Phoenix Writers Club Author Profile

Mary Pfeiff Cornelius

Originally from Illinois, Mary Pfeiff Cornelius and her husband, Mike, transplanted their family to Arizona in 1994. As a student, she loved writing, but practical, depression-era parents discouraged her from pursuing it as a career. She taught piano privately for many years before earning a master’s degree qualifying her in Speech-Language Pathology. After 20 years, primarily in the medical field, and a longer run as a director of church music, she retired and is enjoying music on her own time, and writing.

Mary has two adult children and two young grandchildren in Chicago. She and her husband share their home in Peoria with another daughter and emerging-adult grandsons.

Based on her experience as an aging woman living in a multi-generational household, she blogs on Cornelius Blogs and published the short book, “Shared Space: A Practical Guide to Multi-Family Living.” She has had short works published in anthologies and is an active member of Central Phoenix Shut Up and Write and Phoenix Oasis Press. Her current major project is a memoir, but she submits to literary journals and is happy to receive positive rejections.

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Roots, Shoots & Blooms, Inkwell Anthology 2022: “Deadheading Life,” “Alive”

What happens when a group of writers decides to do something they’ve never done? Ideas sprout roots and bloom into an anthology perfect for busy readers.

Roots, Shoots, and Blooms features flash fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Meet thieves, a dragon, a tender talking shoot, a lost girl, purple hyacinths, a chimera, tomato hornworms, a pine tree, and four generations of violent men. Explore the secret of a scar, a new life story, roots of bitterness, an unexpected love, a spell, a world reborn, death, life changes and choices, facades, and new beginnings.

Take a minute, pick a seed, enjoy the read.

Shared Space: A Practical Guide to Multi-Family Living

Sharing a house with multiple generations has its rewards but is not without challenges. If you are considering housing sharing with family or friends, this book will guide you in your decision-making and help you prepare for the adaptations you must make.

The wise advice in this book comes from a woman with the lived experience of an empty nester who now shares a house with multiple generations. This book is a must-read for anyone considering house sharing and provides invaluable advice on the rewards and challenges of living with multiple generations.

Beyond Boundaries: Tales of Transcendence: “Katie-May Does Merced,” “Big Sky”

2023 INTERNATIONAL FIREBIRD BOOK AWARD CIRCLE OF WINNERS - 1st Place Anthology

Beyond Boundaries: Tales of Transcendence

There's a boundary between ordinary and extraordinary, and when we’re lucky or wise or brave enough to move beyond it, something wonderful awaits.

Join 30 authors as they explore transcendence in an original collection of stories, essays, and poems:

Experience a firetide, a nighttime fishing adventure, a beloved dog’s passing, a wingless flight, and the ache for a drink.