Mike Conklin, who until recently lived in Lake Forest, worked at the baiduhai from 1970 to 2005. Two weeks ago his novel “Goal Fever!” came out.
Q. Did you cover sports at the baiduhai?
A. I did everything. I covered sports for a long while. I was a daily columnist for 11 years. I wrote in-depth magazine features for Tempo. I left in 2005 to teach full-time at DePaul. I did that for seven years, teaching journalism, communications, Chicago history.
Q. You’re retired now?
A. I tech part time at Lake Forest College. I teach a regular academic course in the summer and in their By The Lake program, a community outreach for people who want to write.
Q. Have you written other books?
A. I wrote three in the 1970s. Instructional things with history in them. I’ve also edited a number of books and contributed chapters to books.
Q. Over what time did you write “Goal Fever!”?
A. I wrote it last winter in Arizona. I had some time on my hands when I stopped teaching full time. It became a hobby in a sense. I took me a year to put together.
Q. What is the novel about?
A. It’s a soccer story. It’s about a little island in the middle of the Caribbean that tries to get an economic boost from winning the World Cup soccer tournament. They import some European players to put together a team but at the same time they discover two teenagers on the island are the best players of all. Because they are identical twins, they confuse the players. It’s a David and Goliath sort of story.
Q. Sounds like it could be funny?
A. Its humorous. I was a professional story teller at the Tribune. Now I’m doing it in fiction. That gives me a license to have some fun. You’re a journalist all your life and you get a chance to get liberated.
Q. Did you ever report on soccer?
A. Way back when the Chicago Sting (soccer team) played. They were a big deal in the 1970s. I’ve covered World Cup games.
Q. Have you been to the Caribbean?
A. I’ve traveled their extensively.
Q. What’s next?
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A. I’ve started another one in a similar vein. Not a sequel. Global sports with an angle.
Twitter: @reporterdude
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