Phyllis P. Colucci

I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, which was like living in a small town within a big City. I still call Brooklyn my home. I and my Sister were raised by Italian-American parents, in a close-knit Italian neighborhood. We shared fun times in our backyards with our friends and parents, who sipped coffee and chatted loudly, as we ran about happy and carefree. We were all family. My friends and I played “sidewalk” games of hop-scotch, hide and seek, tag and jump rope, and rode our bikes around the block until the day became the night. We listened to the latest hits on our portable record players, while gathering on each other’s “stoops” on summer nights waiting for the ice cream truck to come by. The aromas of fresh bread and pizza lingered on street corners, while the tantalizing “Scent of the Gods” (a mix of onions, garlic and tomato sauce) made its way from our parents’ windows to our waiting nostrils…Sunday Mass and Sunday dinners were big events as well; visiting with our Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins – always a loud, joyous gathering. It was all about family and community.

The Original “Dark Shadows” came out in 1966 and ran through 1971. I was10 years old in 1966; too young to fully understand the various story lines, yet old enough to know I was intrigued by the Gothic soap opera that introduced my young friends and I to vampires, werewolves, witches, séances, and the magic that attracted us to every character. Today that passion still exists, from generation to generation, as fans continue to connect through social media and re-runs of this wonderful show. Some of the original actors, who are still living today, stay connected to their fans on social media; which is truly special... As bizarre as it may have seemed, “Dark Shadows” was about family, friendships and dark secrets; yet we enjoyed our daily visits (after school) to the “Collinwood” home, where all were welcome!!!

I became interested in poetry when I was in grammar school, and our teacher asked us to write about a family pet. With that assignment, I fell in love with expressing myself through words and rhyme. I discovered something that truly excited me in a unique way. This continued into adulthood, as I secretly found myself writing poetry for myself only - until I decided to share it with others through online writing communities, a blog, and self-publishing on Amazon. Opportunity knocked, and I embraced it.

Great question. Writing was something I was always passionate about, but not something I thought about as a career since I knew it would not pay the bills. Writing, however, still remained my private “happy place” throughout the years. It was an extension of who I was… I married at a young age, had my son soon after, and realized that I needed to keep my day job and take on higher positions that paid well. Years later, “retirement” became the catalyst that turned my dreams of writing into a reality. Self-publishing novels and poetry became a career, so to speak, at a time when I was able to do it for my own personal fulfillment and without financial concerns, as I had now left my day job behind. No pressure, just a love of the art that I cherish on a daily basis – and a retirement check! The rest is icing on the cake.

I don’t see that my background in a supervisory administrative role influenced my writing style or themes in my work all that much, but it did contribute to helping me focus. What that job did do for me was teach me how to organize my time, plan projects, delegate tasks, meet deadlines, work under pressure and read people through daily interaction. In that sense, my job provided me with the necessary tools to simply sit down, plan my time, and concentrate on my writing in order to develop plots, storylines and characters in contemporary fiction and poetry. Organization is a huge part of writing. Without it, a writer can be all over the place accomplishing little. So with my background in a supervisory administrative role, I became more grounded on the job and in life; allowing me to later pursue my writing goals with ease.

Most of my blog posts are about fiction and poetry and include many submissions to an online writing community at Spillwords Press (Spillwords.com). Included on my blog are Newsletters promoting my Amazon books and Written Word Media Promotions. I love to share photos that accompany and/or complement my posts, as well – and there are many miscellaneous posts on general topics personal to me, in order to inform and start a conversation. Comments are always welcome.

For me, poetry begins with just one word (and that is the theme of my poetry at Spillwords Press). It all starts from just one word which becomes one idea, one sentence, one story, one poem. That one word originates from the daily interactions I have with people, places and things (children’s laughter, meeting friends, romantic dinners, birds flying, rainy days, summer nights, snowy winters, walks through the park, visits to the cemetery, city traffic, tree-lined streets, cats and dogs, beaches, seashells, gardens, aromas, etc.) - I’ve learned writers view the world differently than most people. They see beyond what is actually there, and turn those experiences into words and poetry.

Well poetry is as the title of my book states; a “Treasure Chest of Words”. There is something there for everyone to enjoy and relate to. Form and expression go hand in hand, and appear as the writer intends. For me it is an individual approach through words and images. There is Poetic License and the Writer’s choice of Form that may turn a simple poem into a masterpiece. That is the hope of every writer or poet.

I create authentic and relatable characters in my romance novels by using personality traits I’ve observed from family, friends, strangers and even myself. I try to capture the emotions most people experience, positive or negative, in their romantic relationships, and take that reality to create fictional characters/lovers. I may recall romantic experiences people have shared with me (or my own experiences) and build on that by adding more of the raw emotion, reaction, physical responses; more tears, joy, love, hate, jealousy, desire - and bring it all to new heights so the reader can experience each character’s life through my words and imagery. I strive to have the reader feel, connect and engage with the romance novel as if they were a part of it.

In my opinion, animals are our most vulnerable (like children and the elderly), and it is our humane responsibility to look after and protect them; whether they are our loyal pets, strays, or animals in the wild. I also believe we must stop stealing/destroying the natural habitat of animals in the wild in order to build housing or construct businesses and the like. I find that so heartbreaking. Many animals are being pushed out into unfamiliar territory, which is so very dangerous for them. As far as conservation, it is so important to save the rain forests. They provide medicines, miracle cures, food, and clean the atmosphere. I am not a big advocate of “climate change” or “global warming” as it is presented by the media and others, because I feel that much of that theory is truly based on the ever-changing tilt of the earth’s axis as time passes (going towards or moving away from the sun).

Writing is my passion, and an extension of who I am as a person. It brings me great joy and it truly is my “happy place” where I can unwind and get the creative juices flowing. In retirement, I get to follow that passion on my own terms and my own time. I will continue to write fiction and poetry; add more blog posts to my blog; I will continue to contribute to online writing communities; and I will continue to self-publish as I share my works with the world. Hopefully, they will sample it and come back for more. Writing will always be a part of me and I would love for it to define who I am to others.

I find writer’s block to be a nuisance, like a bad cold. It gets you down for a few days, but you will be back to normal in no time. I’ve been there many times, as most writers; but I just allow it to pass – and it does. All writers will eventually find their way back to their world of creativity or vice versa. It takes a bit of time and patience. I find doing other things you enjoy while writer’s block visits you, works out well; watch a movie, read a book, spend time with family and friends, go shopping, go on social media – or just relax and do nothing. Writer’s block is a very natural process that will always occur, like the seasons. So let it happen and remember that “patience is a virtue”.

I would say go for it, but plan that new career or plan on following your passion in advance of your retirement so, while you are leaving your long-term profession which was a big part of your life for many years, you will have something to go home to. That something, whether it be a new career or a passion you love, will sustain you as you wake up each day to the sound of your alarm clock, realizing you have nowhere to go now that you retired. It is a strange feeling at first, but if you have a “go to” plan, the transition into retirement will be easier and the “go to “ plan will be your plan, on your time, and will fulfill you throughout this next journey in life. It will be an extension of YOU. Just be sure to seriously have it in the back of your mind before you retire. You must have something to go home to or you will find yourself in a rut, with no plan, floundering around with no direction… Just my opinion.

I am working on more poetry right now, and I hope to come out with a second poetry book within a year or so. I share lots of poetry on my blog and I contribute poetry pieces to the online writing community website at Spillwords Press (Spillwords.com) under the theme of “…On Poetry and Fiction”.

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