William E. Sherrill

William E. Sherrill was born in Bryson City, North Carolina, and currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina. He had an on-again, off-again relationship with the United States military that began with his childhood as the son of a career member of the Air Force.

His relationship with the military continued when he joined the Army upon graduating from high school in 1973. Later he served in the Army Reserves, and later still in the South Carolina Army National Guard, with whom he served in combat in Iraq, and from which he finally retired in 2008 after earning two Meritorious Service Medals, a Combat Action Badge, various other medals and awards, and four honorable discharges.

"Some people collect baseball cards. Apparently I collect honorable discharges. I was never aiming at staying in the military long enough to retire — it just sort of sneaked up on me."

While serving in the National Guard as a combat medic, William worked in his civilian job in Nuclear Medicine. Along the way he was educated at Blue Ridge Technical College, Appalachian State University, NC State University, Southeastern Baptist Theological Institute, and Midlands Technical College.

A Sound Of Distant Thunder is William's first novel. It draws from his years of knowledge about the life and habits of soldiers, from his personal experience with the power of love and friendship, and from his belief in God's ability to work in the lives of people in spite of the hardships they face — a lesson he has learned by personal experience throughout his adult life and during his time in combat.