"Hijo del Barrio" is Richard Chavez's first published novel.Richard was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Much of the story of the main character in his novel, John Fuentes, is drawn from life in a poor Hispanic community similar to Martineztown, a neighborhood in Albuquerque where Richard spent his formative years.Richard Chavez served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Much of this novel is drawn from interaction with his fellow Marines.Richard recently retired from a career in Air Traffic Control. The majority of his career was with the Federal Aviation Administration. Richard was also a professional race car driver.He currently resides in Corrales, New Mexico with his wife Trish. Richard is currently working on his second novel, "Es Tiempo" (The Time Is Now).