Feature Friday: @Mel

It’s that day that falls after Thursday and nestles up to Saturday. It’s beautiful Friday! And that means only one thing, for the purposes of this feature, at least. Yes! It’s time to meet another very active Proser.

This week we turn our attention to Melissa, whose Proser username is @Mel and hails from the "city of angels" Los Angeles in California. Mel describes herself as “Mysterious, open-minded, adventurous.“

P: Hello Mel. What is it that you do for a living?

M: I wish I could say I write for a living... But reality is that I work for an escrow office during the week and on weekends I am a waitress at a little hole in the wall Italian restaurant. Also I'm trying to juggle college in between all that.

P: What is your relationship with writing and how has it evolved?

M: Writing is my everything. Aside from music, it is the one thing that keeps me sane. It's my safe haven. I began writing probably when I was seven years old. Back then I saw it more as journaling and venting. As I got older I realized that I was doing so much more.

P: What value does reading add to both your personal and professional life?

M: Reading adds so much value to my life, both personally and professionally. Reading is food for the soul.

P: Can you describe your current literary ventures and what can we look forward to in future posts?

M: Right now, I tend to stick to writing free verse poetry. In future posts, I would most definitely love to get out of my comfort zone and do a short story. Another reason I love Prose is the challenges. The challenges offer fellow Prosers to write something different and get out of their comfort zones.

P: Can you tell us what you love about Prose?

M: What isn't there to love about Prose? I love the challenges and the portals. But overall, I LOVE the community of people on Prose. The people on here are so kind and encouraging. They truly motivate me to continue writing. Another killer thing about Prose is the Friday Feature. I love getting to know my fellow Prosers better, it's nice to see their likes and what inspires them to write. I also love and give thanks to the amazing team that makes Prose possible! Thank you for giving our words a voice!

P: Is there one book that you would recommend everybody should read before they die?

M: Definitely "The Professor and the Madman" by Simon Winchester. It's a tale of murder, madness, and the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.

P: Do you have an unsung hero who got you into reading and/or writing?

M: I owe thanks to my third grade teacher for getting me into reading. From there my writing kicked off.

P: Is there a quote that sums you up neatly?

M: It's a quote from the book "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. "Finally from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind."

P: What music do you have on in the background when you’re reading and/or writing?

M: Alternative/Rock. \m/

P: You climb out of a time machine into a dystopian future with no books. What do you tell them?

M: I tell them that I'll be right back... I get back in the time machine and I bring back as many books as I can fit into the time machine.

P: Do you have any social media accounts or anything else that you’d like us to know about?

M: Nope. Social media isn't really my cup of tea; Prose is pretty much the only thing I'm on at the moment.

If you don’t already, then do please follow @Mel immediately. If you feel an active Proser should be approached for this feature, or if you yourself are one that would like to be added to our exciting and talented queue, then we IMPLORE you to get in touch with us on info@theprose.com