James R. Van Laan lives in a remote area at the foot of the Blue Ridge Moutains in the western Carolinas. Known as Dark Corner with a long history of moonshining, the area has cast its shade on Jim, giving rise to his poems of loss, survival, hope, redemption, and love. After the loss of his wife, Nan, to vicious cancers, Jim is emerging from the darkest corner of his life and pursuing his recurrent dream of fifty years: writing. His collection of poetry (The Whole Shebang) and his novel Rosa’s Cantina (to be released in 2026), the first book in his Chisum and McDaniel series, are the first manifestations of his dream. While continuing to lurk in the corners of his mind, Jim’s dream of writing was unrealized as he pursued a career in advertising and public relations and then as a consulting computer programmer and systems analyst. He nurtured his dream of writing as he taught creative writing in public schools as a visiting writer and poet and gave poetry readings at several colleges in North Carolina. Now retired, Jim is an old man, not only dreaming dreams, but finally fulfilling his dream of writing.