ABOUT TRIPP BERRY
Do you really want to know?
Christ Follower
Tripp opened the door to Jesus Christ back in college at the University of Maine at Orono, circa 1991. He mistakenly signed what he thought was a sign-in sheet and ended up with a visit to his dorm room from the Reverend Doug Palmeter with what is now CRU. Tripp wasn't convinced, but Doug challenged him to read the book of Romans. He did, in one day. God has had a hold on Tripp ever since.
Wait. Tripp's an engineer AND an author? Yep. See, most people are right brained or left brained dominant. Not everyone, and it's a bit of a spectrum. People are, after all, bulbous bags of emotional goop. Tripp has all those annoying traits of an engineer. He also has the even more annoying traits of a writer. He uses both halves. That's not to say he's got a big brain. He wishes.
A Tail of Two Brains
Country Boy at Heart
Tripp grew up in the town of Embden, Maine, deep in the northern woods and high in the western foothills. His family goes back there for eight generations. As a boy, when he wasn't in school or working around the family's small farm, Tripp explored the woods with half a dozen sticks to hand, each one an imagined blaster, dagger, quarterstaff, or lightsaber. Countless orcs, stormtroopers, and lizard kings took the brunt of his imaginings and youthful energy. Today, he's too old to be lugging around extra sticks, but he still loves to hike, hunt, and kayak in the beautiful Maine outdoors.
EDUCATION
Where Did Tripp Learn to Write?
Formal Education
Tripp went to Embden Elementary School, Carrabec High School (go Cobras), and the University of Maine, Orono. Little of that included writing, though a shout out to Mrs. Patricia Reid, teacher extraordinaire. She did her best with me.
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Upon graduation from high school, Tripp had to decide on two career tracks: engineering or writing. He chose the one he thought would support a family. Practical, I know. But not boring. Engineering has been a wonderful occupation for over thirty years, and running a consulting company kept Tripp hopping. But in 2018, Tripp couldn't wait any longer and wrote his first book. In 2025, Tripp sold his company to the employees and retired to write full time.
So You Have No Formal Education in Writing?
What's formal? If you mean at an institution, then no. High school english. Three classes in college, two of which were required for basic skills to get a degree in engineering. He took a class for creative writing. Just one.
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Institutional education isn't the only education. Tripp has read dozens of books on writing (fave so far: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel), attended numerous writing conferences on a national level (including Author Nation and Realm Makers), and watched about a billion videos, including the free class Brandon Sanderson generously published on YouTube.
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Whether Tripp is a good author isn't up to him or his educators. It's up to you. So read Tripp's books and judge for yourself.
RANDOM TRIVIA
Just for the Fun of It.
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Raised by a technically brilliant father and an interpersonally dazzling mother. They had the foresight to encourage Tripp to succeed and wisdom to let him go do it.
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Grew up on the family farmstead next to his grandparents, whom he visited daily during his formative years. The advantage of this arrangement is lost on today's generations and cannot be overstated.
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Tripp's been married to the sweet and adorable author Evelyn Grace Berry since 1993. Their marriage is still exciting today, though the reasons change. Like, just the other day, he felt for sure she was going to snuff him out in his sleep and bury him out back. She didn't. Not this time. It keeps him on his toes.
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Tripp practices the Filipino art of Escrima weekly, though mostly he accidentally hits himself in the head. He has a blackbelt in Kempo / Jui-Jitsu, though, like him, the belt is turning gray.
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He raised three sons: Benjamin, Nathaniel, and Jackson. How they ended up normal is no great mystery. Their mother homeschooled them through graduation. I tried my best to warp them to silliness, but it didn't stick. Well, not fully.
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A stroke can be deadly. But not his. In 2013, he had a full-on, four-clot stroke, which was caused by a genetic blood issue no one knew he had and high levels of stress. Stress is no joke. Today, he takes his medications and has no deficiencies except a predisposition to say stupid things. That, of course, pre-dated the stroke.​
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He's 6'-0" tall, which can be also said as 183 centimeters or about 9 raccoons if they stand on each other's backs and demand snacks. Don't laugh. It's a real problem.
WHAT DOES TRIPP LISTEN TO?
Tripp writes. A lot. What does he listen to while he's working? Depends on where he is.
Upta
Loons. The crackle of the fire. Squirrels chasing each other. Waves when it's windy, and wind when it's wavy. Once, a raccoon chittered, half ran up a tree, and had a stare down.
Home
The cat, Sauron, meowing for another meal. The dog, Addie, barking at ghosts. The wife, author Evelyn Grace Berry, laughing with her friends online.
While Travelling
Jet engines. People yelling. That gas station burrito digesting.
When He Needs to Tune It Out
When it's quiet, Tripp writes with no music or anything. He's not afraid of quiet, especially if it's only broken by the loons. Otherwise, he uses a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones and his Spotify playlist. Want the playlist? Click on the picture of Kenan looking all dark and broody.
Click here or poke Kenan above for Tripp's Instrumental Writing Playlist. Contains mostly action-adventure music, with the occasional song that tickled his fancy.