SHERWOOD, Lyn 1937-
(Lyn Barr, Lynne Barr)

PERSONAL: Born September 8, 1937, in Midland, MI; son of Stephen D. and Evelyn G. Barr; married Virginia Sherwood, 1966 (divorced, 2000); children: Heather. Ethnicity: "English/French." Education: Attended Long Beach City College. Politics: "Moderate Liberal." Hobbies and other interests: Bullfighting, photography.

ADDRESSES: Home—Mail Junction, Box 110, 219 South Cage, Pharr, TX 78577. Offıce—Del Rio Advertising, 207 South Cage, Pharr, TX 78577; fax: 956-702-5080. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Newspaper writer in California, 1970-73; radio and television broadcaster in California, 1966-81; advertising and public relations copywriter in California and Texas, 1981—; Del Rio Advertising, Pharr, TX, creative director. Lyn Sherwood Advertising/Public Relations, past owner.

MEMBER: Beta Phi Gamma.

AWARDS, HONORS: Emmy Award nomination, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences; nomination for George Foster Peabody Broadcasting Award, Henry W. Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Georgia; two Golden Mike Awards; numerous awards for writing and photography.

WRITINGS:

Arruza (autobiography), Hooper Publishing, 1967.

Super Fan (fiction), Acme Publishing, 2001.

Yankees in the Afternoon (nonfiction), McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 2001.

Some writings have appeared under the names Lyn Barr or Lynne Barr.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Bite My Shorts, a short story collection; Nuclear Cross, a novel of "international intrigue"; No Room for Poets, a novel about a young Californian's quest for recognition as a bullfighter in Spain; White Collars, Black Hats and Ripoffs, Con Jobs, Scams, and Frauds, books on white-collar crime.

SIDELIGHTS: Lyn Sherwood told CA: "During a rather eclectic life, I have been a most unsuccessful torero, terrified Pamplona runner, newspaper reporter, actor, disc jockey, radio and television news reporter, talk show host, photojournalist, advertising and public relations writer, standup comic, magazine publisher, and even a publicist for a well-known Nevada brothel.

"I have befriended Ernest Hemingway; been jailed in Mexico City for aiding an escaped Swiss gunrunner; conned my way into an interview with John F. Kennedy; been sued by the John Birch Society; been gored, stomped upon, bitten, and otherwise abused by evil-minded bulls; been shot at by equally maltempered hoods; been featured on such nationally televised programs as the Today Show, AM America, What's My Line? and The Morton Downey, Jr. Show; published internationally; and collected enough rejection slips to paper several walls. Raised mostly in Southern California, I am currently the creative director for Del Rio Advertising in Pharr, Texas.

"I am a former apprentice matador and spent twenty-five years as an amateur torero. And I have the scars to show for it.

"I approach nonfiction with the eye of a journalist, dedicating most of my time to research. I am currently completing that which began as a potential magazine article and has since grown into a two-volume book, White Collars, Black Hats and Ripoffs, Con Jobs, Scams, and Frauds. Both concern white-collar crime, the first on governmental malfeasance and the second on consumer frauds.

"Fiction is much easier to write, for all I have to do is create the scenario and the characters. Once I have breathed life into the characters, they take over the writing chores, while I just watch it happen. I currently have two new novels that are ready for publication. I also have a love for satire, and have just completed work on a collection of irreverent short stories.

"I subscribe to no organized religion, although I used to believe in reincarnation. But, that was in another life. My motto: With the possible exception of the obscene vernacular that translates to 'fornicate thou,' nothing has ever been written that couldn't benefit from a rewrite."