A Six Pack of Writers

Hi my name is Rick Henry Christopher

On March 8, 2022 I created the Facebook group Vocal + Assist. I had been a creator with Vocal Media since May 25, 2021. That was during a very trying time in my life. It was a few months after I went through radiation treatments for prostate cancer. Shortly after that my mom began hallucinating pretty bad and ended up in the hospital. After that she required round the clock care having been diagnosed with dementia and Major Depressive Disorder. My brother and I taught ourselves how to care for my mom in this condition which also included the fact that she is completely blind and is now incontinent. Then my brother became sick only two months later and he passed away on January 31, 2021.

My brother’s passing turned my life upside down. I had to decide whether I would sell the house and put my mom in a home or quit my job and take care of her full-time. My Mom won and I am taking care of her full-time. She is well worth the time and effort I put into taking care of her. It has definitely been a rough road. But I am making it and I am surviving.

When my brother passed away I had a popular Blogger blog called Rock Music and More. After my brother passed away I stopped blogging. It’s been two years and nine months since I last posted there. However, the blog still manages to get about 45 views per week and has a total of 123,000 views on it.

I ended up leaving Blogger in March of 2021 and started up with Vocal Media two months later. It seems that Vocal Media pays better than Blogger.

When I first started with Vocal Media I was posting music posts but then shortly branched out to short stories, poetry, and informative articles. With the trauma and depression I experienced after my mom's illness and my brother's death, writing with Vocal Media saved me from diving into a deep depression.

I enjoyed writing with Vocal Media so much and was making new friends pretty quick that I decided I wanted to give back and I started the Facebook group Vocal + Assist. This group served two purposes for me. It helped me to keep my mind off of all the traumatic things that had just happened in my life and it helped me to make even more great new friends and gave me the inspiration to keep on writing. Vocal + Assist has been a Godsend for me.

In the process Vocal + Assist has grown and we have become an active group that has developed a very strong community of caring and friendship.

The current admin team which includes Oneg Tristàn, Jim Delaney-Howe, Darnell Lee, River Joy, and Sharon “Mother” Combs, is a strong close knit team that works very well together.

Behind the scenes, we often chat, coming up with new ideas for the group. If we notice any specific group member is struggling with anything, we reach out with open hearts and listening ears. In those behind-the-scenes moments, we are continuously building each other up and encouraging one another. This team truly has a wonderful bond.

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Now, I bring to you the Vocal + Assist admin team

(in order of seniortiy with newest first and ending with the most senior admins).

Sharon (Mother) Combs

Howdy! My name is Sharon Combs, and I write under the nom de plume “Mother Combs.” I write a mixture of fiction and poetry, sometimes combining the two. My favorite things to write are fairy tales and inspirational poems. When I’m not writing, I love to spend time with my family, play with the cats and dogs, or just sit outside and watch the chickens run around. Being disabled, I have plenty of time on my hands. I believe writers were meant to gather and talk in pubs, inns, and the like, and with these modern times, Facebook Groups and other social media sites are quickly taking over those antiquated places of old.

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River Joy

Hi I'm River, I'd say my unique voice as a writer comes from two places, my intense feelings towards the net good humanity does, and my intense feelings towards the net bad humanity does. In all seriousness I feel my style is both subtle and in your face, I tend to lean towards writing very introverted, deeply flawed, but I think lovable, characters in my fiction. My "slice of life" pieces such as the series on retail come from the same place I am constantly in awe at the absurd and the beautiful in my everyday, very boring life, that I need to write about it. Poetry tends to come from a more visceral place, though the themes are the same. I like making small things big, and I think that is what I'd boil down my writing to. I'm not going to write a story about the leader of a revolution, I'm going to write a story about her brother who quietly cleans up after her.

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Darnell Lee

My name is Darnell Lee. I have a heartfelt and honest approach to my writing. Whether a story of my life or factionalized characters, I pour myself into it. I don’t shy from the honest and vulnerable topics. My intent with my characters is for them to come to life from the pages they’re written on. I achieve this by crafting their experiences in the most honest way possible, no pomp, no frill.

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Jim Delaney-Howe

I use my life and surroundings as inspiration every time I write. Most of my poetry is about or inspired by nature. A few are inspired by love. I write short fiction, and that is the genre I am looking to improve in. I write about family and relationships quite a bit. Some of you who have followed me and read my work probably feel like you know one of my children and my husband. I write about my life with bipolar too. Writing is a release for me, and if it helps one person not feel alone in this world, or someone can relate, then that is a bonus.

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Oneg Tristan

I don’t do diluted writing. I write raw; emotions dangling from my sleeve leave a trail behind. Sometimes I like to write from an unexpected perspective, especially when it comes to micro fiction, and even horror. My goal is to yank on heartstrings and give the reader that emotional gut punch. I write honestly; vulnerably. I love giving a voice to the underrated, I think it’s part of the magic of being a writer. I mean, being a writer is practically magic in the first place- we create so much.

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With Love, RHC ❤️