country and trying to do his job the best way he knew how.

I’m also working with an amazing editor, Donnella Looger, with DRL Press. She works with best sellers, authors who have been published with the big boys, and sees something in this project. I couldn’t be happier than to have her on board.

Stand by for more information regarding Hot Box, the art, and publication updates. In the coming weeks, I will be adding another thread to the home page to serve as a one stop shop for all things Hot Box. These updates will be emailed to everyone, so you might get an extra email now and then, but I promise not to bombard you.

What can you do to participate?

Continue to read, like, comment, and share The Sword & Pen. And if you’re feeling particularly supportive, you can always gift or donate a subscription to someone (or to a group). The educators, veterans, or friends in your life always good for a conversation are great people to show some love. After all, ‘Tis the Season!

So, what’s left to say?

Thank you.

Thanks for supporting me and my writing. Thanks for the dialogue. Thanks for the likes and shares and subscriptions. And thanks for preordering 20 copies of Hot Box ² continuing to support me into 2024, and beyond...

Semper Fidelis,

J. Aaron Courts

CWO4, USMC, Retired

P.S. Now it’s your turn to say… Which essay was your favorite this year? What do you think about the Hot Box project and/or a section dedicated to updates, excerpts, etc.? Do you know someone who might like to read The Sword & Pen? Did you receive too many emails this year? Leave a comment below or ask some questions. -JAC

1. Okay, full discloser, my sister-in-law lives in South Korea, so it might be her… But still, five countries! I’m stoked!

2. You will definitely be able to pre-order 20 copies if you want to! Stand by for news regarding author and illustrator signed editions and information on where and how to obtain limited prints of the art when the Hot Box is published.