Meet John P. McAfee, Author of Ropes of the Sun
Born in Clovis, New Mexico in 1947, John grew up with his brother on large ranches in West Texas: Ft. Davis, Alpine, and Van Horn. He led a Huck Finn life and was probably the only kid who had an antelope named Governor for a pet. It slept with him every night until it got too large and aggressive and sent to Yellowstone National Park for breeding stock. His father was a ranch foreman and spent much of his life working ranches for absentee owners. His mother was a professional politician in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he spent many summers fishing the Pecos River and attending the Santa Fe Opera. He was educated through high school and junior college at New Mexico Military Institute, and was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Infantry. He served with the 8th Special Forces Group in South America (Ft. Gulick, CZ) and 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam. He has a BA in English from University of Texas-El Paso and an MA in Education Administration from Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina. He is married to the whimsical artist, Elizabeth McAfee, and they have a son, John Lewis McAfee, who along with his wife, Amy, work in the U.S.Citizenship and Immigration Services for Homeland Security. After a long career in teaching, coaching, and administration, He is now a full-time writer. (Goodreads)
BBB: What inspired you to become an author?
JPM: I didn't decide to be a writer, it was decided long before I arrived. There are some of us who have to express what they are feeling, their interpretation of the stories unfolding in front of them, seekers of the threads in the chaos that lead us to some kind of limited understanding, and failures at everything else (at least in our eyes).
BBB: What inspired you to become an author?
JPM: I didn't decide to be a writer, it was decided long before I arrived. There are some of us who have to express what they are feeling, their interpretation of the stories unfolding in front of them, seekers of the threads in the chaos that lead us to some kind of limited understanding, and failures at everything else (at least in our eyes).
BBB: How did you come up for the idea for Ropes of the Sun?
JPM: Ropes of The Sun has been percolating for over ten years in my brain. I knew the characters long before I knew the story. As I matured, I gradually begin to see their worlds and the pushback from an American reality that had left my characters far behind in the backwaters of our country.
BBB: Tell us about your character, Sam Rifle.
JPM: While Sam Rifle is an important character as is Louie Crave and Heber McNinch, it is Sheriff David Ortiz y Pino, a loner and rancher, whom I chose as the major character because his problems are what so many of us are facing in our later years.
JPM: Ropes of The Sun has been percolating for over ten years in my brain. I knew the characters long before I knew the story. As I matured, I gradually begin to see their worlds and the pushback from an American reality that had left my characters far behind in the backwaters of our country.
BBB: Tell us about your character, Sam Rifle.
JPM: While Sam Rifle is an important character as is Louie Crave and Heber McNinch, it is Sheriff David Ortiz y Pino, a loner and rancher, whom I chose as the major character because his problems are what so many of us are facing in our later years.
BBB: Do you ever get writer's block?
JPM: Writer’s Block is the author searching for the voice to drive the novel. Sometimes, it is found within weeks of the idea for a novel (Slow Walk in A Sad Rain) or it takes years (Ropes of The Sun). Once the voice is found, the rest flows.
BBB: What are you currently working on?
JPM: I am currently working on a book about a Gullah Root Doctor named Alama St. James who is arrested for violating the National Security of the United States and her retribution on those who brought the charges. It is loosely based on a true story from the Korean Conflict. I am updating it to the Vietnam era.
BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
JPM: You can find out more about my books and an occasional blog on my website www.johnpmcafee.com.
JPM: Writer’s Block is the author searching for the voice to drive the novel. Sometimes, it is found within weeks of the idea for a novel (Slow Walk in A Sad Rain) or it takes years (Ropes of The Sun). Once the voice is found, the rest flows.
BBB: What are you currently working on?
JPM: I am currently working on a book about a Gullah Root Doctor named Alama St. James who is arrested for violating the National Security of the United States and her retribution on those who brought the charges. It is loosely based on a true story from the Korean Conflict. I am updating it to the Vietnam era.
BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
JPM: You can find out more about my books and an occasional blog on my website www.johnpmcafee.com.
