Pen Name:
None
Genres:
♦ Military Fiction
♦ Military Historical Fiction
♦ Action Adventure
♦ Romance
Bio
My name is Richard Chavez and my first novel, Hijo Del Barrio, was recently published. I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Much of the story of the main character in my novel, John Fuentes, is drawn from life in a poor Hispanic community similar to Martineztown, a neighborhood in Albuquerque where I spent my formative years. Much of this novel is drawn from interaction with my fellow Marines. I recently retired from a career in Air Traffic Control. The majority of that was with the Federal Aviation Administration. In my early years I was also a professional race car driver. I currently live in Corrales, New Mexico with my wife Trish. I have three sons and one daughter. I am working on my next novel, es Tiempo (It’s Time).
Books
Title: Hijo Del Barrio: Son of the Barrio
Published: Palmetto Publishing/January 2026
Genre: Military Fiction/Romance
John Fuentes is a 22-year-old Marine fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, haunted by memories of his childhood in the Barrio—poverty, racism, and losing his father. Between firefights, he clings to visions of the family he loves. Back home he had struggled financially through college, driven by determination and love for Sharon, who became his world. Now with each dawn bringing deadlier battles, John’s greatest fear isn’t death but that Sharon, the mother of his child, has chosen a future without him. As John waits for his orders to Vietnam, he feels abandoned by Sharon and their shattered dreams. During weekend liberty he meets Donna on a beach in southern California. She senses his pain and cares for him, knowing their time together is fleeting and his heart is elsewhere. One by one, John loses friends to enemy fire. and he responds with vengeance. John’s only hope is his R&R in Hawaii where he will see his son and hopefully reconcile with Sharon.