School Resource Officer Shares Experience as a Published Author

While the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented many public gatherings, it hasn’t prevented the Bremen High School Circle Book Club from doing what they love – reading books. The group has been meeting virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic and recently read While the Blood Runs Warm by Terrell Duffin.

This was an especially fun read for the book club because Duffin is also the school resource officer and regularly sees and interacts with the students. Duffin is also a police officer at the Markham Police Department so students and staff alike were surprised to have discovered the busy officer is also a published author.

Duffin’s book, While the Blood Runs Warm, is described by Amazon as “an unsparing reflection on the powerful love between father and son, hurt, and the strong task of forgiving.” The book follows a child named Solono who suffers through a tragedy and must adjust to a new life as the adopted son of the President of Paraguay.

Duffin says the book took him roughly six and a half years to write. He came up with the idea for the book while he was goofing around talking about potential movie ideas with a family member.

“The plot was just stuck in my heads,” says Duffin. “Eventually I had to write it down.”

While the book took Duffin years to write, he is proud of the accomplishment and says he was honored and slightly surprised when the book club asked if he would speak to them.

The club asked him a variety question such as how he came up with the storyline and how he went about getting published. Many students found it inspiring that Duffin grew up in their neighborhood.

Duffin, who is a 2009 alumni of Bremen High School and who grew up in local Country Club Hills and now lives in Hazel Crest, told students, “Whatever you put your mind to, you can do it. Look at me. I’m from your neighborhood and if I can do it then you can do it.”

Duffin’s book was published on January 11, 2019 and has five stars on Amazon. Students and staff said they enjoyed the book and are looking forward to Duffin’s part two, which Duffin says he would eventually like to write but needs to find the time first.