My co-authored text, Fire Behind Bars, was published in 1979 by the US Department of Justice. As the first book in the U.S. to deal with deadly fires in secure institutions, it gained me national recognition as a speaker and consultant. I worked in government and as a private consultant for over thirty years. I’ve written and delivered hundreds of workshops, seminars, and training courses. I also gave keynote addresses to professional organizations and government agencies at the local, state, and federal level.
I published my paranormal thriller, Amanda’s Room, in 2012 and the abridged, Amanda’s Room Traveler’s Edition, in 2015. I published my literary novel, Wounded Angels, in January 2020, through HarperCollins.
In 2025, I published my collaborative biography, GOD is Watching the Apples, co-authored with John Salerno and Betsy Tooker. In addition to long-form writing, Chuck I’ve published multiple poems, short stories and articles. In 2015, my poem, “Miner’s Lament,” took third place in the worldwide Writer’s Digest competition.
I am a former columnist for the WTNH weather information website: WXedge.com. I’ve also written articles for Southington Magazine and other publications. I am also an occasional contributor to HistoryChip.com. At OLLI at UCONN, I was the Editorial Chair for Voices and Visions, the annual literary and arts review. In addition to long and short form writing and poetry, I have authored multiple training courses and government monographs.
I am also a playwright and director. In 1979, I co-created the Saint Thomas Passion Play in Southington, Connecticut. The play has been produced every year since and to date, has been seen by over 100,000 people. I have also directed productions of Godspell and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In 2018, I presented a dramatic reading of my play, Wounded Angels at Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury, CT. The play is based upon my novel of the same name.
I was born the son of a coal miner in Pittston Pennsylvania. I grew up one of eleven children in the East New York section of Brooklyn, New York. My degrees are in Criminal Justice and Philosophy and I’m a graduate of Holy Apostles College and Seminary. I served as Training Officer in a maximum-security prison and Chief of Curriculum at the Connecticut Justice Academy. I was Program Manager for the Connecticut Executive Management Program and Coordinator for the National Institute of Corrections Resource Center. I have served as a consultant to multiple government and professional organizations. In the military, I was a platoon Sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves. I now live with my wife, Judy, in suburban Connecticut.