Photos by Maurita Hoffman
Terry Armstrong displays his book in his home by his July Christmas display.

“You should write about what you know, and I know wrestling,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong said his love and knowledge of wrestling can be attributed to his grandmother, Fannie Hess.

“She was a big fan of professional wrestling, and she took me and my brother, Jason, and sister, Jennifer, to matches all over the area,” he explained.

He credited his grandfather, Paul Hess, for making sure they got to the matches early enough for ringside seats.

“One night, we left at midnight to make it to a match in New York,” he said.

The front row was critical, according to Armstrong, for his grandmother to “distract the wrestlers she did not like by aiming her camera with the old-time flashcubes right at them.”

As Armstrong got older, he began taking his grandmother to shows. She was an enthusiastic fan of professional wrestler and Mahoning Valley native, Pete Lucic. Lucic wrestled under the name Preston Steele and he “made sure Grandma Hess was in the good seats,” Armstrong said, laughing. This friendship contributed to Armstrong’s understanding of the wrestling world since Lucic gave him “the opportunity to do some ring announcing and also function as a wrestling manager.”

Fast forward to life as a school district treasurer. Armstrong said he and his wife enjoyed watching Hallmark Christmas movies.

“We liked the stories,” he said. “They are feel-good movies which counteracts some of the bad vibes we receive all around us. Rom-com movies have similar stories, similar characters and they always have a happy ending. They are a nice break to relax and know that everything will work out by the end.”

After one such movie, Armstrong said he wondered aloud why there wasn’t a romantic comedy about a wrestler. Though his wife, Kim, joked, “There’s probably a reason for that,” Armstrong was not deterred and began planning his book, “Holiday Headlock.”

He said he used his memories of the wrestling world he shared with his grandmother as the inspiration for Aaron McClellan — “a star wrestler who returns home for the Christmas holidays.”

Armstrong sets the story in Deer Creek Falls, a “made-up town” he based on Warren. There are references to many landmarks in the Warren area.

“Though I changed the names of towns and landmarks, anyone from around here reading the book will be able to pick out the local places I refer to in ‘Holiday Headlock,'” he explained.

Armstrong said authoring the book made him think about his grandmother and that he had “fun retelling her life story.” He wrote about holiday traditions he had grown up with and said, “I enjoyed revisiting the memories — which led to more memories, so it was very nice.”

Armstrong said “it took about a year to write” the book but “felt like it was faster”. He added that despite his experience with wrestling, he never wrestled. He researched the sport and wrestlers to give the book its realistic tone.

Armstrong said after he wrote the book, he hired a professional book editor online. Armstrong credits his wife’s “help and insight in the editing process,” but added, “I did retain veto power” for the content of the book.

“Looking back,” Armstrong commented, “I think we could have edited it ourselves,” but in the end, he felt it was a valuable experience collaborating with an editor.

The book was released earlier this year on July 7, grandfather Hess’ birthday.

“We planned it as a tribute to him,” Armstrong said.

The book is available on Amazon in paperback or for Kindle e-readers. He said Ingram Sparks, a self-publishing book company, distributed the book to local libraries. After mailing a flyer to the Kirtland library, Armstrong said he was invited to speak at their Author’s Fair on Sept 6. He will also be at the Author Fair at the main Warren library on Nov. 8.

Armstrong said he’s “happy to be a vendor at The Christmas In The Woods Festival” in Columbiana on Oct. 11 and 12 and October 18 and 19. He will have the opportunity to present his book at the Buckeye Book Fair in Wooster on Nov. 1.

At all events, he will be available to discuss the book and sign copies for purchasers.

Since the book’s publication, Armstrong said he has “been overwhelmed by the number of friends and family and former students” that have reached out to him.

“I had not been on Facebook until this July when the book was published,” he said, “and it has been heartwarming hearing from so many this past month.”

The response to the book has been “very positive,” Armstrong stated.

It has been said that everyone has a book inside them. Well, Terry Armstrong has, at least, two books inside him, and he’s written them both. His first, “Aerosmith to ZZTop,” released in 2021, is a chronicle of the rock concerts Terry and his daughter, Moira, have attended. His second book, “Holiday Headlock,” is his first fiction book.

Armstrong is not sure if there is a third book in the future, but noted, “People have mentioned characters in ‘Holiday Headlock’ that would make a good story.”

Armstrong said he submitted the book to Hallmark Movie Channel but had not heard anything from them. He said he is looking into turning “Holiday Headlock” into a script but said he will be “learning a