1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing? 

I started writing late in life. I don’t golf, play tennis, or bowl. Never cared for fishing. I always felt sorry for the bait. And I don’t hunt. Any interest I may have had with guns, I lost it while serving in the army. So, to keep active, I did my best to learn how to write fiction. What compelled me mostly was to write a novel based on my experience during the U.S. intervention in the Dominican Civil War of 1965. As far as I know, there has never been a novel about this footnote in American history depicting the role of American soldiers; an operation that cost the lives of 44 American servicemen, although it is mentioned in a novel by Elmore Leonard. So to my surprise, my book, The Goats of Santo Domingo, was published in 2013 by Wild Child Publishing of Culver City, California.

2) What inspired you to write your book?

I received my inspiration for Fender Head, from a minor character in The Goats of Santo Domingo. I decided to flesh this character out and make him the main protagonist in Fender Head.

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

The message I tried to convey in Fender Head, is that people often think they’re getting away with their foolish actions. But those actions are cumulative, and they set themselves up for the eventuality that one small thing could cause their undoing.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

I don’t think I started out writing the book with any particular genre in mind. It just developed while I wrote.

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

If I ever get the chance to talk to the protagonist in Fender Head over a beer, I’d ask him if he ever had to do it all over again, what would he have done differently? If his answer wasn’t what I thought it would be, then I’d have to write a sequel.

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

I’m just beginning to use Face Book as a tool to promote my work.

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

If I had to do it all over again, I’d would’ve started writing at an early age. So, my advise to anyone who wants to write would be to start at an early age and watch yourself grow as a writer.

About the Author

Author, Robert McEvilla, is a retired stationary engineer who lives in the backwoods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In his first novel which is based on his  experiences with the 82nd Airborne in the Dominican Republic.  His second novel is a detective mystery.

His short stories have been published in the literary magazine, Down State Story.  Other stories have been published in CWW Publications of Carmel, California; Twin Rivers Press of Ellerton, Florida; and Toxic Evolution Press of Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. The short story, Horseradish, received honorable mention in a Glimmer Train short fiction contest and was published in Story Teller Magazine. Also a short memoir of Robert McEvilla appeared in the October issue of The Good Old 

Days Magazine.

https://authorrobertmcevilla.com/