Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane M. Prokop.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was a music education major and started writing songs in college after picking up a guitar in order to learn campfire-type songs for my summer job as a camp counselor. I decided I preferred music as a hobby instead of an occupation and kept writing songs off and on. I switched majors to English, but then life happened and my husband and I moved from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin to Texas and I stayed home full-time with our two beautiful boys.
We moved to Houston nine years ago, when the boys were in elementary school. I had a bit more time to myself, so I joined the National Novel Writing Month challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I had tried it once before and failed. In 2011, I revised my original idea (a YA sci-fi adventure) and succeeded. After a year of editing, I self-published the first novel of what would become a trilogy. The process of fiction writing, creating characters and inventing a plot, was so different from songwriting, but equally addictive.
I’ve grown as a writer since then, thanks to workshops, local writing organizations, and supportive critique groups in Houston. I’m a proud member of WriteSpace, the Houston Writers Guild, SCBWI, and Christian Songwriters in the Round. I’m also a fiber artist, which means that whenever my hands aren’t typing, they’re knitting. Or crocheting. Or spinning yarn. And sometimes sewing.
I perform my music around town occasionally, singing covers and originals, accompanied by my guitar or ukulele. Some of my favorite places to play are The Nook Cafe, on the U of H main campus, and Puffabelly’s in Old Town Spring. People say I’m crafty, or, if they’re being extra kind, talented. But if I’m honest, I have to admit that I’m selfish.
Creativity is one of the rare things in life that gives back more than you put into it. It’s an adventure that guarantees discovery–of beauty, of truth, of yourself.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Again, honesty dictates I confess that many of my struggles are self-inflicted. I’m not necessarily a perfectionist, but I like to be in control. When life goes out of control, creativity is difficult for me. Moving cities, the normal stresses of life, and personal failures have all interfered with my creative life, but they were also catalysts for trying different things and forced me to deeper forms of expression. My latest book is a collection of poems, flash fiction, and short stories I wrote when life became extraordinarily difficult for a few years. I believe some of the best poems (and songs) come from pain or loss.
Though creativity gives more than is put in, sometimes it’s not always a measurable or tangible reward. As an artist, I’m often discouraged by how art is undervalued and taken for granted in the world around me. But then, when it is appreciated, it means so much more than it would if it was always recognized.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
“It is all for the bright!” is my author mantra. The sun is bright. In fact, it’s blinding. I wish for my words, whether in story or song, to examine the bright, the subjects we label beyond human comprehension, and the things that encourage us to see the world and the people around us better.
What were you like growing up?
I’m a middle child, the only girl, born in 1975. I was the musical one, playing multiple instruments in band and orchestra and singing in many choirs. I often participated in church activities and studied Christianity extensively. In eighth grade, I had the highest grade in art class and won a poster contest. My brothers and I shared a paper route that covered ten miles, so I rode my bike a lot.
I also enjoyed swimming and always regretted keeping the paper route instead of joining the swim team in high school. In the small town of southcentral Pennsylvania that I grew up in, we didn’t meet too many people from other cultures, but I joined the AFS club and became friends with all the exchange students.
I almost chose cross-cultural studies as my college major. Though I’ve (still) never been out of the U.S., I dreamed of becoming a music teacher in a missionary school overseas.
Pricing:
- The Red String- $8.99 paperback on Amazon ($2.99 Kindle)
- The Red Cloak- $9.99 paperback on Amazon ($2.99 Kindle)
- The Red Knot – $10.99 paperback on Amazon ($3.99 Kindle)
- The Baiji- $5.50 paperback on Amazon ($.99 Kindle)
- The Shorter Things Collection- $5.99 on Amazon ($2.99 Kindle)
- Christian Songwriters In The Round: Compilations (download on cd baby) $9.99
Contact Info:
- Website: www.daysoftheguardian@wordpress.com, https://www.reverbnation.com/dianeprokop
- Email: dmarieprokop@gmail.com
- Instagram: dmarieprokop
- Facebook: author d. marie prokop & diane prokop/musician
- Twitter: anotherfolksie
- Other: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/christiansongwritersinth
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
