About Chris Underwood
I started seriously writing back in 2012 when my concerns of a power grid failure began to creep into my mind. It took five years of honing my craft to get the first book out, but it has been fun sharing this secret.
My Journey
I have always loved to write, even as a kid in elementary school. I still have my first book about a three-headed snake, complete with a Crayola cover stapled together. College courses in creative writing were taken at Ohio State, but another path was chosen.
My original career path was in accounting and included the CPA exam, of which I passed two of the four parts. However, I soon found that I was too creative to be an accountant, and I moved to computer programming. My rationale was that creative accountants usually ended up in prison.
During the housing boom leading up to 2008, I did a lot of woodworking and restoring antique furniture. The quiet times of working on the pieces were great. But the initial interaction with the customer to make the sale was a fun process as well. This is why I do so many book signings in person.
My other passion is sailing. I have worked on a sailing charter boat in Key West and have a sailboat in Ohio. A blue water sailboat in the Gulf of Mexico is my next goal, and it feels to be not far away.
My Writing Process
The first book took about six years of writes and rewrites. All ten different versions are saved on a thumb drive somewhere. Version 9, I thought, was golden. I ran it through an author peer group a local publisher set up. Those visions were dashed. With a hammer. The First-Person writing didn't land well, and how I spun some conspiracy theories turned off the publisher.
After several months of sulking, I sat down with my story again and rewrote it in 3rd Person. I also created a new character named Dominic, the Ham Radio guy, to deliver most of my conspiracy-theory narration. The character really grew on me and has somewhat taken over my series.
The Cold Winter was published August 17, 2017. My father passed two weeks later. I brought the first copy to show him in the ICU. The accomplishment was difficult to cheer about, but life goes on. He said that statement often, and a local bluegrass musician even recorded his words to song. The album, Life Goes On, went to #1 on Cashbox and was nominated for 5 International Bluegrass Awards.
I wrote The Creatures of Holden Beach next to help with my grief. The comedy was mental health medicine, and it turned into an award-winning story. My adapted screenplay is in the works with producers now!
I finished The Cold Winter: Call to Arms while I worked in Evansville, Indiana, on a computer consulting gig. The series moved to the Ohio River with me, and the LST-325 docked there became my next subject. I toured it several times and asked if they minded using the ship in my story. The resoundingly positive response I received was wonderful.
The series has taken a turn towards Action/Adventure and Historical Fiction in the process. My fondness for Clive Cussler and John D. MacDonald has been given a chance to shine, and I am certainly enjoying the direction of my writing!
Method Writing
Reviewers of my writing have said my style is very visual, that I lay out a scene as if the reader is watching a movie. My presence at the location makes that happen. Internet research is helpful, but that extra pizzazz has to be done in person.
I must experience the environment and military equipment of my story to create the visuals on the page. Digging in is the work of my research, but it is also the most fun. I toured an Ohio River lock and dam in 2024, and after the tour I sat at the lock wall and watched the barges lock through for hours. The lock gate operators' communications made it into my books with unique accuracy. Google Earth doesn't give you that experience.
I approached the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation, a group that flies Huey helicopters at air shows and gives rides. At first, I just wanted to ride the choppers to feel the adrenaline rush and ask the crew some questions. But they were so welcoming, I couldn't leave. I came back the next day to volunteer, doing anything I could to help while also interviewing the pilots. My series is set in the wintertime, so I found a couple of pilots who served in Alaska, and their true life stories have been adapted into my books. I certainly received much more writing material than I bargained for, but the volunteering and camaraderie have been a gift that I will always cherish!
For The Battle of Niagara Falls, that meant traveling to the Niagara River in winter. The tourist lines are much shorter in January, and warm clothes are a must, but the cold brings a unique natural beauty! Flying in a Cobra gunship with the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation was another must for this book of the series! They rolled the aircraft out of the hangar in Atlanta just for my ride. Dinner with the pilot brought out his backstory, which built my character, much to his delight! Of course, 30 days of crew time aboard the LST-325 while we cruised the upper Mississippi gave my book some true realism. The captain gave lots of ideas on how to handle the ship in a river flood-stage situation! And it all made it into the book!
Four books in, the series has gone through changes I never planned for. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Where will the series go next? It's hard to tell, but it'll be fun to research!
