Six Interesting Things about Me

Jan 31, 2026 at 7:31am
In response to "Big moments & Big progress"

The first ribbon on my new poetry collection:

A Year of Pink Poetry

[ASR]

52 weekly poems for Lilli's 6th Promptly Poetry Challenge

by Amethyst Agape Angel ♡

Best wishes 🙏🏼

Soldier_Mike

Jan 22, 2026 at 11:27pm
In response to "Finding Magic in the Mundane "

I smiled when the vehicle inspection technician handed me the paper that said my vehicle passed, thus clearing the way for this year's reregistration with no unwelcome sidetrips to the mechanic.

Emberly Gray

Jan 14, 2026 at 5:42pm
In response to "Finding Magic in the Mundane "

Reagana

I hope you get to feeling better.

Reagana

Jan 14, 2026 at 11:05am
In response to "Finding Magic in the Mundane "

At home, Sick, but managing to sit up and hopefully...hold down some oatmeal.

Jan 14, 2026 at 8:07am
In response to "Finding Magic in the Mundane "

I'm glad my car started this morning

The starter is going, so just yesterday I had to crawl under and tap it while Mom cranked it over

We'll be getting it replaced ASAP...

Magoo

Jan 9, 2026 at 2:06pm
In response to "The Geography of a Story"

I mainly focus on poetry but some of my poems reflect the life I had in a small town in PA. Most the stories I have written are based on my youth and the town I grew up in. I grew up about a block from the Allegheny River and had fields full of butterflies, grasshoppers, and quite an assortment of bugs and bees. I have some very fond memories.

3 Like

TeeGateM

Jan 9, 2026 at 8:58am
In response to "The Geography of a Story"

“Does your hometown still influence the ‘vibe’ of your writing, or have you left those roots behind to create something entirely new?”
Asked by Emberly Gray

I mention my childhood now and again, but the truth is, part of it was painful, and I tend to keep those memories at arm’s length. I did go to my ten year high school reunion, but returning to my hometown isn’t something I choose to do. Still, I don’t think anyone can ever completely leave their roots behind, whether they are good or bad.

My childhood taught me a lot about survival, about prejudice, and about lessons that still find their way into my writing, especially in stories for children. When I describe a fictional place, it often carries echoes of somewhere I once knew, even if I do not name it as such.

This may sound strange, but even though I live in North Carolina now, only about ninety miles from where I grew up, I do not think of my hometown as a happy place. It is not somewhere I would ever choose to live again. So in that sense, yes, I do try to leave those roots behind.

And yet, some things from that time remain priceless. My best friend, the one I met at my sixth birthday party, is still my best friend today. Having her in my life is one of the very best gifts my childhood gave me.

I also find that I write about places I know. For me, a setting feels more real on the page when I carry some personal knowledge of it. And now that I have really thought about this, I realize I have used more of my roots in my stories than I ever noticed before.

My knee jerk reaction was to say, “I left those roots behind.” But now I see that is not entirely true.

2 Like

Jan 9, 2026 at 8:19am
In response to "The Geography of a Story"

Ooh, what a lovely question. I grew up on an acre of land in Tennessee, and the beauty and symbolism of our garden saturated the first story I ever shared here "Virus"

(be warned, it's weird, kinda creepy and kinda collapses under its own weight

)

I'd like to mention that if you want to tag people, it goes {suser:}

So... TeeGateM

Magoo

🐺Wolfkingdom🏰

are these the people you were thinking of?

2 Like

Jan 6, 2026 at 8:48am
In response to "The Many Versions of Me"

The child, for sure. I write kiddy fanfiction with ease, and in a lot of ways I don't think I've grown up yet. I can write dark, but I like to have a light at the end of the tunnel.

Trying to Outrun the Life I Was Handed

February 4, 2026 at 5:02am

#1107515

Maybe My Happily Ever After Looks Different

I don’t think I’ll ever get my happily ever after.
Not the fairytale kind, anyway. The kind where everything lines up neatly, where love stays, where the past doesn’t keep tapping you on the shoulder like it has unfinished business.

I haven’t lived a life of a saint. I’ve been an addict. I’ve made drastic mistakes—choices I can’t undo, moments I wish I could rewind just to breathe differently. I’ve hurt people. I’ve hurt myself. And sometimes it feels like those things are stamped permanently onto me, like they’re the first thing the world sees when it looks my way.

I was born a poor, white girl in Eastern Kentucky. And I ask myself all the time if that alone wrote the outline of my life before I ever got a chance to hold the pen. If my ending was decided somewhere between generational poverty, limited opportunity, and a system that doesn’t exactly leave room for detours or redemption arcs.

Does where you come from get to decide how far you go?
Does who you used to be cancel out who you’re trying so hard to become?

I try to do good now. I really do. I love deeply. I show up when I can. I feel things intensely, maybe too intensely, but I don’t know how to be halfway about anything that matters. Still, there’s this quiet fear that no matter how much good I stack on top of the bad, the scale will never tip far enough in my favor.

Like I’ve already used up my chances.
Like happiness is something other people inherit, not something I earn.

Sometimes I wonder if “happily ever after” is just another privilege—something reserved for people who started life with a softer landing. People who didn’t have to claw their way out of survival mode before they could even think about dreaming.

And yet… I’m still here.
Still hoping, even when I pretend I’m not.
Still believing, on my bravest days, that maybe my life isn’t a punishment—it’s a process.

Maybe happily ever after doesn’t come wrapped in perfection. Maybe it doesn’t look like stability that never shakes or love that never leaves. Maybe it looks like waking up sober. Like choosing growth when it would be easier to stay bitter. Like learning to forgive yourself even when the world doesn’t.

I don’t know if I’ll get the ending I once imagined.
But I know this: I deserve peace. I deserve love that doesn’t feel like a test. I deserve a life that isn’t defined solely by where I came from or who I was at my worst.

And maybe that’s my rebellion—
believing I’m worthy anyway.

Big moments & Big progress

January 31, 2026 at 2:14am

#1107174

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much pressure we put on life to be remarkable. Big moments. Big progress. Big proof that we’re doing something right. But the truth is, the days that feel the most grounding rarely come with announcements. They arrive softly.

My favorite part of the day has become the ten minutes before everything else begins—the first sip of coffee, the quiet hum of the house, the feeling that time hasn’t started chasing me yet. It’s nothing special on paper, and somehow it’s everything. Those small pauses are where my mind loosens, where ideas breathe, where I remember I’m a person before I’m a producer.

We’re quick to overlook these moments because they don’t sparkle. But creativity doesn’t live in fireworks—it lives in glimmers. The way sunlight drifts across a desk in the afternoon. The unexpected joy of a pen that moves like it understands you. The calm satisfaction of being present without needing a reason.

I’m learning that these “boring” details are what actually hold a life together. They don’t demand attention, but they deserve it.

So I’ll ask you what I’m asking myself today:
What small, ordinary thing gave you a quiet smile—just for a moment?

~Emberly Gray~

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January 28, 2026 at 3:49am

#1106982

The Sky I never Reached

If you looked at my high school journals, they were filled with the roar of jet engines. Back in my Air Force Jr. ROTC days, the only dream I had was becoming a fighter pilot. I wanted the high-altitude views and the prestige of that flight suit.
That dream didn’t come true. Instead of a cockpit, I found myself in hospital rooms for my child’s HLHS journey, and instead of soaring above the clouds, I had to learn how to crawl out of the darkness of addiction.
For a long time, I viewed these "un-met" dreams as failures. But lately, I’ve realized that when one door closed on the life I thought I wanted, it forced me to build a home in the life I needed.
• The Reality: I didn't get the "fighter pilot" wings, but I developed a fighter’s heart.
• The Silver Lining: If I were up in the sky, I might have missed the "writer’s high" that I’m rediscovering right now.
• The Lesson: Some dreams don't come true so that better stories can be written.
I’m still chasing that talent my 6th-grade teacher saw in me. It turns out, I don't need a jet to feel like I’m flying; I just need a blank page.

January 26, 2026 at 6:12am

#1106825

The Uniform of a Fighter

I used to think being a fighter meant wearing a flight suit and sitting in the cockpit of a jet. That was the dream back in my Jr. ROTC days—clear goals, physical challenges, and a visible uniform.
But life decided to give me a different kind of combat training.
I’ve traded the ambition of a fighter pilot for the daily resilience of a mother and a survivor. There’s a specific kind of "fighter" spirit you develop when you're navigating a child's HLHS journey or facing down the shadows of addiction. You don't get a medal for these battles, and the uniform is usually just a tired pair of jeans and a heart that refuses to quit.
What I’ve realized about fighting on the ground:
• The Best Weapons are Words: Writing is how I process the "rock bottom" moments and turn them into something useful.
• Scars are Just Maps: Every loss and every struggle, like losing my father, has mapped out the person I am today.
• Victory is Quiet: Sometimes the biggest win isn't a "writer's high"—it's just showing up to the page when things are hard.
I may not be flying jets, but I’m still fighting every day to honor that talent my 6th-grade teacher saw in me.

Finding Magic in the Mundane

January 14, 2026 at 7:11am

#1105968

They say it’s the little things that make up a life, and lately, I’ve been leaning into that. Today, I realized that my favorite part of the day isn't a big milestone or a finished project—it's that first quiet ten minutes with a cup of coffee before the rest of the world starts making noise.
It made me think: how often do we rush past the small "glimmers" because we're waiting for the "fireworks"? Whether it’s the way the light hits my desk in the afternoon or finding the perfect pen that actually glides across the paper, these tiny moments are what actually keep the creative gears turning.
What’s one small, "boring" thing that made you smile today?

~Emberly Gray~

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January 9, 2026 at 12:33am

#1105489

The Geography of a Story

I’ve been thinking a lot about the dirt roads and rolling hills of my home in Eastern Kentucky. When I was a girl in 6th grade—back when that first "writer's high" hit—I used to think that to tell a great story, I had to write about far-off cities or high-flying jets. I thought my small town was too quiet for the "professional" talent my teacher saw in me.
But as I look at my four children today, especially as I reflect on the resilience we’ve gained through my child’s HLHS journey, I realize that the best stories aren't found in the destination—they are found in the roots.
What I’ve Learned Since the "Spark"
• The Power of Quiet: In a small community, you learn to listen to the silence. That silence is where my best ideas for Short Stories usually hide, often while I’m doing the laundry or trying to catch a few hours of sleep.
• Grit is a Heritage: Overcoming addiction and facing the loss of my father taught me that "resilience" isn't just a buzzword; it’s a survival skill I learned from the people back home.
• The Fighter & The Dreamer: I may not have become a jet fighter pilot, but I fight every day on the page. Writing is how I navigate the "rock bottom" moments and turn them into something beautiful.
A Question for the Community
I’m still working on filling all six spots in my Six Interesting Things book. It’s a process of rediscovery.
Does your hometown still influence the "vibe" of your writing, or have you left those roots behind to create something entirely new?
~Emberly Gray~

~Emberly Gray~

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January 6, 2026 at 5:09am

#1105266

The Many Versions of Me

I was thinking today about how many "lives" I’ve lived in just 41 years. There was the 6th grader chasing a writer’s high, the small-town girl from Eastern Kentucky, and even the teenager in Jr. ROTC dreaming of being a fighter pilot.
Sometimes it feels like those versions of me belong to different people. But lately, I’ve realized they all show up in my writing:
• The Fighter: The part of me that navigated my child’s HLHS journey and fought through addiction. This version gives my words their grit and resilience.
• The Dreamer: The girl who looks at a Mirror Tree and sees a story instead of just bark.
• The Mother: The heart that bleeds in ink for her mighty children.
Writing is the thread that ties all those "Emberlys" together. It’s how I make sense of the rock bottom moments and the high-flying ambitions.
What about you? Is there a "past version" of yourself that still shows up in your work today?

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January 2, 2026 at 5:28am

#1104900

The First of Six

Title: The First of Six: A Little Bit of Context
Welcome to my new journal! I decided to start this space as a way to share parts of my life that don't always make it into my other writing. They say everyone has at least six stories worth telling, so I’m using this book to dive into mine.
For my very first "interesting thing," I wanted to share why I write. For me, writing isn't just a hobby—it's how I process the world. Whether I'm working on a Short Story or just jotting down My Thoughts, putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) helps me find clarity.
A few quick facts to kick things off:
• The Inspiration: I find a lot of my ideas while I'm supposed to be doing other things—like laundry or sleeping.
• The Goal: To fill all six spots in this book with something that makes you laugh, think, or say "I didn't know that!"
• The Vibe: Honest, a little bit random, and hopefully, relatable.
I’m looking forward to sharing the next five things with you all. Thanks for stopping by my Portfolio to read!

~Emberly Gray~

~Emberly Gray~