Enthusiasm

I came across this little bio I wrote about my writing when I was included in "50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading" produced by The Authors Show in 2010. This is full of enthusiasm and excitement about writing, and, wonderfully, it is STILL the way I feel. My parents always encouraged me to find a vocation that I LOVED doing and I did.

I began dabbling in writing in High School (maybe earlier if you count my scribbled storylines for my favorite TV shows) and two of my short works were selected for my High School yearbook. The first time I actually wrote for publication was in college – it was a newspaper report and it was printed in a local weekly paper where I lived.

I went back to writing as a pastime but pursued it as a business in the early 80’s. As a child, and even now, I always had a very vivid imagination and loved making up stories and playing “what if?” My imaginary friends were very complex individuals and quite believable when I spoke about them. I often had teachers ask my mom how she managed raising five kids (there was only my sister and me).

I write because “I have to” – it isn’t just a job, it is a drive inside of me, it just has to be. I always say that my writing is synonymous with my breathing. I like knowing that my words are being read, whether it is my fiction or my newspaper journalism. I like reaching people and making them think because of something I’ve said/written. It’s even better when my words create a dialogue between readers. Because I have a strong Internet presence, readers have been able to find and contact me online. It is wonderful to read their comments and to be able to say “Wow. He (she) really gets it!” and to know that my meanings are clear.

It’s not always easy to combine creative writing time with the business end of promotion, marketing and even finances. No matter how well written or interesting your book may be, if no one knows about it, then no one reads it. To be “in the business” means that you have to tackle some of the non-creative stuff as well. Seeing my name on a book or as a byline under an article always thrills me. My greatest victory as an author has been seeing my work published and knowing people are seeking out my words to read.

The day I sent my manuscript query to Kimberlee Williams at Vanilla Heart Publishing was a huge moment in my life. I was thrilled when she asked to see the complete manuscript and literally speechless when she offered me a contract a short while later. Kimberlee is a terrific publisher, she is very accessible and encouraging, and she remains on top of her industry to learn the newest and most innovative ways of doing things. Promotion and marketing of my books is a team effort between author and publisher and what we are doing seems to be working.

I was very fortunate to have poet Daisy Aldan as my creative writing teacher in high school. The late Ms. Aldan was very encouraging and taught us how to tap into our imaginations. I would have loved to have lunch with Daisy Aldan and let her know what a wonderful influence she had on my life. Later I volunteered in the NYC Auxiliary Police in the early 70’s and was mentored by Detective Hank Spallone – Hank was our police department liaison and community affairs officer. He taught me to open the lines of communication with people. I use what I learned from both Aldan and Spallone in my career as a full-time writer; I write both fiction (my favorite) and non-fiction journalism. I enjoy developing a character and a setting, building a background and seeing it all come to life in my fiction. I immensely dislike walking away from my computer keyboard when I have more words in me to type.

I think that we humans like to tell stories and writing books is a way of recording our stories and giving them life. I build my characters with personalities and pasts that affect their thoughts and feelings, then I sort of throw them into a world I’ve created and let them make their own decisions. I always have a story to explore and I am always working on another book.

All of my fiction is based on life. I glean story ideas from the world around me, my own experiences, newspaper reports and even random people-watching. Little snippets of conversation may be the beginnings of an entire novel as I use my imagination to fill in any missing pieces and give names to the otherwise unknown characters. I tend to embellish things that have happened; I say to myself that I can’t be the only person to have experienced such things, but my imagination still runs rampant.

I enjoy helping new writers learn about the field and pursue their dreams. It’s sad to hear that someone gave up on a dream because of lack of confidence or encouragement. I’ve been blessed with the generous support and encouragement of my family, friends, publisher and fellow VHP authors. I’ve facilitated workshops on the writing process, character development and the road to publication. 

I write as a job and sometimes have to juggle the hours to make everything fit. I lead a very busy life with my community and family. Writing of any kind helps to relax me, even under the tightest deadlines. Whether it was seeing my words on the typed page as in my early days of writing or on my computer screen in more modern times, there is a thrill inside from the first opening sentence through to the last line of a book.

I write when I feel the urge and can get to my computer or a pad and pencil. Writing is a way of life, it’s a way of thinking and a way of breathing. Always remember that you are dealing with humans who have thoughts and ideas of their own – some people will like your work, some people won’t, you’re the one who has to believe in your work the most. 

Never give up, never stop writing.

This is me...

It was a rainy day in April 1945 when my parents got married. A few years later, my sister was born; four-plus more years and several attempts later, my parents conceded that they weren’t destined to have another child. So, they blew the money they had saved for a new baby on a new (used) car and a vacation in the Catskills. That’s where I began…

I was raised in apartment 2D in the Bronx – our move to apartment 2G (in the same building) when I was eleven was a monumental change in my life as my parents moved off the sofabed in the livingroom into a bedroom of their own. My sister and I helped paint our new livingroom with one-inch wide paintbrushes – nothing was impossible.

Growing up was always an adventure for me, especially with an imagination as active as mine was. I remember three strangers to our neighborhood that mysteriously disappeared into the basement of the building next door on an almost daily basis. One day, a daring friend and I crept down after them to observe what they were doing. They had clips and wires coming out of the building’s telephone junction box! Convinced that we had discovered some huge international espionage plot, we were giddy with excitement. When they turned in our direction, we ran, frightened for our very lives. That was the last time we ever saw them.

As if I needed any encouragement into the world of make-believe, I studied Theatre Arts and Drama at the High School of Art and Design, Fordham University and the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. After some humble, probably annoying, pleading, I managed a nondescript and all too short walk-on in the movie “Plaza Suite” starring Walter Matthau and Maureen Stapleton (How many degrees to Kevin Bacon?). I appeared (very far off) off-off Broadway and did a summer stint as a lighting technician at the Lake Placid Center for Performing Arts. I also worked my way through college as an undercover retail fraud investigator.

My parents believed in mandatory community service although the choice of what we did was up to us. My sister was a Candy Striper at the local hospital, I joined the New York City Auxiliary Police at our local precinct – my dad was the Auxiliary Police Captain. That’s where I met my husband, at least REALLY met him. We had gone to the same high school (he studied photography) but my only vague memory of him was when he, in the guise of a by-the-book hall monitor, tried to prevent me from going to the backstage area to work on an upcoming play. True, it was between class periods and I didn’t have a hall pass, but the theatre students were used to making their own rules. Anyway, back to the Auxiliary Police… I thought he was an egomaniac snob, he didn’t care for me much either.

We kept getting assigned together as patrol partners and even though we built a terrific reputation as partners and seemed to communicate almost telepathically, I complained to our superiors. The Patrol Sergeant, the Lieutenant and the Captain (MY dad) kept pointing the finger at each other for the decision making process that kept throwing us together. A year and a half later, we had our first date; two weeks after that, we were engaged. He kidnapped me and refused to bring me home until I said yes, I figured I’d ask my father to beat him up. But when I told my parents that Mark had proposed, my dad clasped his hands together and said “Thank God!”

We settled in the suburbs less than an hour northwest of the city and began our family. Shortly after the birth of our daughter, I pursued a free-lance writing career and worked out of a home office. As a teen-ager I had written a few articles for a weekly Bronx newspaper and had since dabbled in poetry and pieces of prose just for the fun of it. After our son joined the picture, I managed to convince a few more rags to print my articles. This was about the time I had a weekly column as “Bonzo, the Ape” and shared profound thoughts on life. Since then, I’ve written more commonly as myself, sometimes conducting interviews (and trust me, you wouldn’t believe the things people sometimes tell you about themselves!), covering Grand Opening events, researching new trends and fashions, writing advertorials and business profiles, and just about anything else that will sell. I also spent a few summers teaching Creative Writing to kids in a local program.

Both my husband and I joined our local ambulance corps as volunteers and went on to become New York State Emergency Medical Technicians. I’ve helped to deliver babies, did CPR during codes, pulled people out of car wrecks, splinted broken bones, monitored the vitals of drug overdoses, stopped bleeding, and held patients’ hands enroute to the hospital. Both of our kids have followed us into the E.M.S. community and, often, dinner conversation at our table is not for the weak of stomach. Many of our friends are also involved with the local emergency services, medical and fire, and it isn’t unusual to have a festive holiday party empty out as soon as a pager goes off. The stories we swap are never boring.

My daughter and my son have justified every gray hair I’ve gotten. They’ve kept me on my toes, made me laugh, made me shake my head and cry, shared their dreams with me, allowed me to boast about them, and have each become a vital part of my inner circle of close friends. I've done the gamut of class mother, Girl Scout leader, Cub Scout mom, school parents’ association, and advisor in various youth groups. My favorite age has always been whatever age they were at the time. I love it when we hang out together or they invite me to go someplace with them and their friends. Both of our "kids" are terrific adults and I love following their various adventures.

I’ve always played a favorite game I call “What if?” whenever I see something unexpected, do something new, or hear about some adventure. I mentally place fictional characters into the setting and then I ask myself what if THIS happens, or THAT? By staying involved in my community, active with my family, reading avidly and even surfing on the Internet, I get a lot of fuel for my overactive imagination.

That means a lot of stories – please, join me

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