The Black Oracle

Michael, a fiction writer, wrote a 20something profile last year. His book The Black Oracle is now available for purchase. Here’s what he had to say about it:

Humans, you are not alone.

“Joachim is a hunter in the jungle of a post-apocalyptic Earth. Though generations have passed since the Great Death, something has evolved in the trees beyond the giant glowing mushrooms, mutants that want to see human entrails spread along the jungle floor.

And now they’ve taken Joachim’s wife.

To get her back, Joachim will have to give the leader of these demons something in return: immortality. A creature knows when he is going to die, after all. Plunged into a world of magic and darkness, Joachim must find the only woman who knows where the ingredients are. She is a prophetess known as the Black Oracle living in the realm of Zalm, but she’s a little preoccupied at the moment. She leads a rebellion against the ruthless High Council, and when Joachim seeks her out, he too finds himself consumed by her struggle.

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20something profile: Emily

This post was written by Emily, a writer, blogger, and avid coffee drinker:

Most mornings I make myself some coffee, toast a bagel, and wonder what the heck I’m doing with my life. For someone who has settled into a comfortable home and a comfortable career, it sounds like an ideal morning. But for someone who still needs something to look forward to in the day? That’s all I live for.

I graduated this past June from Knox College in central Illinois — small, liberal arts, cornfields for miles — and studied English Literature with a minor in Religious Studies. Moving from my home in sunny, busy California to the countryside of Illinois was a big change, but it was a change I accepted wholeheartedly.

20something profile: Kelsey

This post was written by Kelsey, who works at an environmental nonprofit:

In May 2012, I graduated with a major in Environmental Studies, a minor in Peace Studies, and no clarity on what my Life’s Work would look like. I felt helplessly pinned between three of my strongest passions — sustainability, spirituality, and creative writing — and I didn’t believe there was a place in the world for a multi-passionate person like me.

I started working at an environmental nonprofit two months after graduation, which was technically my goal all along, but feelings of incompleteness nagged at me. Visions of normalness and business suits danced in my head. Did starting my career in a cubicle mean I was letting my other creative dreams rot within me?

20something profile: Michael

This post was written by Michael, a fiction writer:

When I graduated high school, I was unsure of what I wanted to study. I liked foreign languages and linguistics. I liked reading too. But above all, I liked writing fiction, and I knew I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else.

So, I took French and Italian, two languages I already had some experience in. I took German, something that had fascinated me for years. I also took courses in political science and Persian and astronomy. My philosophy for university was simple: study things that interest me, and the rest will sort itself out.

When you take your career seriously

This post was written by Cheryl, whose 20something profile you can read here:

I had a moment, a few mornings ago.

Since I’ve taken my writing far more seriously, a lot of opportunities have been coming out of the woodwork. And I couldn’t be happier about that fact.

I wasn’t taking myself seriously enough in my career and industry, thinking that I didn’t have a degree, so all the opportunities that came my way were just lucky. There is a degree of being in the right place at the right time, BUT that “right place” often finds you working. I took myself lightly, and with a glib wave of a hand, saying “someday” and so, everyone around me listened. Until one day I decided differently and acted differently.

What happens when you treat distant dreams as realistic things that might come true? 

20something profile: Cheryl

This post was written by Cheryl, a writer, photographer, and activist:

You might say I did everything the wrong way.

I went to university, racked up credit card debt I couldn’t pay off, took out student loans and then, without any guarantees on the horizon, I left university.

I went in fall 2005, majoring first in History before switching to major in Sociology.

Sitting on the top floors of the library at Brock University, I was overcome with anxiety and dread because I couldn’t run from the idea of leaving anymore. I wrote myself a letter on the blank back pages of lecture slides from the statistics class I was skipping (I still have it).

20something profile: Elizabeth

This post was written by Elizabeth, an editorial assistant for a parenting magazine:

I graduated from college in the dead of winter. I entered the “real world” with my journalism degree and high expectations. After a few months of sending out hundreds of applications and going on interview after interview with no success, I felt defeated. What happened to the whole “make sure you go to college so you can get a good job” spiel I was told my whole life?

Four months later, when I was about to give up, I finally got a job offer. From a real company with benefits and paid vacation! It was a miracle.

20something profile: Angela

This post was written by Angela, who spotlights restaurants for a local newspaper:

Here is what I know about myself and my career thus far:

• I am a hustler. I enjoy the hunt of finding work, and I am good at it.

• I am not good at staying in one place, five days a week, 365 days a year. I am allergic or something.

• I like writing. I like reading. I like teaching. And that’s pretty much it right now.

I don’t know if it’s my generation or my own personality, but I am under the assumption that people are happiest when they spend most of their time doing something they like. I understand this makes me sound like a hippie, and I’m also scared of sounding entitled, which seems to be the typecast of my generation.

20something profile: Amber

This post was written by Amber, whose passion is seeing the world:

College graduation occurred May 7^th, 2011. I was drunk. I’d started taking shots of Canadian Hardwood at 8am that morning. I just wanted to get the damn thing over with. Musical theatre — that was my major. At one time, I was 100% sure about that choice. Two years in, I was crying in the bathroom to my father, who attempted to will me towards the date of May 7^th, 2011 with his motto: “Just get the damn degree.”

20something profile: Sonya

This post was written by Sonya, who moved to an unfamiliar city for love:

Throughout the year that I have been out of college, I believe I have learned more about the real world and more about myself than we were ever taught in college.

I learned the need to negotiate, especially as women. I learned the need to recognize a mentor early on and build your leadership skills. I began to master the art of networking and was exposed to the politics of industries that is not part of academia.

On a personal level, I was reminded to never forget your dreams. I learned quickly about the need for independence. I learned that I was capable of more than what was on my résumé. And most importantly, I learned that you forge your own path and should never forfeit it for someone else.