DERRY — Bennett Gavrish always found writing a great hobby and passion.
The 2006 Pinkerton Academy salutatorian put that passion to good use and has written his debut novel Train Wreck, now out in paperback.
For Gavrish, 23, the journey to write his book took him on a path to create something he would love to read himself.
The story is a comedic thriller set in New England, with most of the action taking place in Boston.
In the book, a group of life insurance companies create a secret stock market where they gamble on the lives of ordinary Americans, assigning a dollar value to the life of every man, woman, and child.
A top company employee, Nick Buchanan, finds himself in the middle of a tangled conspiracy, when murder takes place, the truth must be unraveled before the killer strikes again.
"My only goal was to create the kind of book that I enjoy as a reader," Gavrish said, "and that's one with a compelling premise, memorable characters and plenty of laughs along the way."
He said the idea was brewing for a few years, but he didn't sit down and outline the plot until early 2010.
Certain aspects of the book are inspired by personal experience, but for the most part, Gavrish said he let his imagination run wild.
"My goal was to write a book with enough twists to keep readers guessing and plenty of laughs mixed in as well," he said.
Gavrish lives in Reading, Mass. After graduation from Pinkerton, he headed to Boston University, earning a journalism degree in 2010.
He began writing for a number of different websites and blogs, but the prospect of writing a novel seemed like a great challenge.
"After graduating from college, I finally found time to start writing it," he said. "The entire process took about 15 months and I'm thrilled with the result."
For young authors starting out today, Gavrish offers some advice — keep reading and experimenting with different genres and authors. Pay attention to books and television or movies, and think about how a story is constructed and how characters are developed.
"Then, you work those techniques into your own writing," he said. "The good news is that, thanks to advances in self-publishing and ebooks, it's becoming very easy and inexpensive to get your writing in the hands of readers."
Gavrish's father is Michael Gavrish, a social studies teacher at Pinkerton Academy. His mother, Diane, is now director of Plaistow Public Library.
"Train Wreck" is available as an ebook from Amazon.com and BN.com, or in paperback also through Amazon.
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