Phil McCoy’s life changed in 2014.
The North Bay area musician suffered from a massive stroke which caused him to lose the use of the left side of his body.
It was a helpless feeling for the 57-year-old. However, the stroke somehow seemed to open up another creative door for McCoy. He says shortly after the stroke his wife Darlene suggested that maybe he start writing as a different creative outlet.
At first, he was not convinced.
“I had tried writing in my younger days several times, and it always seemed to be a bit of a jumbled mess, a lot of detail but not enough story to move it along,” he said.
But after the stroke, he found writing had become as easy as turning on a tap.
“Since the stroke, it was as simple as sitting in front of a keyboard almost, it flowed,” noted McCoy.
So that inspired McCoy to start writing more seriously. Inspired by dreams about his now three-year-old granddaughter Lily, McCoy wrote a children’s novel called, “Lily and the Witch of Piffler’s Mill.”
The book can be purchased through Amazon.
“The premise is they are simple in that they do not take place completely in our world, they are not laden with technology,” McCoy said, describing the characters in the book.
“The kids are not pulling a phone out of their pocket and googling or texting each other. They ride bikes where they are going to and they play outside. They usually start with a mystery presenting itself and a headstrong little girl who wants to learn what the truth of the mystery really is and try to solve it.”
While McCoy hopes the book is entertaining for youngsters, he also admits the writing has become part of his recovery process.
“I am finding they give me a creative voice, which up until recently has been rather silent,” he said.
McCoy, who walks with the help of a cane, has also taken up public speaking, using his voice as a way to speak up about his stroke experience. He hopes to continue to write and learn more about the Piffler’s Mill world he has created.
“The little world of Piffler’s Mill is very real in there, it exists,” he said.
“I know every corner of it and that are places I have not explored yet and I plan to. It is a great deal of fun.”
