By way of introducing the team here at Five Rivers, we thought you might find of interest interviews we recently conducted.

First in the lineup is Kelly Stephens, our Editorial Assistant.

Kelly undertakes a great deal here at Five Rivers, from coordinating author events and assisting in the maintenance of our blog and upcoming Facebook Fan Page, to acting as our front line for submissions and editing manuscripts.

Q: When not leaping tall buildings as editorial assistant at Five Rivers, I understand you’re a law clerk. Tell us a little about your day job, your personal life, and how you dovetail that with your role at Five Rivers.

Kelly: My job as a law clerk really has no correlation to my job as editorial assistant with Five Rivers Publishing, but that’s the beauty of it. I can spread my creative wings and assist in something that I enjoy and that is growing into something incredible. The other job pays the bills!

Q: Would you say you’re a driven person? Why or why not?

Kelly: I am a very driven person. Too driven sometimes. If I don’t have my annual melt down and throw my hands up, I’m not doing it right or being me. I think I’d worry my friends and family if I started taking on a normal amount.

Q: What is it about your professional life and your avocation that captivates your interest?

Kelly: My personal life is why I am so driven. As I approached my 30th birthday, I promised myself I’d enjoy the life I really wanted and that meant seeing the world. So, about a month or so later, I booked myself a ticket to Egypt and have been travelling the world since and writing about it. That is my love.

Q: There are so many other stable part-time interests that could take your time. Why choose to involve yourself in the ephemeral and evolving world of publishing?

Kelly: I chose to work with Five Rivers Publishing because it allows me a creative outlet in a capacity that also allows me to justify spending what little time I have on that creativity. I am also very proud to be part of something that is growing at an astronomical rate and really is cutting edge. I can say, years from now, I was one of the first. Something to be proud of I suppose.

Q: Is there a paradigm or mandate you’ve adopted for your role at Five Rivers?

Kelly: At this point in Five Rivers’ infancy, there really aren’t enough hands on deck to take on one particular role as of yet. We sort of just do everything together and whomever is not loaded down with work, takes on that role. Having said that, it would seem I am the front line person: the marketing and scheduling guru. Works fine with me!

Q: Of late everyone’s peering in the publishing crystal ball. Where do you see the publishing world going in five, ten, fifteen years?

Kelly: I can’t say when it will happen on a global scale, but I do see the world of self publishing and print on demand giving the traditional publishers a run for their money. In fact, evidence of this is already apparent. The traditional world of publishing is an elite group of who’s who with no door for the average voice. Where do the nobodies with something to say fit in?

Q: How do you see your role at Five Rivers evolving during that period?

Kelly: My role, hopefully, will mean a lot more knowledgeable! As the industry is expanding, so is my knowledge of the publishing world. Right now, I am just riding the exciting wave that is taking over the publishing world.

Q: What sort of literature intrigues you? What do you read and for what purpose?

Kelly: Any sort of literature intrigues me, but I have to admit, I’m a sucker for the epic fantasy. My copy of Lord of the Rings is a little worse for wear. And anything Jane Austen.

Q: I understand you’re working on a novel of your own. Tell us a little bit about that, about the journey you’ve taken to bring your work this far, and where you’d like that to go.

Kelly: My own novel, 5000 Mile Journey, is autobiographical and tells the story of my close friend passing away from complications brought on by cystic fibrosis intertwined with my incredible journey into Egypt. Throughout the novel, I take my readers into my darkest days but always being them back to the hope I see in life, friendship and love. The book, for me, has been incredibly cathartic. I just hope my readers can take something away with them.

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing you?

Kelly: My biggest challenge is probably the most mundane part of my life: time management. I really am far too busy for one soul.

Q: What are your hopes?

Kelly: My only hope is to just be happy. Happy till the day I die. Everything else will fall into place.

Q: Any advice to writers submitting work to Five Rivers?

Kelly: The most important piece of advice I can give aspiring authors is write from the heart. Is this really, truly, what you want to say to the world? If so, send it in. If not, get back at it. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Kelly Stephens can be reached at Five Rivers at: Kelly@5rivers.org