When he was in the eighth grade, Clifford Bowyer got his first writing assignment. Told to write a short story, he did - and it was 300 pages long.

"I had read 'Love and War', a 1,000+ page novel (about the Civil War)," Bowyer said. "I thought 300 pages was a short story. My definition was off, but the intent was there."

Fast forward 16 years and the intent is still more than there. The Norwood resident's first novel, 'The Impending Storm,' the first entry in his fantasy series, 'The Imperium Saga,' was published last month.

Though Bowyer said he always has been an avid reader, the path to full-time writing was not always his chosen one. Bowyer holds a bachelors degree in Management and Marketing from Bryant College, where he graduated in 1996, and this past December he received a MBA degree from Babson.

One day, while sitting in a class during his first semester of graduate school, he had what he thought was a great idea.

"I didn't want to mess it up," Bowyer said. "So I thought I'd write a fantasy where you can create your own little world. I started doing these elaborate character profiles, and it turned into this grand odyssey."

For the next six years, Bowyer juggled his full-time job and his full-time passion, devoting several hours each day to meticulously outlining, drafting and finalizing his work.

"I'm very analytical," he said. "Part of writing is trying to decide what is going to happen, and then bringing it to out."

What this has brought to paper is the adventures of three unlikely friends seeking to unravel a conspiracy that will impact the lives of the Seven Kingdoms, or the Imperium, according to a review of the novel. The review also describes his writing as deft storytelling that grabs the reader's attention with a vise-like grip.

When it came time to publish, Bowyer didn't seek out big New York publishing houses, but instead turned to his hometown of Holliston.

"I don't have an agent, and only 2 percent of companies will deal with you without an agent, and you can't get an agent without being published. It's sort of a Catch-22," Bowyer said.

So he thought he's opt for something smaller.

"I was thinking, 'This is a trilogy, what if it goes somewhere, did I want to be locked in?'" he said. "And the answer came in with Silver Leaf Books. It's a family-run business, and I was able to set up a good relationship with them. As they grow, I grow."

After the book was completed and published, it had to be marketed. Bowyer said his background helped motivate him for the long and arduous task of selling his ideas and work.

He credits his mother with helping him go to science fiction / fantasy conventions. He had his second of those recently in Boston, the largest one in the country, for which he was able to book a prime floor location.

Now he is able to concentrate full-time on his writing. Though the first book took six years to write, the second took only six months, he said, and the third is two-thirds complete, started only on New Year's Day.

How the one-time business analyst and dedicated MBA student got to be a full-time writer is a story of fate. Last spring, Bowyer was one of several State Street Bank employees to voluntarily leave the then-fledging company and take advantage of a handsome severance package.

"It's amazing how quickly it can be written when you are actually writing every day," Bowyer said. 

He also has worked on a spin-off of his current series for younger adults. He's test-marketed it with his nieces and nephews. He said that as part of his creative process, he has a group of friends and former colleagues from whom he gets invaluable feedback.

Now he's also developing ideas for other genres, and spend some time each day on those outlines and character profiles. Something he'd like to write next is a science fiction or even a romantic comedy.

"There are possible future things that are beyond my current series," he said. "So far though, I'm enjoying working every day with my fantasy series."