Re-writing the history book
A West Chester teen has rewritten the pages of historical fiction as the author of a novel released this summer.
Author Richard M. Say, 18, wrote a book entitled “The Cold War Turned Hot” based loosely on the Cold War between the United States and the U.S.S.R.
The 264-page book, available in hardcover and paperback, chronicles what could have happened if the Cold War had escalated beyond the levels it had historically.
The book follows the stories of fictional soldiers, civilians, police officers, Soviet Union and United States leaders as the Cold War’s temperature rises throughout the story set in the late 1980s. The novel is written through five character’s viewpoints to help readers get different perspectives of the conflict.
The author said a goal of his book was to explore the topic of morality in war.
Say, who has an interest in world and military history, decided to start writing the book in the summer between his freshman and sophomore year at Devon Preparatory School.
Say was inspired to write the novel after he had a dream about the Cold War. He wrote the first few pages as a trial and decided to turn the composition into a novel over the course of two-and-a-half years. The book was finished in the winter of 2009 and was published by Authorhouse in early summer.
“I just had the idea, and I went with it as I wrote. I figured I had nothing to lose by just starting to write the book,” he said.
Say, son of Richard A. Say and Frances P. Say of West Chester, enjoyed writing the book over the summers between each school year at Devon Prep as an alternative to playing video games.
Though he said the writing and editing of the book took a lot of time and effort, Say enjoyed the process.
“It feels great. I really feel like I’ve accomplished something. I am now a published author for life, and I think that’s pretty cool,” he said.
Currently, Say is a freshman at American University in Washington, D.C. and is majoring in international relations. He is a 2009 graduate of Devon Preparatory School.
While a student at Devon Prep, Say helped run the school’s paper recycling program and was involved in an organization called the Christian Action Program where he and his classmates organized blood drives and collected canned food for the homeless.
Say, an AP scholar and honor student, does not have any formal creative writing training other than his traditional English course work at Devon Prep. Say said the teaching staff at Devon encouraged him as he worked on the book.
Say’s senior English teacher, Tricia Tiehel is thrilled that one of her students has written and published a novel.
“It’s absolutely wonderful. As an English teacher, it’s gratifying to see a student embrace literature and writing. I was surprised to find that a student of mine was quietly working on a novel,” she said.
Though Say does not plan on being a novelist, he has not ruled out the possibility of working on another book in the future. He currently plans to focus on his course work at American University.
“I enjoyed writing it, but I really want to focus on school for the next four years,” he said.
After college, Say hopes to work in the field of international relations through the United States government as a way to make a difference.
“The Cold War Turned Hot” is available online at www.amazon.com and at www.authorhouse.com.
Author Richard M. Say, 18, wrote a book entitled “The Cold War Turned Hot” based loosely on the Cold War between the United States and the U.S.S.R.
The 264-page book, available in hardcover and paperback, chronicles what could have happened if the Cold War had escalated beyond the levels it had historically.
The book follows the stories of fictional soldiers, civilians, police officers, Soviet Union and United States leaders as the Cold War’s temperature rises throughout the story set in the late 1980s. The novel is written through five character’s viewpoints to help readers get different perspectives of the conflict.
The author said a goal of his book was to explore the topic of morality in war.
Say, who has an interest in world and military history, decided to start writing the book in the summer between his freshman and sophomore year at Devon Preparatory School.
Say was inspired to write the novel after he had a dream about the Cold War. He wrote the first few pages as a trial and decided to turn the composition into a novel over the course of two-and-a-half years. The book was finished in the winter of 2009 and was published by Authorhouse in early summer.
“I just had the idea, and I went with it as I wrote. I figured I had nothing to lose by just starting to write the book,” he said.
Say, son of Richard A. Say and Frances P. Say of West Chester, enjoyed writing the book over the summers between each school year at Devon Prep as an alternative to playing video games.
Though he said the writing and editing of the book took a lot of time and effort, Say enjoyed the process.
“It feels great. I really feel like I’ve accomplished something. I am now a published author for life, and I think that’s pretty cool,” he said.
Currently, Say is a freshman at American University in Washington, D.C. and is majoring in international relations. He is a 2009 graduate of Devon Preparatory School.
While a student at Devon Prep, Say helped run the school’s paper recycling program and was involved in an organization called the Christian Action Program where he and his classmates organized blood drives and collected canned food for the homeless.
Say, an AP scholar and honor student, does not have any formal creative writing training other than his traditional English course work at Devon Prep. Say said the teaching staff at Devon encouraged him as he worked on the book.
Say’s senior English teacher, Tricia Tiehel is thrilled that one of her students has written and published a novel.
“It’s absolutely wonderful. As an English teacher, it’s gratifying to see a student embrace literature and writing. I was surprised to find that a student of mine was quietly working on a novel,” she said.
Though Say does not plan on being a novelist, he has not ruled out the possibility of working on another book in the future. He currently plans to focus on his course work at American University.
“I enjoyed writing it, but I really want to focus on school for the next four years,” he said.
After college, Say hopes to work in the field of international relations through the United States government as a way to make a difference.
“The Cold War Turned Hot” is available online at www.amazon.com and at www.authorhouse.com.
