What can I tell you about myself?

I graduated from Maine Maritime Academy with a B.S. in Marine Engineering Technologies degree. I married the love of my life at 22. I found my Lord and Savior at 24 and was baptized in a cow trough in a small church in Maine. During those first 7 years, I sailed and worked my way to the position of 1st assistant engineer. I lived in Korea for a year, sailed all but one of the 7 seas, and lived Wednesday twice. It was a grand adventure. I was laid off during an industry downturn. My son had just been born a few months before that and I decided it was as good a time as any to transition to shoreside. I wanted to be home with my family.

I worked as a welder and shelved inventory at Home Depot for a time before a friend from church mentioned the construction industry. He encouraged me to apply to several companies and I landed a job as a project manager for a plumbing and HVAC company. I spent the last 8 ½ years doing that before the market slowed down and I was again looking for another job. I have landed back in the Oil and Gas industry doing many of the same things I did as a project manager but in the expediting and inspection department. 

So why this blog and why now? 

Short answer, I like to write, and I like to be outdoors in God’s creation. 

The long answer…. While at Maine Maritime Academy I freelanced for the local newspaper The Castine Patriot and I enjoyed it. I wrote every day not just for the newspaper but for myself. It was an escape from the minor stresses I had while attending school there. I almost quit and changed schools to pursue an English degree. Wise counsel from my then fiancé and others convinced me to stick it out. For a while, I wrote while sailing, mostly stories, but I got none of them published. 

While engaged to my now wife, I was struggling with my faith. She was and is a strong Christian woman. At the time, I was a non-believer. I would have called myself an atheist but in retrospect, I was just foolish. All the same, I wanted to be a good husband and found myself at a significant disadvantage in conversation when religion came up. I hate being at a disadvantage in conversation so naturally, I read more about who God is. I have always had a passion for the outdoors, and I spent a lot of my free time fishing, hunting, camping, and hiking from my youth through the present. This verse hit home.

“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities-His eternal power, and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20 NLT. 

It became increasingly difficult to delude myself into the belief that people on this earth were a random act of evolution. Through the Christ-like love my wife showed towards me, her patience and understanding of where I was at, the evidence of creation, and the God who created it, I became a believer. 

In 2022 I almost died. I know it is cliché even to say it but during my time in the hospital, I reflected on what was important. I wasn’t particularly happy with where I was with the goals I had from 10 years earlier. After all of that, I set new boundaries for work and looked at what I wanted to do in the next 10 years. The change in careers helped jumpstart these plans. 

My Goal

In 2023, I started C James Write LLC. I began freelancing for some local publications like Lonestar Outdoor News and have seen success writing for magazines like Texas Saltwater Fishing, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Kayak Angler. I want to continue to build on that success. This Blog is step one in the process. I plan on this being the platform I expand my freelance business through. Eventually, I want to expand across other platforms like YouTube, Rumble, and others. 

I have a passion for writing, and I am looking forward to sharing that passion with you and anyone who wants to listen.  So, if you haven’t already signed up for the newsletter. I promise to only send one a month. Check out my socials and help me grow this into what I know it can be. A place to educate, entertain, and share common passions. 

Thank you,

Cory Byrnes