Name:Phyllis Cohen

Birthday:January 27... I'm surrounded by boyband members!

Hometown:I’m a born and raised Brooklyn girl, but now I call the Philly suburbs home.

Occupation:Technically, I work as a managing editor for an academic publishing company in Philly. In reality, I spend my days organizing chaos and cleaning up (usually other people’s) messes. I've been on the lookout for other things to do with my English/Communications degree, but I still really haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up.

Pets:Family dog Shea (she’s a mix of rottweiler, beagle, and hound...and yes I know how odd that sounds, but she is adorable!) named after Shea Stadium in New York where the Mets play (we figure we have the only dog named after a sports facility). She makes an appearance in Underneath It All and I’ll get a picture of her posted eventually.

A little more about me:

My first love has always been baseball (fell in love when I was 8), but I’ve developed a serious college basketball addiction in the last 10+ years. I’m basically a sports junkie who watches the 6:00 SportsCenter every night instead of the 6:00 news. Writing has been my passion since I was 10 and found out there was something I could do with my overactive imagination besides play with my dolls thanks to my wonderful 4th grade teacher. In a perfect world I’d be getting paid to do this stuff. I also started watching soap operas when I was 8 and I credit a lot of my creativity to that. Sure, soaps are cheesy, but you can learn a lot about how to (or how not to) develop a storyline by watching them. I've been a huge fan of the show Alias since season 2 and I’m constantly blown away by the unbelievable scenarios those writers come up with (despite the bit of a disappointment season 3 was). I’m a pop music dork and always have been. I also have a soft spot for good R&B and some rock. My musical tastes are pretty much across the board. I like everything from Nsync to Brian McKnight to Faith Hill to 3 Doors Down. If it’s a good song, I really don’t worry about what genre it’s from.

I’ve gone through a lot in the last few years of my life and really feel like I’ve grown tremendously as a person. I feel like my writing has grown with me through all of this and it’s certainly been the best brand of therapy I could ever ask for. There’s a little bit of me and what I’m going through in each of my stories, but I also draw on the people around me and the things I see. Life can be a pretty amazing ride and I think I’ve just recently learned how to sit back and enjoy it. I hope you enjoy my take on the world in these stories.

Special thanks to the girls on JJB for all their wonderful feedback and support and encouragement. A lot of these stories would not have been written without you. You girls rock! Another special thanks to my sisters in creativity, Amory, Leslie, Malia and Justine, for all the brainstorming sessions. I would have walked away from these stories a long time ago if it wasn't for you girls. Y'all are the best! And finally, big thanks to my roomie Kelly for hooking me up with the picture graphics and backgrounds for the stories and the brainstorming sessions. Your talents and creativity continue to amaze me. Plus, you live with me, so you put up with me :)

R.I.P. Grandpa...Caesar Federico, January 6, 1926 - January 12, 2003...You’ll always be in my heart.