This is my official bio, you know the one that is P.R. polished and sanitized. Truth be told: I’ve endured a lot of ups and down, failures and disappointments, heartbreak and tragedy…just like anyone else. The best way for me to express who I really am is through my characters. That is why I am a writer.
Patricia Vaccarino (born October 17, 1956) is an American writer. She has published three novels and three nonfiction books based on her expertise in public relations. Ms. Vaccarino grew up in Yonkers, New York. At fourteen she began writing a novel about Yonkers that eventually became her first literary work, YONKERS Yonkers!: A story of race and redemption Her first Yonkers book is about growing up in Yonkers during the 1960s and 1970s. The Heart of Yonkers was published April 2, 2020.The Yonkers Carnegie Library is featured in both fictional works.
Ms.Vaccarino has written award-winning film scripts, press materials, content, books, essays and articles. She is currently writing a collection of essays NOTES FROM THE WORKING-CLASS. In addition to YONKERS Yonkers!: A story of race and redemption and The Heart of Yonkers, the third Yonkers Book So Not Yonkers was published in 2023. She frequently writes about libraries and has written a monograph about the circumstances that led to the razing of the Yonkers Carnegie Library in 1982. She has an audience of 40,000+ followers on social media.
Ms. Vaccarino graduated from the University of Rhode Island, and also has advanced education from the University of Puget Sound School of Law (now Seattle University School of Law). Patricia Vaccarino owned the P.R. firm Xanthus Communications LLC, and founded the internet company PR for People®, where people share their news. She retired from Public Relations in 2019 to devote her time to writing books, articles and essays. She divides her time between homes in downtown Seattle and the north coast of Oregon.