Kris Jordan
Kris, a mom, writer, lover, was born and raised in the Denver area. Currently living in Golden, she’s excited to see her family business, her children and her passions grow. She has written her entire life and feels blessed to do so. She speaks, teaches and crafts for fun.
Kris Jordan's beautifully written poems have been accepted for publication in Anything Prose and Poetry, too! Congratulations, Kris! We're so happy to have you on the Anything Prose team!
Kris Jordan's beautifully written poems have been accepted for publication in Anything Prose and Poetry, too! Congratulations, Kris! We're so happy to have you on the Anything Prose team!
Meet Kris!
AP: Describe yourself using 5 adjectives.
KJ: Brainy, Inquisitive, Funny, Grounded, Strategic
KJ: Brainy, Inquisitive, Funny, Grounded, Strategic
AP: Aside from writing, do you have any talents, hobbies or interests? What are you passionate about?
KJ:
AP: Why did you choose to submit "Becoming" for publication? How is it unique or special?
KJ:
AP: Tell us about your poems. What messages do they convey? What is the motivation behind your poems?
KJ: The motivation behind most of my works has been characters and my past. Usually my personal story is told in bits and pieces through my writing and I often people watch to become inspired by human behavior.
AP: Who has been your biggest source of support or inspiration?
KJ:
AP: If you could create the perfect writing space, where would it be? What might it look like?
KJ:
AP: Do you have any projects in the works? Are there any future books that you would like to write?
KJ:
AP: What authors inspire you? How do you identify with them?
KJ: I love Toni Morrison and Joyce Carol Oates. I love how they can weave secrets into their stories-secret of themes, lines and symbolism.
AP: List 3 books that you couldn't live without.
KJ: A Thesaurus, the Harbrace College Handbook and The First Five Pages.
AP: What does the Anything Prose and Poetry, too! anthology mean to you?
KJ: I am excited about this anthology because it finally gives a home to some of my poems.
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Serenity Rey
Serenity Rey's stories (and a poem, too!) have been accepted for publication in Anything Prose and Poetry, too! Serenity's stories inspire, thrill and delight! We are thrilled to have you as a contributing author, Serenity!
Raised in Colorado, Serenity Rey has always had a love for all things creative. Whether it be playing the piano, singing or writing she was always creating something. Her first published work was an essay entitled Dum Vita Est Spes Est where she shared a small part of her life in hopes of inspiring others. Whether it be motivating or scaring, she wants to touch lives the way her many passions have touched hers. She can be contacted at serenityrey@gmail.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/serenityrey.
Without darkness light cannot exist. There is no positive without negative, no yin without yan. This is true when it comes to the dueling personalities of Serenity Rey and her darker alter ego S Rey. Serenity Rey offers messages of hope and inspiration, while S Rey has a little darker spin on life, with a quest to scare. Here is the first opportunity to delve deeper into the mind of each as we interviewed both alters for the upcoming anthology Anything Prose and Poetry, too!
Meet Serenity and her alter, S. Rey!
AP - Describe yourself using 5 adjectives.
Serenity - Happy, creative, inspiring, passionate and open-minded.
S Rey - I would say all the same, but maybe replace happy with intense.
AP - Aside from writing, do you have any talents, hobbies or interests? What are you
passionate about?
Serenity - Music! I love to play the piano, love to sing and I adore classical music.
S Rey - Anything and everything scary. From ghost hunting to sky diving to seeing all the newest horror films. Anything that gets me that rush of adrenaline.
AP - Why did you choose to submit Layaway, My Heart and The Growl for publication? How are they unique or special?
Serenity - I submitted Layaway in hopes of inspiring. My Heart is an ode to love and how it heals everything. It is unique because it is my first published poem!
S Rey - I submitted The Growl as a quick way to get scared! A taste of what’s to come with my future writings. It’s unique because there are only two characters.
AP - Tell us more about your poems and stories. What messages do they convey, or what is the motivation behind your stories?
Serenity - Layaway is meant to inspire people to be happy right now rather than when the “perfect” circumstance arrives. My Heart is to show that no matter how bruised or broken your heart may be, love heals all. So keep your heart open and LET LOVE IN!
S Rey - Love is great and all, but my motivation for The Growl was to SCARE. It’s a great story about a man, his dog and their incredible bond. They spend an evening in a house that has some curious happenings. Is it haunted? You’ll have to read it to find out!
AP - Who has been your biggest source of support or inspiration?
Serenity - My family and friends are definitely my biggest source of support. I often hear successful people talking about all those that doubted them, and they were driven to succeed to prove them wrong. This is not the case in my life. I am very happy to say I am surrounded by love and support for any path I choose. Those who are most inspiring to me are Mahatma Gandhi, Michael Beckwith and Desmond Tutu.
S Rey - Of course my answer is the same as far as support because they are my family too! Inspirational people I would have to say, are Edgar Allan Poe, Tim Burton and Dean Koontz.
AP - If you could create the perfect writing space, where would it be? What might it look like?
Serenity - I can answer for the both of us on this one. Definitely a cabin deep in the mountains. There is a room in this cabin with a roaring fireplace, three walls of floor-to-ceiling books, one wall of floor-to-ceiling windows and two big comfy chairs in the middle.
S Rey - Definitely.
AP - Do you have any projects in the works? Are there any future books that you would like to write? What are your wildest writing dreams?
Serenity - My wildest dream is to inspire, inspire, inspire! I am currently compiling a motivational/inspirational non-fiction that also delves a little deeper into my life story.
S Rey - I am in the final editing phase of my first novel -- a supernatural horror. My dream is to become the female, modern-day version of Edgar Allan Poe. To one day match his caliber of writing and imagination. Hollywood has flooded the horror genre with blood and gore and I feel we have lost a lot of that true, raw fear in the process. I want to remind people what it is to be scared, without being disturbed and near vomiting at the same time.
AP - What authors inspire you? How do you identify with them?
Serenity - To name a few I’d say Mike Dooley, Eckhart Tolle and Wayne Dyer. I feel we are like-minded souls with similar goals in life.
S Rey - Edgar Allan Poe (of course). He has a way of scaring so unlike any other author today. He takes your most real, raw fears and forces you to confront them. I love the imagination of Dean Koontz as well and his modern day monsters. I identify with the dark places their brains are able to go and take readers along.
AP - List 3 books that you couldn't live without.
Serenity - Definitely Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
S Rey - My three are: Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas and the Harry Potter series.
AP - What does the Anything Prose and Poetry, too! anthology mean to you?
For both of us, Anything Prose and Poetry, too! means creative freedom -- the chance for us to show the different sides of “us.” The opportunity to be showcased alongside so many other talented authors, and hopefully reach a wide audience, is such a blessing!
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Stephanie Sprenger
Stephanie is the mother of two girls, ages six, and one. She lives in Arvada, Colorado with her family. As a board certified music therapist, Stephanie has been teaching early childhood music classes in Golden and Westminster for 11 years. In addition to writing, she loves singing, playing piano, practicing yoga, reading, and snuggling with her daughters. She also enjoys blogging as an outlet for her parental angst, and blogs at Mommy, for real. http://www.mommyforreal.com
Stephanie Sprenger's delightful story, "Heartbreak and the Young Entrepreneur," has been accepted for publication in Anything Prose...and Poetry, too! We're so happy to have Stephanie on the Anything Prose team.
Meet Stephanie!
AP: Describe yourself using 5 adjectives.
SS: Sensitive, introspective, neurotic, empathetic, affectionate
SS: Sensitive, introspective, neurotic, empathetic, affectionate
AP: Aside from writing, do you have any talents, hobbies or interests? What are you passionate about?
SS: I am a musician, and teach early childhood music classes. I am a classically trained vocalist, and I play piano and guitar as well. I practice yoga whenever I can. Much of my free time is spent with my two young daughters. I am passionate about helping mothers connect, and inspiring them to speak their personal truth about their motherhood experience.
AP: Why did you choose to submit "Heartbreak and the Young Entrepreneur" for publication? How is it unique or special?
SS: I originally wrote this essay for my personal blog, and it was far and away the most popular post I had written at the time. It seemed to resonate with a lot of people, either conjuring up their own childhood memories, or causing them to think about how we help children deal with disappointment and failure. I absolutely love walking down memory lane; this this piece was very nostalgic for me, evoking many childhood memories.
AP: Tell us about your story. What message does it convey? What is the motivation behind your story?
SS: Most of the things that I write revolve around the subject of motherhood. With two young children, that is the lens through which I see life these days, and I find that my writing helps me process the wide spectrum of feelings I have about my life as a mother. If I am lucky, my writing will also inspire and comfort other mothers who may be dealing with similar issues.
AP: Who has been your biggest source of support or inspiration?
SS: Definitely my daughters. They provide constant inspiration and material for me to write about. You really can’t make this stuff up! I find that our daily experiences inspire me to write more than I even have time for. My family is very supportive of my writing, my husband, brother,and mother in particular.
AP: If you could create the perfect writing space, where would it be? What might it look like?
SS: I would want to write somewhere quiet and cozy, with NO distractions, ie, children! I would want to be in comfortable clothes (likely pajama pants!) with an always-full mug of coffee. My own kitchen is a wonderful place to write, provided there is solitude!
AP: Do you have any projects in the works? Are there any future books that you would like to write? What are your wildest writing dreams?
SS: I actually wrote a book about my motherhood journey several years ago. I haven’t followed through with seeking publication, but that project is always there for me to pick back up, revisit, and edit. I would LOVE to continue to write books, and have as many published as possible. Writing about motherhood is a subject that may never get old for me, and has a large audience as well.
AP: What authors inspire you? How do you identify with them?
SS: Amy Wilson, because of her candid, hilarious observations on parenting; David Sedaris, for his self-deprecating wit; Ann Brashares because of her beautiful character development; Elizabeth Berg and Anna Quindlen because of the way they put into words universal emotional experiences that we have a difficult time expressing, or even being aware of; Barbara Kingsolver for her vivid storytelling, and Harlan Coben for providing me with an escape that combines humor and suspense.
AP: List 3 books that you couldn't live without.
SS: When Did I Get Like This? Because sometimes I just need to read a book about parenting that makes me feel normal and less isolated. Can I count the Hunger Games Trilogy? Because sometimes I need a satisfying escape. Lastly Eckhart Tolle’s Power of Now, to keep me grounded. I need to re-read that one every few years.
AP: What does the Anything Prose and Poetry, too! anthology mean to you?
SS: It means that I have found a niche, a community of writers that I can connect with. I am so thrilled to be published for the first time, and I am inspired that it is in an anthology of fantastic women writers.
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February Grace
February is a writer, artist and poet from the United States. Her prose and poetry have previously appeared in The Rusty Nail, Vine Leaves Literary Journal and Rose & Thorn. Her debut novel, Godspeed, was released in May of 2012.
February's haunting short story entitled, "The Wedding Shoes," captivated and inspired us! We are so proud to have February as a contributing author in the Anything Prose anthology.
Meet February!
AP: Describe yourself using 5 adjectives.
FG: Introverted. Eccentric. Creative. Emotional. Intuitive.
AP: Aside from writing, do you have any talents, hobbies or interests? What are you passionate about?
FG: I enjoy painting with acrylics, and I sing. Music and art are very inspiring to me when it comes to writing, so all three loves: words, art, and music are all very closely linked for me.
AP: Why did you choose to submit "The Wedding Shoes" for publication? How is it unique/special?
FG: "The Wedding Shoes" is a little story I wrote with the idea initially of including it in a short story collection of my own, but when I saw the submission information for Anything Prose…and Poetry Too! It immediately leapt into my mind.
It’s not a particularly long story, but I tried to make everything that happens in it mean something significant, something that would make the ending more powerful when it all comes together. It seems to stay with people, so I think I’ve touched on an emotion that most people have felt at some time in their lives, even if they didn’t react to it the way the woman in the story did. I think that universal emotion is what makes "The Wedding Shoes" resonate beyond its word count.
AP: Tell us more about your story. What message does it convey, or what is the motivation behind the story?
FG: Love is the prevailing message in anything I write— no matter how I start that is always where I seem to end up. Whether that love has a happy ending or ends in longing or heartbreak, it’s always the thing I go back to. Maybe because love is the thing in life that has the most value to me, above all… there is just no other way that I can write.
AP: Who has been your biggest source of support and/or inspiration?
FG: For years, it was my young daughter. Even if she didn’t always get to read what I was writing, she always told me that she loved what she did see and that I had what it took to be a ‘real writer’. There’s something about the faith of the innocent that can really move you, and when I doubt myself, it’s often her words that I will look back on and find the inspiration and imagination to keep on writing.
AP: If you could create the perfect writing space, where would it be? What might it look like?
FG: I would love a tiny little house in the middle of a yard somewhere…just big enough for a comfortable chair and coffee table on the main floor and a little loft upstairs for dreaming and relaxing. I’ve seen similar spaces in magazines before and I am always drawn to them. Otherwise, I find a room with less clutter and more open space is better. Right now I do most of my writing in my living room, which has a high ceiling, and that tends to open up my mind and allow it the mental space to explore all the ideas inside.
AP: Do you have any projects in the works? Are there any future books that you would like to write? What are your wildest writing dreams?
FG: I’m always writing poetry and short stories, and right now I have a couple of stories out on submission for various anthologies. I’m also working on the first draft of a novel very different than anything I’ve done before, and I plan on releasing a novella soon. Busy times, but happy ones, creatively.
My wildest writing dream would to be to be remembered well for my words; to know that my writing brought something of meaning to those that read it, something that moved them, and really stayed with them. I want to create characters that people have a hard time forgetting.
AP: What authors inspire you? How do you identify with them?
FG: I’ve always been inspired by Tennyson most, I think. His poetry moves me in a way that I can’t articulate. Such glorious use of language, such elegance and heartbreak. It’s beautiful, and if I get stuck sometimes I’ll just flip open my Tennyson collection to a random page and start reading. It helps.
AP: List 3 books that you couldn't live without.
FG: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, and The Poetical Works of Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
AP: What does the Anything Prose and Poetry, too! anthology mean to you?
FG: Anything Prose…and Poetry, too! means a lot to me because I have such respect for the authors behind the publishing company. It also represents a chance to share my little story with a unique, varied audience, and I truly appreciate being included among its contributors!
