One Year of Roosting: A Look Back on the First Year of the MockingOwl Roost
Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash
J.P. DeNeui, Rita Mock-Pike, Cynthia Ann Lublink
JP’s Reflections on the Roost
Last year my good friend Rita Mock-Pike asked me if I wanted to work for her magazine. The magazine was a virtual start-up; I would be a copy editor, and more. Uncertainties abounded, but at its heart, I knew there were good people heading this venture. Like Indiana Jones (with a little less vertigo and charisma), I took a step of faith and found a bridge.
We work hard at the Roost because we want to. Yes, there are sometimes technical frustrations like a webcam dying or a deadline missed, but we persevere and grow. We have created a welcoming corner of the internet, not merely to share our own stories with the world, but to showcase new creatives.
As a writer familiar with dreaded form rejections, it feels strange to be on the other side of the process determining what we can feature and how. I pray for grace and tact and insight. I love when my comments spark new ideas. I love polishing pieces until they shine. May I never lose sight of the people on the other side – our side – of the world wide web.
Rita’s Reflections on the Roost
It’s been a bit of a wild ride, I’ll admit. The magazine started out as a creative baby I hoped would take wing and find welcome in a few tree branches along the way. As the year has passed, we’ve learned a lot of things, met a lot of really wonderful creators, and found our voice.
It has been a complete and utter delight to work with our staff – every single one of them – even in the trying moments as deadlines whizz past our ears and smack us on the back of our heads.
The biggest joy for me this year was hearing back from creatives who appreciated our feedback, our responsiveness, and our heart in the publication process. Having folks reach out to ask if we’re hiring has been a delightful surprise here and there as well.
Overall, the community we’ve begun building, the encouragement we’ve been able to share and receive, and the beautiful, wonderful, thought-provoking stories we’ve been able to share with the world make all of the hours and frustration fade into the shadows as we celebrate your accomplishments and ours.
To all who have contributed in one way or another in this first year of the MockingOwl Roost, I am ever grateful and look forward to many more years of creating this beautiful magazine for all of us.
Cyndi’s Reflections on the Roost
For me, being a part of MockingOwl Roost is part of a more significant thing that needed to be done within me, raising from the dead my ability to write. I thought that part of me had died twelve and a half years ago and was now incapable of resurrection.
Loss is a strange power. It can shut down and can raise the dead parts within us.
This has been a year of shaking out the cobwebs and dust. I am learning and unlearning various aspects while walking this new path. This venture has brought new people, new lessons, and new surprise abilities into my life.
We have navigated through all that we have encountered and grown in each area. I have worn many hats, and this has given me a different perspective as a writer.
I am looking forward with joy and expectation to next year’s journey as we move forward in our personal and corporate growth together.
Cyndi (she/her) is the mama of two grown children and Oma to eight grandchildren, all of whom she adores. She’s a biker chick with a lady’s heart and thirty-nine tattoos that tell some of her life story. Not just a cancer survivor, she’s a life thriver. She also loves painting, and finds the process similar to solving math equations. She has been a writer/poet since the age of nine, her first poem being about God’s Hands. She wrote for Christian Biker Magazine for five years.
You can follow her on Facebook for more inspiration on a regular basis. Email her at: cynthialublink@mockingowlroost.com
Joseph Paul “JP” DeNeui (he/him) is a basketball-loving missionary kid from Thailand transplanted to Chicago, Illinois, where he shivers through winters and writes fantasy and sci-fi. He is the author of the fantasy novel Shadow of Wings.
You can follow Joseph on Facebook, Twitter, his website, or LinkedIn to see what’s going on in the world of fantasy writing, fiction, and general fun. Or, if you happen to love a good epic fantasy novel, check out his book in paperback or Ebook.
Email him at: josephdeneui@mockingowlroost.com
Editor-in-Chief of The MockingOwl Roost, Rita Mock-Pike is the granddaughter of aviatrix, Jerrie Mock, first woman to pilot an airplane solo around the world. Rita has found inspiration from her grandmother’s life and flight and pursued many of her own dreams in theatre, podcasting, novel writing, and cooking up delicious food from around the world. She now writes on food, travel, pets, faith, and the arts. She’s happily married to Matt, and faithfully serves the very fluffy kitten queen, Lady Stardust.
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