I lived in Munich, Germany, for nearly 10 years and even graduated from a Department of Defense School – Munich American High School. After attending Syracuse University (in both London, England, and Syracuse, NY), and getting a degree in English, I headed to New York City. I worked briefly in advertising (as a secretary), in fashion (as a proofreader), and for a consulting firm (as an editor). I spent the following 10 years working at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in Manhattan doing PR and writing recruitment publications. Both the job (SUNY bureaucracy) and the commute became tedious – in addition to the fact that I wasn’t seeing either of my very young children enough. That’s when I pivoted from trying to establish myself as a writer/editor in NYC and decided to do something else.
I found a job on Long Island that was closer to home and spent nearly 23 years working for the union office of a Long Island school district as a bookkeeper/office manager. (Dirty little secret: you make more money as an office manager than a writer.)
After moving to Upstate New York permanently in 2019 (after buying a very run-down 1850’s colonial and trying to renovate it for nearly nine years), I tried commuting back to Long Island for work but then the pandemic hit. I made the difficult decision to take an “early retirement” option rather than go back to an office. Conceptually, it looked good on paper, but our checkbook wasn’t really happy with that decision. I spent the next few years freelancing, working odd jobs (taxes anyone?), and did a lot of volunteer work. I also went back to school and took a couple of courses in grant writing. Thank you BOCES! Finally, in August 2025, I landed a great job as the Development Director at the historic Stanley Theatre in Utica, New York.
On the creative front, I am published playwright, food and travel writer, and author. Three of my plays were produced on Long Island in the early 2000’s. And to date, I’ve written four books. Please check out my author’s page to read more about my work.
My husband drew this picture of me quite a few years ago and I like it a lot. That’s why it’s here. – Julie
Drawing: Lynn Parish