SWFL author uses second chance at life to reach youth through books

“I was born in Jamaica…the hunger that we faced on a lot of days and stuff like that so a lot of that stuff pushed me to put that into writing,” said Cornell Bunting.

He writes books based on overcoming his hardships to empower the children reading them.

“I feel the most important group is the youths,” he said. “Helping them understand the value they have to give to society and understanding how important knowledge is…I’ve written over 37 books already.”

Four of his books were written in jail because in 2013, Bunting was accused of a crime he maintains innocence for.

“I was really angry because I didn’t understand how you get arrested for not committing a crime,” he said. “I was being treated like I was guilty of this crime that I was accused of…I was facing 32 years to life in prison…how do I get the justice I deserve?”

He spent 10 months behind bars until a witness admitted they were paid to lie about Bunting. Then, as an innocent and free man, he turned his writing passion into a purpose.

“To talk to kids on my experience,” he said.

Now, he’s reaching children around the world through his travels as a motivational speaker and through his published works as an author.

“They’re really who’s coming next and if they don’t have that motivation and knowledge to apply that into the future society, we’re in trouble,” he said.

Always focused on what’s next and how he can empower the future instead of dwelling on the past.

“That gave me this push to want to do it, to want to beat that odds,” Bunting said. “Everything I said I wanted to accomplish, I accomplished it.”

Bunting’s most popular children’s book is “Lion With No Roar – Finding His Calling.” For adults, he just released a memoir called “Escaping A Life Sentence.”

If you’d like to learn more about Bunting and his work, you can visit his website here.