College Edition 2018 Authors

ON FRONT LAWNS: Isabelle Mongeau has written an absolutely fantastic story of childhood emotions seen from the viewpoint of a little girl who lives a seemingly normal life. With a dysfunctional mother and a new, mysterious neighbor the story is intense and thought provoking on many levels. This is a must read. Isabelle is a student at Emory University.

Isabelle Mongeau studies Creative Writing and Film at Emory University in Georgia. Though she loves life in Atlanta, she was raised in Wellesley, Massachusetts. From an early age, Isabelle learned that the fastest way to travel was to pick up a book. Besides opening up new worlds to her, she attributes much of her empathy and compassion to reading, and believes all children should have the experience of enjoying a good book. In addition to Living Springs Publishers, Isabelle has been published in Emory’s literary magazine, Alloy. Isabelle seeks to create stories that are both serious and entertaining. She is never short on inspiration as she is one of four children (excluding the family’s two giant, fluffy dogs, Ginger and Jake as “children”, though her mom may disagree). Isabelle comes from reading parents, and her mother, Kelley, is her first reader. She would like to thank her family and friends for their endless support. Return

PEELED BACK AND LIFTED: JQ Salazar shares a delightfully real story of a young man, Dom, who is faced with the death of a relative. He tries to clarify what Uncle Morris meant to him, how he fit into the family relationship. In the process Dom discovers a little more about himself. This is wonderful reading, both meaningful and entertaining. JQ is a student at the University of Colorado at Denver. 

JQ was born in Miami, Florida. He grew up on hip-hop and PlayStation 1 games. After high school, he completed a four-year stint in the US Air Force before moving to Denver, Colorado where he currently studies English at CU Denver. He considers himself to be an optimistic realist, as well as a heavy reader, gamer and film enthusiast. You can find him navigating through Future Garage soundscapes and cyberpunk dreams. So, in other words, at home with his cat. This is his first publication. Return

LAWS OF THE LIVING HOUSE: Amanda Hemphill creates a vivid anthropomorphic portrayal of a house that isn’t controlled by its owner. In fact, the owner is a long term prisoner, or more accurately, a caretaker for the fiendish needs of the place. She eventually finds that her time for providing for those desires is over in a ghastly sort of way. Amanda attends Eastern Shore Community College.

Growing up, Amanda Hemphill wanted to go to space and travel to fantasy worlds, but since she learned there are no fantasy worlds and she never grasped simple math, she decided to write about other worlds instead. She was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, where she lives and writes to this day. When she is not being a student, she is working on a novel Return

VAMPIRES KISS: Dorian T. Chase provides a new twist on an old story. Every night, the monsters come out to feed on the unsuspecting public. For a certain vampire, this night started out no different than any other. Then he sees her, the beautiful Veronica, and falls in love at first sight. As his animalistic desires fight between turning her, killing her, or letting her go, he comes to realize he’s not the only monster out that night. Soon, he must choose Veronica’s fate and decide whether he will take the plunge and deliver her a vampire’s kiss. Dorian attends Wright State University.

Dorian T. Chase is a student at Wright State University. He writes fiction which he publishes at www.wattpad.com/elementalcobalt, justanotherscienceguy.com, and on Amazon. He currently has two self-published novels on Amazon, Bad Boys of Fairmont High and Bad Boys in Space! He specializes in humor, science fiction, fantasy, and the supernatural. Return

A SMALL TOWN: Kelly Doyle has created a powerful story of the dynamics of a small community. A terrible crime is committed--the line between right and wrong is blurred. The readers are left to wonder who was the victim and who was the perpetrator. Kelly is a student at Emory University

Kelly Doyle is a student studying creative writing and psychology at Emory University. She has been reading her entire life, from The Magic Tree House and Harry Potter, to Wuthering Heights and Americanah. Aside from loving the smell of paper, she has always felt that reading is the simplest way to reach out of the bubble of her existence and learn to understand, appreciate, and empathize with those who are different than her. It is for this reason that she writes not only her own perspective, but the perspectives she seeks to understand. She takes inspiration from her study of psychology to explore themes such as empathy, identity, and trauma in her stories. Her work has been published in Firewords Quarterly, Glass Mountain, Plain China (pending), and Alloy Literary Magazine. This is her second year being published in Stories through the Ages. She would like to thank her parents and brothers for their ever present faith and encouragement, and for ordering no less than a hundred copies of every magazine that includes her work. Return

THE COTTAGE BY THE RIVER: Teresa Juarez creates a beautiful and sometimes humorous love story between a young couple, Cali and Andy, and their unborn child. As with many love stories this one ends tragically only to be reborn in a different form—the characters are real and their love, despite the tragedies, will last forever. Teresa is a student at the University of Colorado at Denver.

Teresa was born in San Diego, California. She is one of six children, and the eldest daughter. She moved to Colorado at a young age, where she developed a love for ballet, pageants, and John Grisham novels. At the age of seventeen, Teresa enlisted in the United States Navy and moved to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She began writing more seriously during her little bit of free time on deployment. After her honorable discharge from service, she moved back to Northglenn, Colorado. She started college, pursuing an English degree, and met her fiancé, Danny, on the first day of class. Teresa’s biggest inspirations come from her travel, her favorite authors, and her relationship with Danny. She is currently a Junior at the University of Colorado, Denver. Teresa hopes to be an English teacher following graduation. Return

ORDER OF THE SPACE ZOMBIES: Mary Marley Latham has created a character who is determined to become a space zombie, an exclusive group that requires formal acceptance. The resulting application cover letter is both hilarious and poignant. Mary attends Southern Illinois University of Carbondale.

Mary is an English Literature Ph.D. candidate at Southern Illinois University of Carbondale. Her essay, “James Bonds of Feminism: Intellectual Antiheroism,” is available in the 2016 Crime Uncovered Series collection entitled Antihero, and her master thesis, Apologia Pro Semanalyse: Wordsworth and Kristeva’s Maternal Sublime, is hosted on JEWLScholar. It is then perhaps apparent that Mary is primarily an academic writer. However, since it is her dearest wish that someday someone she does not know will find something she has written, think “this looks interesting,” and then read that thing with interest, she is exploring creative writing. Return

ONE MILLION NAMES FOR CINDERELLA: Nina Moldawsky gives us a marvelous story about a young woman who is forced by unforeseen circumstances to visit an aunt in London. There she meets Ali, an obnoxious know-it-all who really does know it all, until she finds the one thing he doesn't. Nina is a student at Columbia College in Chicago.

Nina Moldawsky is a Creative Writing student at Columbia College Chicago. She’s had an active writing career since age 14, when she self-published her first novel, and her second a year later. As a senior in high school she won multiple Scholastic Awards, including a Gold Key for her novel manuscript. More recently her work has been published in her college’s online literary magazine, and she writes freelance for a zombie apocalypse live action roleplay game company. Beyond literature and zombies, Nina is also passionate about music and performance arts, and has followed these passions by writing and directing two musicals performed at the Reel Kids theater in Boulder, CO. Someday she hopes to write meaningful stories for children and teens, and until then you can find her perusing coffee shops and gardens, searching for a spark.  Return

PRECOGNITION: Emily Porter introduces us to a man who is blessed, actually as it turns out cursed, with having his nightly dreams come true. He tries valiantly to control this unwanted gift and succeeds, until one mistake leads to disaster.  This story is delightful and entertaining throughout. Emily attends Hofstra University.

Emily Porter is 21 years-old and a student at Hofstra University where she is studying English with a concentration in publishing studies and literature, and minoring in marketing. After graduation, Emily plans to pursue a career in publicity and marketing within the world of publishing. She also hopes to one day run a bi-annual literary magazine brimming with personal narratives to be used as a tool in spreading intelligence and information about the issues regarding social justice. Emily lives with her mom, dad, brother, sister, cat, and two dogs, Hettie and Ginger, who are both the light of her life. If she isn’t writing a story or reading a great book, you can probably find her pulling an all-nighter in the library to write an essay. This is Emily’s first time being published. Return

FROM THE WINDOW OF A HEART HOSPITAL IN CLOVIS: Sierra Saykeo has delivered a poignant portrayal of the responsibilities and emotions involved with caring for an aging parent. Heartfelt and sensitive, this story carries us through a gamut of feelings including humor and despair. It is a must read for everyone. Sierra is a student at Guilford College.

Sierra Saykeo was born in Redding, California, but raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. Even though she is a Psychology major and spends most of her time writing research papers, poetry and short stories remain as some of her greatest passions. You can find Sierra either playing with her newly adopted kitten, Kylo, eating an overabundance of Asian food, playing video games, or drinking cheap white wine while watching strange documentaries. She is currently working on a bucket list that includes: getting published, seeing BTS live in concert, and taking a cross-country trip by train. One down, plenty more to go. Return

DEATH COMES FOR ALL THINGS: Fiona Shampine has written a fantasy born from the same stock as the ancient Greek Gods of mythology. She delves into the realm of those mighty and powerful figures only to find that their emotions are very human-like after all. The reader is enthralled all the way through the surprise ending. Fiona attends Columbia College in Chicago.

Fiona was born and raised in Skokie, a suburb of Chicago. She is currently attending Columbia College Chicago to study Creative Writing with a focus on Fiction. She’s been writing for as long as she can remember and can’t imagine her life without it. She loves cats, Norse mythology, and fantasy. This is her first publication and she’s very excited to share her work with everyone. Return

FIRE AND ICE: Nia Tipton gives us an unconventional love story that is tinged with the prejudices of many cultures, on many different levels. It is touching and thought provoking, and can create controversy, but in the end it is the love story of a young man from birth to young adulthood. Excellent reading!  Nia is a student at Columbia College in Chicago.

Nia Tipton was raised in New York City, where she lived until moving to Chicago to attend Columbia College Chicago. She just finished her first year with a major in creative writing and a minor in music business. Nia started writing in the seventh grade, and one of her favorite books is, My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga. She is a lover of French Bulldogs and Frank Ocean. Return

LIFE IN COLOR: Sarah Vita presents a story that is probably as old as time--dreams of unexpected wealth and what can be done with it. Gavin Hayes is an average man who loses a good job at the bank only to discover a treasure in a very unlikely place. The beauty of this story is how Gavin manages his new found prosperity. Beautifully crafted and believable! Sarah is a student at Merrimack College.

Spending a semester abroad in Florence, Italy proved to be more than just pasta and pizza for author Sarah Vita. Sarah is an Education major and English minor, aspiring to be a third grade teacher and writer on the side. Upon graduation in one short year, Sarah will pursue a Master’s degree in Education and hopefully land a job where she can specialize in teaching Language Arts, as her passion is to teach children to love reading and writing as she did/still does. Going abroad, writing for her school’s online blog, and keeping a journal has helped Sarah strengthen her writing skills. Her inspiration stems from genuine, relatable experiences or events whether abroad, at school, in her small hometown of Hamden, Connecticut, or her favorite escape on Cape Cod. However, creative writing has always been an enjoyable stress reliever and mode of expression for her. This is her first publication, though definitely not her last as she returns to Merrimack College for her senior year. Return

CRITICAL NONCONFORMITY: What would the world be like if every living person looked, acted, and thought exactly the same? In the world Connor J. Walcott has created, this frightening possibility has become a reality. Well written and plausible, this story shows the effect of genetic engineering and government control gone horribly wrong, and follows one man’s search for individuality in an identical society. Connor attends Florida Atlantic University.

Connor Walcott is a proud life-long resident of Sunrise, Florida, and is currently a senior in the English department at Florida Atlantic University. Following his graduation in the fall of 2018, Connor plans on pursuing a career in editing and publishing, where his fierce devotion to absolute grammatical correctness can finally be put to good use. His hobbies are as diverse as they are trivial, and include laughing at his own cringe-worthy puns, having in-depth discussions about either politics or superhero movies, and quoting verbatim lines from every movie or TV show he’s ever seen. When he’s not busy writing, cramming for exams, or volunteering at his local church, Connor can usually be found obsessing over his hair, singing along (completely off-key) to ’80’s rock music, or relaxing in his favorite recliner with an iced tea in one hand and a video game controller in the other. Return

THE MUSIC BOX OF SOULS: Cassandra Winnie has given us a story of a dancer who receives a break when the lead in a ballet disappears and she is called to fill the position. In an Edgar Allen Poe twist, she becomes the star in a story that she could not have foreseen. If you enjoy dark mysteries this story is for you. Cassandra attends Caldwell University.

Cassandra Winnie believes that writing is a cure for a troubled soul. Writing has become such a gift in her life and an important therapeutic element. She will be attending NYU for her master’s degree in social work. While helping others heal, she also hopes to continue encouraging and inspiring others to write their story because as Maya Angelou once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” Cassandra is a New Jersey resident and has a passion for poetry. Return

DEEP PURPLE: Jamie Sharon Wright has written a wonderful story of a child and her relationship with her mothers. The emotions are well defined and realistic, almost as if we are there experiencing this tragedy ourselves. It is a wonderfully crafted story! Jamie attends Colorado State University

Jamie Wright is a full-time student at Colorado State University double majoring in English, concertation in creative writing and History. Born in Wyoming, she learned how to drive a tractor before a car. Now, Jamie lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her two fur babies: cats Salem Anne and Kaysee Lou. In 2017, she won first place in the fiction competition at the Colorado State University Celebrating Undergraduate Research and Creativity competition. Deep Purple is her second published piece. You can follow Jamie on Tumblr @jwrightswrites and her website . Return