Richard Purnell claims that he watches too many movies and that probably makes him lazy. But one look at his newly self-published book and it’s obvious he is anything but.
Purnell is a recent graduate of Lake High School in Uniontown and just had his first collection of poetry and short stories, “Living in the Dark Side,” published.

Purnell said his mother gave him the idea and helped him to have his works published. Purnell said he’s been working on the book since December of 2005 and gets his inspiration from movies and books.

“I’ve been compared to Steven King and Edgar Allen Poe,” he said. “I like to write humor, mystery and science fiction kind of stuff.”

Purnell’s favorite movie is Edward Scissorhands, by his favorite director, Tim Burton.
Purnell has been generating story ideas and jotting them down since he was 13. He wrote his first story his junior year of high school.

“It was a really strange story about a family who went to a topsy-turvy neighborhood,” he said. “People were walking backwards and kids were eating dirt.” Purnell said the story concluded when the character realized he was going crazy and had imagined it all.

Purnell said his English teacher in high school, Chad Wise, also inspired him to write.

“I give him a lot of credit,” Purnell said.

Purnell is already working on his next piece which he hopes will be his first chapter book.

“It’s sort of dedicated to my grandmother who just passed away unfortunately,” he said.
The story is about a man whose grandmother was fascinated by the Bermuda Triangle but did not get a chance to explore it before she died. In her honor, the man begins a journey of his own to discover the mystery of the Triangle himself.

“He’s heard all these myths,” Purnell said. “One that it’s the Garden of Eden and everyone is too fascinated to leave, and one that it’s a water tornado where everyone spins forever.”

Purnell said he enjoys spending time with friends and seeing movies. When he isn’t doing either of those, he said he’s at home typing away.

Purnell will attend the University of Akron in the fall and while he hasn’t decided on a major, he’s looking to explore writing and art. He drew the cover art that go along with his published stories.

Purnell’s mother, Tina, said Richard’s book is available for purchase. Copies are $6.50 and can be signed by Richard. To request a copy, e-mail him at sleepihead16@aol.com.