Bob Berry of Jay fulfilled a lifetime goal in 2019 of becoming a writer. He has now written two books on finances and has an action adventure book out this month. Submitted photo

Bob Berry was raised on a farm in Embden, became a civil engineer, bought a land-development consultant business, and in 2019 “fulfilled a lifetime dream” to become a writer.

He has designed sites for schools, the Oxford Casino, supermarkets, churches and homes throughout Maine. He lives in Jay and is the owner of Main-Land Development Consultants Inc. in Livermore Falls and Falmouth.

Berry volunteers with numerous organizations, including local chambers of commerce, Bible college and at youth events. He is also a seminar speaker on the principles of business and personal finance, leadership and project management.

He and his wife of 29 years, Lisa Berry, who is also an author, have raised three sons.

He has written two educational books on finances and has an action-adventure story with fantasy elements coming out in July under the pen name Tripp Berry.

How did you become interested in writing a book? I’ve always been interested. As teenagers, a friend and I wrote fanciful stories for each other’s entertainment. They were terrible and, thankfully, the only thing that survived was a desire to someday be a real writer.

Where do you find the time for writing with running your business and involvement in community and business activities? I love to write and so does my wife and inspiration, author Evelyn Grace. As our three sons have become men, we found we have a bit more time to ourselves and spend it sitting together at home or in a campground, writing side by side on weekends or vacations. Every successful marriage needs dedicated time spent together. This is ours.

Is writing a book easy? No and yes. It’s a lot of work, but it’s enjoyable work aimed at helping people. When I write a chapter, I become engrossed in it. Sometimes my fingers won’t work the keyboard fast enough to get the story out. Sometimes I write something I find funny and laugh out loud, literally (pun intended). It’s work, but enjoyable.

Author Bob Berry of Jay has written his first action-adventure book under the pen name Tripp Berry. It goes on the market in July. He previously published two nonfiction books on finance.

Did your words flow or were there a lot deletes and adds along the way? Good question, but those are not mutually exclusive. I can be a real motor-mouth and deep focuser. So far, I’ve never had a problem with words flowing. That said, the revision process is intensive. As an independent author, there’s no team of professional editors paid to review my work. We use volunteers called alpha, beta, and gamma readers to provide feedback. After each group comments on the book, I do a re-write. I re-write four or five times to make the book as presentable as possible before publishing.

What is behind your books “Buying Bacon…” and “Pipe Wrench to Payroll…?” In 2018, I was asked to present basic business financial principles at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast. To my surprise, the audience seemed to really respond. Out of that, I wrote my first book, “Buying Bacon: Practical Finances for Small Business Owners.” I use stories and humor to help small business owners handle their cash flow. Next, I wanted to provide a more wholistic guideline for very small businesses to grow into something more. “Pipe Wrench to Payroll: Growing Your Business from Self-Employed to CEO” teaches business owners the basic skills, attitudes, habits, and actions to help make their company thrive. Find both books on Amazon right now.

Are there any more books on the horizon? Yes! I made the jump to fiction under the pen name Tripp Berry. My first fiction, called “The Woodbender,” will hit the market this month (July). It’s an action-adventure story with fantasy elements like swords and shields, bad guys with mystical powers, and – best of all – dinosaurs. The untitled sequel is more than half written now and will soon be sent to alpha readers. Follow “Author Tripp Berry” on Facebook to be a beta reader or for more information on the books.