Since curiosity killed the cat, it is a good thing Lydia Plunk was not born a kitten.  The Southern California born and based writer credits her good fortune to a life steeped in enthusiasm, beginning with the off-centered ethnic imprint of her father’s Irish heritage of humor tickling her mother’s Puerto Rican passion for one of the few things her parents agreed upon: doing the right thing.

Raised in the suburbs, Lydia’s rock hound family extensively explored the western Pacific landscape.  These trips taught her the importance of curiosity and persistence to fact analysis. Nature is a master of camouflage.  What appears from far way to be barren panorama, close inspection may reveal mineralogical wonder hidden within diverse geologic topography covered in seasonal displays of indigenous vegetation.  

Lydia’s first speech, as a fourth grader, was on Mohorovičić Discontinuity. When her father rewarded her with a crisp one-dollar bill after reciting the speech to the Whittier Gem and Mineral Society, this prepubescent project taught her researching unfamiliar subjects could be lucrative.

Lydia “pushed pancakes” at a coffee house to fund her degree in Fashion Merchandising from FIDM, Los Angeles, She immediately entered the executive training with a major retailer. Attaching descriptive to fashion samples forwarded to the advertising department, her pairing of words to images established her reputation for creating desire through copy.  

Long active in civic and political affairs, Lydia is a recognized leader in her adopted hometown of Diamond Bar, California. She was the first woman to serve the city on two commissions. As a Parks and Recreation Commissioner, then as Commissioner and Vice Chairwoman of the Planning Commission, Lydia engaged in collaborative writing efforts, including public relations, policy and legislative documents.  Her honors for community involvement include being recognized as Diamond Bar Jaycee of the Year and A Woman of Achievement by the Chamber of Commerce. 

Lydia’s writing on finding and creating joy at home and garden has been read in multiple publications.  In 2005, she was appointed editor of The Diamond Bar Windmill, mailed monthly to over 19,000 homes and businesses.

Soul searching about continuing down the editor’s path, Lydia steered her journey with the written word back to her first love, writing. Her professional focus now centers on writing about her passions: the pleasures of being at home or in the garden, the exceptional people dedicated to a more beautiful world and the history of the community she helped found.

A member of the Garden Writers Association and Pasadena Fiction Writers Group, Lydia is a full-time journalist and writer at large in both traditional and new media. Her blog, http://averygoodlife.blogspot.com is her public journal of her private life.