About Chelle Cordero - Who am I?

I admit freely that I am a hopeless romantic.

The younger of two daughters, I grew up in the Bronx (NYC) and watched my parents’ terrific love affair with each other. I always got the feeling that they were still on their honeymoon in their nearly 32 years of marriage.

I attended the High School of Art & Design and studied Theatre Arts (lighting and scenery design) and studied acting at the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. While in high school, I studied creative writing under renowned poet Daisy Aldan. I continued my studies in drama at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus. I had my first newspaper piece published when I was in college in both the Bronx Press Review and in my university newspaper – it was about a 16 year old boy who was killed trying to save a mugging victim in the subway.

It was while I was volunteering in the NYC Auxiliary Police Dept that I met my husband-to-be; I disliked him intensely (the feeling was mutual). My dad, also a volunteer, liked him though and tried “setting us up”. I finally went out with the guy. Mark and I dated for 2-weeks when he “kidnapped” me after a dinner party at a friend’s house and refused to bring me home until I accepted his proposal -

I said no 3 times and finally said yes only so he would bring me home! We are married now for 32 ½ years.

We have 2 wonderful children – our daughter Jenni is married to Jason and lives nearby; our son Marc lives at home and has a lovely girlfriend, Trish. We all (and I mean ALL 6 of us) volunteer with our local ambulance corps in addition to our “real lives”. My husband is a freelance photographer and Audio-Visual consultant (Mark is also a graduate of Art & Design HS but we did not meet there), my daughter is a Paramedic, my son is an EMT and me… I’m a writer.

I worked in a few wonderful and interesting jobs before I stayed home, pregnant with my daughter, and decided to be a full time freelance writer. I have had many articles and features published in local and national newspapers and magazines and I have a monthly column in 1st Responder Newspaper. But I always wanted to grow up and become a novelist…

(...read the full interview at RomancingtheNovel.com during the month of August.