We were lucky to catch up with Melissa Combs recently and have shared our conversation below.
Melissa, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I would say for me, my work ethic was something that I developed more sporadically than gradually, and it was formed when I found myself in a sink or swim type situation. In early 2018 I found myself (then, a stay at home mom) going through a really tough divorce. At the time, I was 26, and I had put pursuing my degree on hold to be at home with my young children. I had no clue what I was going to do, career wise. All I knew was I was faced with two options, and ultimately I chose to swim. However, though that moment in time put me in the position to grow my own diligence, I am a firm believer that some qualities are observed and taken in long before we ourselves hone in on them. I accredit the rest of my capability to watching both of my parents, growing up. I don’t think neither my mom, nor my dad even knew what a sick day was. As a child I remember visiting both of my parent’s work settings on various occasions, and I learned two things from doing so. One, their employee’s and co-workers respected and trusted them and two, they were willing to put in the hard work to ensure that my brother and I were well taken care of. I believe all of these factors contribute to my work ethic.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I love this question, because every time I’m asked, I get to take a moment to pause and take in the realization that I am truly living out my life’s greatest passion, and there is no price tag on that! I’ve spent the last five years writing poetry and building my own personal brand as a poetry author. In that time frame, I have published 8 titles, 4 of which I am shocked and proud to say have landed best-selling ranks. The collection I am best known for is “Love in Other Realms.”
But what I’m currently excited about, is my most recent expansion in my career.
Just over a year ago, though I was incredibly grateful for my own achievements, I began to feel as if there was something missing in my day to day life. After deep introspection, I realized that “something” was people. As you can guess, being a writer can be very isolating at times, especially if you’re like me and the drop of a feather can dismantle your entire train of thought. Because of that, my isolation was at an all time high by my fourth year of writing. And though I maintained my joy, even so, I was ready for what God was calling me to do next.
My next call was to open my own publishing house, now known as Octave Eight Publishing.
As the owner and publisher of Octave Eight Publishing, I now get to witness the unmatched, magical, once-in-a-lifetime moment, where an aspiring writer makes their dreams come true by becoming a published author. They, whether they truly grasp it or not, are the reason why their dreams come to fruition. I am just here to help assist them in making it easier, and to admire them along the way.
Octave Eight holds open submissions just twice a year, with our next open submission beginning this year, on 03/01/2024 and ending on 04/01/2024.
Our current authors and titles are as listed:
“Footsteps of Life,” by: Scarlett Lea Ripberger
“The Words That Made Us Immortal,” by: Stefanie Briar, and myself, Melissa Combs
“Before the Last Petal Falls,” by: Jessica Livia
“I Find You in the Stars,” by: Jessica Livia
and
“Soulscapes,” by: Kyle Andrew
As for myself, as an author, my newest collection, titled “A Disease Called Poetry” is set to release in late March, of this year. This collection will act as a poetic voice, shedding light on the connection between artists and mental illness, but is ultimately geared towards anyone and everyone that suffers from mental illness of any kind.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
For myself personally, it would be: knowing oneself, adaptability, and confidence.
My best advice for others that are early in their journeys would be to worry less about your skills in the beginning stages, and to focus more on your qualities. Your qualities are what will drive you to possess the necessary skills you need to be successful in your career.
You see, if you know yourself, are great at adapting and overcoming the unpredictable, and are confident in yourself, nothing is going to stop you from learning and even mastering the skills needed, all in perfect timing.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m always open for collaborating with other like-minded individuals! As I previously mentioned, those of us possessing a literary based career can oftentimes find ourselves feeling isolated, staring at screens all day, and type, type, typing away. Because of this, I gladly welcome other voices, ideas, and partnerships. Besides, having two (or more) brains behind a project, I believe, increases the rate of success.
It also gives more than one person a shot at achievement.
As far as what kind of persons I am interested with working with, they must possess a strong belief in themselves and possibilities. From experience, this specific field will knock you flat off your feet if you don’t have a strong belief system in tact. I’ve seen it happen time and time again to even the most talented writers. And for many of those I witnessed, I still to this day believe they were just an inch shy of success. Had they rooted themselves in belief, I truly believe they could have reached the heights they had originally set out to reach.
Other qualities I am looking for in those interested in collaborating with me, include: enthusiasm, gratitude, authenticity, a willingness to learn, and the ability to adapt and overcome the unforeseen.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theenchantedpoetess.com
- Instagram: @theenchantedpoetess
- Other: PERSONAL POETRY: TikTok: @theenchantedpoetess_ OCTAVE EIGHT ACCOUNTS: TikTok: @octaveeightpoetry Instagram: @octaveeightpublishing Linktree: linker.ee/octaveeightpublishing
