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The Sweet side of writing
UT Martin was a chance discovery for Erin (Creech) Chesnut, but its lasting impression is undeniable for the author who draws inspiration for her Cypress Valley Sweethearts series, set in a similar, fictional university town.
Tennessee Governor’s School for the Humanities brought Erin to Martin for the first time, and her time in the summer program introduced her to the charming town and student-centered faculty that sets UT Martin apart.
“I loved how my professors came to eat with us in the cafeteria and genuinely seemed to care about us as more than just bodies in seats, and I knew that wasn’t something I’d likely find at any of the “big name” schools I’d been researching previously,” Erin recalls. “When it came time to officially apply to college, UT Martin was the only application I sent, and it was the only place I had any desire to be.”
During her undergraduate years, Erin studied literature and public relations, earning her bachelor’s degree in English and Communications in 2012. A University Scholar, she was also involved across campus as a member of Public Relations Student Society of America, The Pacer, The Hortense-Parrish Writing Center, and an intern with the Office of University Relations.
Following graduation, Erin continued with the Office of University Relations as their news writer. Five years in the role gave her experience writing nonfiction—from press releases and magazine features to student and faculty spotlights.
“I think all the interviewing I did as a news writer helped prepare me to create well-rounded characters and plotlines in my own books,” she said.
Erin always knew she wanted to write something but figuring out what that something was didn’t come easy. “I’m a late millennial who was born with the “how hard can it be?” gene, so I’ll admit I approached the world of creative writing pretty arrogantly,” says Erin. “I somehow got it into my head that the perfect story idea would simply reveal itself to me, and that I’d be able to sit down and write the next Great American Novel from that point onward.”
Determining that her strengths lie in crafting compelling characters, backstory, dialogue, emotions, and personal connections, paved the way for Erin to lean into the romance genre. The last remaining obstacle was the view that such stories were “fluff” and not “real literature”—a viewpoint she now admits was misguided.
“There is a time and place for every sort of literature,” Erin notes. “The world we live in is hard enough, and heartbreaking stories bombard us from every angle, every day; there’s nothing wrong with needing one that lifts your spirits and reminds you that people are inherently good, and love is supposed to win. That’s not “fluff,” that’s hope, and I pray my readers find that in the pages of my books.”
Erin has published two books as an independent author: Fight for Me and Call My Bluff. The no-spice contemporary romance novels are part of her Cypress Valley Sweethearts series and follow what she calls “the Hallmark end,” noting she “wanted to write books I could recommend to anyone, of any age or background.”
While occasionally she runs into the criticism that “writing romance is easy,” Erin’s become an advocate for why these types of stories are more than just about two characters ending up together.
“What actually matters is the journey the characters take in the middle: the things they do wrong, the things they get right, the things they learn about both themselves and each other along the way,” Erin says. “My job is not to “get the characters together;” that’s going to happen anyway. My job is to make you cheer and laugh and cry and scream and feel something for them before it’s all over. If I can’t do that, then I have failed, and that is a whole lot harder than it seems.”
You don’t always need Tolstoy or Steinbeck; sometimes you just need a fast read that makes you smile after a long day. And that’s alright.
Erin (Creech) Chesnut
Class of 2012
B.A. in English and Communications
Q&A with Erin
I lived in Cooper Hall with seven of the greatest roommates a girl could ask for, and several of us still talk daily. I have more wonderful memories with those girls than I could count. I also met my husband at an event in Centennial Court, and we now have two wonderful children who are growing up as true Martin kids. I enjoyed the annual rodeo and homecoming games, as well as a travel study to Great Britain and Ireland when I was a junior.
After graduation I spent five years working for UT Martin in the Office of University Relations as the university news writer. I believe my training as a communications student prepared me for the various types of projects I’d be asked to do in that role, and my double major in English made me uniquely suited to tell the stories of the students, faculty and alumni I encountered along the way.
I’ve published two fiction novels as an independent author! They are both no-spice contemporary romances set in a fictional town heavily inspired by UT Martin and the city of Martin. The first, Fight for Me, is an emotional story about a young woman who learns to stand up for herself and what (and who) she wants in her life. The second, Call My Bluff, is a romcom following a no-nonsense young woman and the class clown who pursues her. Both books are interconnected in what I call “the Cypress Valley Sweethearts series.” There will be more books to come.
Do something that scares you every semester. Maybe that’s taking a ceramics class or auditioning for a play; maybe it’s joining a travel study or learning to play pickleball, but always pick at least one thing that forces you out of your comfort zone and stretches you as a person. Maybe you’ll love it and find a new passion, and maybe you’ll hate it, but at least the experience will teach you something one way or another. And you never know who you might meet along the way.