Friday Feature: @JessicaJohnson

Well, another entirely uneventful week in the world has flown by and brought us blinking blearily at this fresh Friday. That means just one thing. We focus upon a Proser and find out what we can about them. This week we head to Illinois to meet up and question (without torture) a Proser that goes by the name of @JessicaJohnson

P: What is your given name and your Proser username?

JJ: My given name and my Proser username are one and the same: @JessicaJohnson. Rather boring, I suppose.

P: Where do you live?

JJ: I live in rural southern Illinois in a small town surrounded by farming fields, mostly of the corn and bean variety.

P: What is your occupation?

JJ: My occupational title is Medical Laboratory Technician. I work in a hospital lab running various tests on blood and other bodily fluids as ordered by doctors and nurse practitioners.

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

JJ: My love for writing arose from my middle school days and an English teacher who introduced me to poetry. One of the first poems she had our class read was The Arrow and the Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and I remember wanting to write something as beautiful and flowing as I found that poem. This teacher encouraged me to write and experiment with different forms of poetry, and I have been writing on and off ever since. As I moved on to high school and college, writing became a form of catharsis, and my writing moved to darker subject matter. Writing became a coping mechanism and a release. Today, my writing doesn't stay stagnant in one genre, but rather drifts between the darkness and the light.

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

JJ: Oh, how I love books. And reading itself is invaluable. Professionally, reading is essential. The medical laboratory field is a constant flux of change with new diagnostic tests and testing methods to keep up to date on. Personally, I have always loved to read. There is nothing quite like getting lost in an authors words and being transported to their world. To quote George R. R. Martin, "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies...The man who never reads lives only one."

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

JJ: I have always been a recreational writer, writing about whatever inspires me. Mostly, my writes were for my eyes only until I found Prose. I have, however, been working slowly on a project or two with the idea to publish in the future.

P: What do you love about Prose? Prose is great!

JJ: The community here is exceptional. Everyone is so supportive, offering encouraging words and helpful criticism. I've never stumbled upon a writing community as encouraging and as kind as Prose. I also love the massive amounts of talent here. I believe my writing has improved with my time spent here, largely due to the incredible talent that is so free flowing on these pages.

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

JJ: I could never recommend ONLY ONE book. Of the classics, I would recommend Bram Stoker's Dracula, Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. I would also recommend everything I have ever read by Edgar Allen Poe. There are many other classics I have read that I enjoy, but these are my favorites. Of the more modern books, I would highly recommend Easy by Tammara Weber (I have read it multiple times) for the strength and message of the story. I would also highly recommend The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, a group of 4 epic fantasy novels that weave a captivating tale of elves, dragons, magic, and all kinds of other awesomeness.

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

JJ: My grandma helped instill my love for reading. I remember as a kid sitting on her lap and having her read my favorite stories to me over and over again on a very regular basis. 

Also, the above mentioned middle school English teacher would fit this response for her inspiration and encouragement.

P: Describe yourself in three words!

JJ: Contemplative. Quiet. Curious.

P: Is there one quote, from a writer or otherwise, that sums you up?

JJ: I can't think of a quote that sums me up, but this is one of my favorite quotes: "We've all been sorry. We've all been hurt. But how we survive is what makes us who we are." -Rise Against

P: What is your favourite music to listen to, and do you write to it?

JJ: I enjoy just about anything in the rock n' roll genre of music, but I love hard rock, alternative rock, and metal. Recently, I have been listening to a lot of Butcher Babies, Bullet For My Valentine, Halestorm, and In This Moment. But I must also mention my longtime love for these excellent bands: System of a Down, Disturbed, Tool, Breaking Benjamin, Slipknot, Audioslave, Rise Against, Marylin Manson, Chevelle, etc. I do have the occasional softer side that enjoys classical music, or perhaps some Taylor Swift or Katy Perry. But, mostly, in the words of Halestorm, "I like it heavy." As for the second part of this question, I don't generally write to music. However, music has many times inspired me to write.

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

JJ: Tell me how this happened! I have a time machine, and we are going to amend this atrocity!

P: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you/your work/social media accounts?

JJ: The only other social media account I currently have is a facebook page under my name. I don't promote much of my writing there, but you are welcome to friend me if you can find me.

Thanks SOOO much to Jessica for her time. Follow her, engage with her and read her words.

Meanwhile, c’mon guys. We’re running out of Prosers, so if you like this feature then please suggest people, even volunteer yourselves. Plus, if I (@PaulDChambers) has sent you some questions, then please answer them and send ’em back! If you have and have yet to see the fruits of your labour, then chase me on paul@theprose.com

Prose wants you to feature in future Friday Features. Get busy.