Writing has always been a passion of Sylvia's. She began writing news and feature articles for a small town newspaper in Southeast Missouri at the age of nine. Because of the nurturing and encouragement by the news editor, she developed a love and a need to write.

By the time she was working on her graduate degree, several of her poems, short stories and feature articles had been published. Since that time, over one hundred of her short stories and poems have found their way into literary magazines. She has been a featured poet in several literary journals over the years. Later her writing extended into the realm of research in the field of Human Communication and her work has been published in journals such as The Arkansas Speech Association Journal, and The Speech Teachers Association of Missouri Journal.
Poetry has always been a very special and personal experience for Sylvia whether she is writing her own, or reading works of another poet. She feels that writing poetry over the years has provided her with insight and understanding of how to navigate the many peaks and valleys that are traveled along life's pathway. She was especially delighted after her book of poetry, Pulse Points of a Woman's World, was published, and was nominated for the Georgia 41st. Annual Author of the Year Award.

Growing up in a rural area of Missouri and being the child of a father born in 1898, she feels that her interpretation of life spans several generations. This influence can be recognized in both her poetry and her short stories. She has experienced life at many levels. One of her most prized possessions is a personal letter that was written to her by Rosemary A. Thurber giving her permission to adapt her father's short story "The Last Clock" to be used for Readers Theatre.

She is presently a Communications professor and the Academic Resource Center Coordinator at GMC Community College in Martinez, GA. She describes herself as a determined scrapper who will wrench all the very best from life that she capable of conquering. Her philosophy of life is reflected in her poems, "Armor For Survival" and "A Tired Vagabond."

She is a survivor of bladder cancer and looks at the experience as another learning peak in life. She is very much aware that even though this is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, it is very much underserved. She serves as the Vice-President of the American Bladder Cancer Society because she knows how important to provide support to those who have experienced this cancer, and how important it is to create more awareness across the country. That is why all of her royalties go to the American Bladder Cancer Society. 

When asked if she thought she had "made it", she replied, “Made it” to me is not the money, nor the fame. Making it is all those things you get in return when you give of yourself to others. My books will never be in Oprah’s book club, and that is okay, but every one that someone buys is helping someone else. Knowing that my writing can help others is really what matters the most, and each time one sells is a made it moment for me, and for those it helps.  If I can do something that helps someone out, or if I can make a difference for others...I consider it the best "made it" of all.