First novel a life-changer for Valley Streamer

Throughout the years, heroic actions have played a huge role in the life of Robert Cornell, a resident of Valley Stream for almost 30 years. Cornell has made it his business to assist in the rescue of many people as a former paramedic, among other medical positions for more than a decade.

Though he may not directly work in helping to save lives right now, Cornell, 36, is trying to touch people lives in another way — through words. He wrote his first novel, “Breaking Ground; The Horeb Anomaly,” which was released on Feb. 1.

“I always thought that in order to become an author you had to have an extensive background in literature and English,” he said. “When I realized that I had this story within me that needed to be told, actually sitting down and formulating it, did I realize that as much as those things were important to the craft they were not all you needed.”

The novel, which is an action/adventure, explores secular and biblical historical events with a slight twist of the imagination. It follows a main group of characters on their adventure in search of knowledge and a mysterious artifact known as the “Perfection of Paradise.” Along the way, they encounter adversaries on their quest to uncover historical secrets — a journey which could change humankind’s view of history forever, Cornell said.

Balancing imagination with reality, Cornell draws from real-life. A graduate of Central High School in 1992, Cornell loved creative writing during his time there. “My imagination was wild and took hold of me allowing me to write fluently, “ he said.

During his time volunteering with the Valley Stream Fire Department’s Rescue Squad from 1994 to 1998, Cornell became a paramedic, working for 15 years including a five-year tenure in Franklin Hospital’s emergency department. The last two years have been a rough time for him — getting a divorce, financial troubles and ending his paramedic career in 2009. Cornell, a father of three sons, found a great sense of happiness in writing his novel — an idea that came about while he was assisting his ex-wife with her novel, which was never finished, in 2008.