Lynn Swango is all about sports. He has participated, announced it, written articles and it, and Mayhaven published his book about it, No Baseball in Fairview. The author lives with his wife in central Illinois.

What inspired you to write No Baseball in Fairview?

I was writing sports for a local newspaper and decided to take some time off. I had just passed my 70th birthday. The editor asked me why I had never written fiction. I decided to try it, never thinking I would enjoy it so much.

Fairview is a fictional place, but does it reflect someplace real?

I grew up in a small town called Fair Grange. My fictional town was modeled after it.

Have you lived all your life in Illinois?

Yes. I lived 21 years in Fair Grange, spent two years in the army, then taught school at Depue, Peoria, Sullivan, and Monticello.

You like all kinds of sports, but this book is about baseball. Why that choice?

No particular reason. I have written stories since this first one, about football, basketball and golf.

The mother plays an important role in this book. Is she patterned after your mother at all?

Not much, however, like Billy, my father died and I was raised by my mother. Also, like the mother in the book, my mother had Diabetes.

And the characters come right off the farm and small towns of Illinois? Was it difficult to create them?

Most of the characters were taken from people who lived in my small town. The leading character in the book did a lot of things I had done.

A girl plays an important role too. Where did she come from?

The girl was my cousin, however, my cousin wasn't much of a ball player. That part is pure fiction.

Your characters have a few problems. How did you determine what the problems would be?

The brothers in the book were like ones I knew. They fought constantly. Many of those with problems might have been the ones that were purely fictional and I made up the problems.

You taught. What subjects and what grades?

I taught Chemistry, Physics and Physical Science for my first 15 years. Two years at Depue, three years at Bartonville Limestone (a Peoria suburb) and 9 years at Sullivan. When I moved to Monticello, I continued with Physics, but mainly taught Algebra and Geometry.

How did that influence your writing?

The classroom teaching did not influence my writing much, but being a football and golf coach did. That is how I started writing. I wrote sports news for the weekly papers in Sullivan and later in Monticello.

What else have you written over time?

I had a small 40-page book on the history of Sullivan football published by the newspaper in Sullivan in 1966. The newspaper in Monticello published Great Memories in Sage Sports in 1980. I headed a group of four who did the Monticello hardback Sesquicentennial book in 1987. It was published by the Allerton Library. Two of us took all the pictures for the book and developed and printed them in the darkroom.

Are you working on something now?

I am helping an 89-year-old man write his memoirs. I do a lot of the typing, have taken pictures, and advised him. He has had a very interesting life and his writing style is unique. I don't make many changes.

Don't you spend a lot of time speaking to children and adults?

In the past 3 years, I have spoken at 16 grade schools and 5 adult groups. At grade schools I usually speak to several classes in the same day.

What kind of questions do they ask?

My speech is about how I got started writing and why I switched to fiction. For that reason, I tend to answer most possible questions as I am speaking. Children seem fascinated by my being an author.

What advice would you give unpublished writers?

If you really want to publish, have patience. Don't be afraid to offer your services as a speaker. You have to let people know you have written something.

Has publishing a book changed your life?

I published the book at age 71. It has certainly helped my ego. It has been a very interesting experience. I have enjoyed all that I have done. I recently gave 200 of my books to the Monticello Rotary. In the past two weeks they have already sold enough to raise $1200 for their charitable work. I have gotten a great deal of personal satisfaction from this.