Sylvia Bergthold has been supplementing her income for 35 years, by sharing her California home with roommates. As a consequence, she penned the self-guide manual “Sorry, The Boa Has Gotta Go!” A Roommate Survival Guide (www.aroommatesurvivalguide.com). Her book, popular among homeowners and numerous apartment dwellers eager for financial relief, has been instrumental in easing the economic burdens for many households. Writing roommate advice articles for numerous national newspapers, including domestic and foreign magazines, subsequently led to her stint as the roommate advisor on AllExperts.com. Recently retiring from that post, her expertise was again called upon by VideoJug.com: life explained on film. She and the Video Jug team created several successful videos on the various aspects of shared living. Her latest endeavor is the novel Roommates and other Anomalies, a fictionalized account of her years sharing life with a multitude of roommates.

Ms. Bergthold spent many years working in banking; as a teller, safe deposit clerk, proof operator, and later as a merchant teller. She followed this by working in the security department of a large home improvement company, learning the finer points of criminal behavior; burglary, shoplifting, fraud, and employee theft. When the company closed, she enrolled in a Federal Job Training Program, re-educating herself in the newest computer programs and technology. Upon graduation from the course, she spent the following years working in various clerical jobs, including sales, insurance, medical and manufacturing. In addition: she continued to sell her watercolor paintings under her maiden name, Sylvia Chase; ran a small decorator business focusing on wall art; and continuously took an assortment of educational classes through the local community colleges. A creative writing class and a life story writing class changed the focus of her life. One of her first writing experiences came after the death of her beloved parents. Wanting to capture their unique musical life as a historical record for her children and grandchildren, she wrote “Yesterday, When I Was Young” A Memoir. A year later, she wrote her popular A Roommate Survival Guide along with penning many short stories, articles and journal writings. Divorced for over 35 years, she continues to share her ‘never a dull moment’ life with two roommates….and two cats.