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Southern Tier Life // ISSUE 003
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LOCAL AUTHORS Inspiration comes in many forms for local author By CHRIS BREWSTER One of the most famous quotes on creativity goes like this: “Inspiration can come from anywhere, at any time.” For Chris Sherwood, much of the inspiration for his first novel, “In Times of Trouble,” came while walking his dog in the Town of Baldwin, where he grew up and still lives. “I love post-apocalyptic fiction and while walking our dog I’d often
drives a school bus. “I began to think what I would do in such a situation, and over time the idea formed. Funny enough, the very first scenario I ever thought up hasn’t been used ...yet.” The more Sherwood, who had freelance writing experience prior to trying his hand at fiction, thought of characters and ideas, the more it felt to him like there was a book there. “A couple friends, both writers themselves, encouraged me to start jotting things down, see what happened,” he said. “Eventually, I found myself immersed in this world filled with fictional characters that are very real in my mind. Sometimes the book just seemed to write itself.” The result is a book that deals with the aftermath of a horrific event and how residents of the fictional small town of Hammond’s Corners – modeled after Baldwin, Sherwood says – survive.
Author Chris Sherwood think, ‘What would happen to us here in our town if the world as we know it ended?’,” said Sherwood, an Elmira Free Academy graduate and former paramedic and medical professional who now
Sherwood self-published about a year ago to excellent reviews on Amazon (4.9 out of 5 stars on 55 ratings) and is about halfway done with a sequel. “It’s taking me longer than I’d like,” he said, “but considering the first book took four years from start to finish, I can’t complain.”
His artistic creativity isn’t limited to writing. Sherwood is also a back up singer and guitarist for the Celtic rock group Kilrush. When asked how his music influences his writing, Sherwood mentioned that it helped him be a little more fearless and a little less worried about making mistakes. “I’m less afraid to take creative chances than before,” he said. “And when something doesn’t work, its helped me learn to say, ‘eh,’ and move on, not let it bother me too much for the most part.” That fearlessness also led Sherwood to the decision to self-publish, for a couple of reasons. “First off,” he said, “I’d read that publishing companies were cutting back what they released. Not good if you’re a complete unknown. “More importantly, some of my favorite authors in the genre started out self-publishing. A couple of them landed contracts with well-known publishing houses, only to go back to self-publishing once their contracts were up, interestingly enough.” The decision turned out to be the right one for Sherwood. “I think it gave me more freedom,” he said. “For example, the town of Hammond’s Corners is based on the
