I'm a New Hampshire native. I was born with the gift of sarcasm, a trait that has traveled like wild fire through my Greek family tree for centuries, eventually being bestowed upon me by my father. I wasted no time honing my craft by becoming a published poet and then transitioning to my first self-published book in February of 2019. I strive to put pen to paper in a way that creates relatable moments that I hope brings you back to a familiar experience and leaves you chuckling.
With the company I keep – it's no surprise that I’m a writer with a quick wit. These creative geniuses below are my prime sources of endless . . . and I do mean “ENDLESS” material. If my destiny doesn’t involve me winding up at the Pearly Gates due to writer’s cramp, I will be shocked!
My First Book
It all started 15 years ago . . . I took ten years to write ten whole pages. Contrary to popular belief, I do not write slow. My problem is I’m a perfectionist. I find myself constantly reading and rereading what I write and then editing it over and over to make sure it is perfect before I can move on. It’s a vicious cycle of having too much content, no plan of how I want to present my material, throw in a sprinkle of procrastination and my unintentional goal of writing an extremely short book was born. I highly recommend this tactic for those wanting to get nowhere fast.
Fast forward five years later (2018), I met a neighbor named Ellen, who had my same passion for writing. Our conversation eventually turned to my inability to progress beyond ten pages after my above mentioned decade of crafting my best seller. After she moved beyond the horror of that little tidbit of eye-opening information, she still agreed to get together to exchange chapters of our work and provide feedback. From that moment on, the “Pen Hens” writing group (along with a wonderful friendship) was born! Yes, our group only consisted of just myself and Ellen, but “hey”, ya gotta start somewhere!
It didn’t take long for the realization to kick in that someone other than myself would be reading my work. Crazy, I know, considering my goal was to write a book that millions would potentially read. Opening yourself up to criticism and someone possibly telling me my story was crap was a bit nerve-racking. To make matters worse – I wasn’t writing a story. I was writing a memoir about my actual life. So, if someone told me it was crap — well, let’s face it, that wouldn’t be good!
Thankfully, Ellen provided such great insight that eventually I snapped out of my epic editing phase, and the words started flowing from pen to paper. Nothing helps stimulate the creative juices more than hearing from a reader on what they were picturing or hoping to read. Any questions that derived from the feedback helped take my writing in directions I didn’t think possible.
Within a year – I had not only completed my book, but . . . wait for it . . . I tossed out the original decade’s worth of work. For the record, I said I was a perfectionist. I never said I was perfect!
Vision
Oh my aching head - if I had a vision - I wouldn't have taken 15 years to write my first book! I do know I have only one goal in mind when I write.... MAKE...PEOPLE....LAUGH!
I write in a way that is relatable and funny and truth-be-told - I don't tend to filter much. We live in a world that pushes perfection. I pretty much do the opposite. I live in the real world of too much to do, and no time to do it. So, that's how I write. Taking the every-day activities and throwing in the crazy and the chaos to make, well...more chaos!
