Foxborough Author Pleased With His "Breaking News".

Foxborough resident, avid reader and passionate wordsmith Trent Sherwood just got his first book, Breaking News, published this past November and couldn’t be more pleased with the reviews and the sales.

All writers look for the same kind of satisfaction with their first book and although this is his first published book, Sherwood has been writing short stories for almost 30 years.

“I always loved the idea of being able to paint a picture with words,” and, “Always admired those who do.”

Sherwood’s Book, Breaking News, is about an established news anchor, Matt Taylor, who loses his job to a young up and coming golden boy. Taylor tries to find another avenue in which to re-invent himself, but then a video with an old girlfriend is leaked and, “his opportunities are destroyed," and for Taylor, "his career is his life. He has no other passion,” said Sherwood.

During Taylor’s despair, an old college roommate suggests a scheme to once again re-enter the living rooms of the American news watcher. Sherwood explains the scheme is ethically questionable and Taylor is a morally upstanding guy. 

Soon, Sherwood said, “he makes a decision and quickly realizes there is no going back. It’s against his moral code, but may get him his career back.” 

After what the main character hoped would be an innocuous decision, “Things get worse very quickly and very fatally,” Sherwood said.

Sherwood hopes he has created a world as captivating as some of his favorite authors such John Irving, Harland Coben, Dennis Lehane and Joseph Finder.

“I like it when someone can tell a story that is intriguing and off the beaten path,” said Sherwood.   

Regarding his fondness for Irving’s writing he said, “He develops characters that you feel like you know.”

“And that’s what I tried to do that with the main character in my book.”

Sherwood himself has no experience in news writing and said he got the idea six years ago when he realized how much the faces of news anchors had changed since he was young and the idea snowballed from there.

Initially when he started writing it, “I felt it was a product that I would be the only one who knew about it.”

He wrote the book over four years while working 12 hour days in the accounting world. Trent found the time late at night or on Sundays. 

“I had a passion for it and I never stopped writing,” he said.  

Sherwood said he was so focused on the book that even when he was keeping all his attention on a client or specific engagement, “It would gnaw at me to get back to the keyboard to develop the next idea.” 

After going through the process of sending his manuscript to 65 literary agents before he found someone willing to read it, he realized, “a new respect for writers.”

It took him four months to find a publisher during which time he was relentlessly told by publishers that they were not taking on new writers. Being a new author, Sherwood noted can be, “frustrating to the point where I can see why people would give up.”

After four months of re-writes, differing ideas on consistentcy, learning to compromise, and recommendations on what is commercially viable, he handed in the completed manuscript and Breaking News was published.

“It was a great learning experience,” he said.  

Breaking News was released in November and Sherwood happily reports, “It’s doing well…I’m  very happy with the reviews.”