Former resident publishes first book
Two thousand and eight Coshocton High School graduate Chase Will’s first book, “Moving Through,” will be released on Monday, Feb. 14.
“I’ve known I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was about 6-years-old. I’d write three or four page books to read in front of the class and whenever I would visit my cousins in Sandusky, I’d spend nights telling them stories in the dark and giving them nightmares,” Will said. “The great thing about finding your lifelong aspiration while you’re young is that your classmates are brutally honest with you. If I showed a project to my friends, they wouldn’t sugarcoat their feedback.”
Will said the teachers he had at CHS were also very supportive of him. “No one from Coshocton ever tells you to aim low – this city has fostered some amazing athletes, musicians, film makers, painters, teachers, you name it. This town’s always inspired strength and tenacity.”
“I grew up in Coshocton, so I got to experience the small-town upbringing that a lot of people don’t get to experience.” He remembers catching crawdads, paintballing with friends and walking around Roscoe Village. “There’s a lot of stuff I wouldn’t have had if I’d grown up anywhere else.”
“One thing that’s especially notable about Coshocton is the sense of community. People are really there for each other when times are tough, drawing closer together instead of drifting apart. When I lost my younger brother a few years back, the people I grew up with and haven’t seen in years were the first ones to reach out and make sure I was doing okay. People from Coshocton have a unique way of supporting each other.”
Will wrote the first draft of “Moving Through” when he was a senior at CHS. The story deals with grieving a loved one by leaning on your friends. “I don’t think the story would be the same if I’d grown up anywhere else.”
The book is written for young adults and follows a group of high school seniors after the death of their mentor while inciting a school-wide rebellion. Each student is struggling, from depression, substance abuse or anxiety, and they find ways to turn “hardship into armor and insecurity into a weapon.” “There’s humor even in life’s most depressing moments, and I think finding a way to laugh when your emotions tell you to cry is probably the most rebellious thing I can think of,” Will said.
He lives in Port Clinton, now and is currently editing his second novel – a comedic horror story. “It doesn’t have a title or projected release date, but it involves parasitic monsters, unlikely college romances and a nightmarish multi-level marketing scheme. I grew up watching a lot of B-movies and this is in the same vein.”
“Moving Through” is available for pre-order on Amazon.
Category: Arts & Entertainment
