Sickle

By:  Marissa Hayes (Whetstone Staf Writer)

Senior Robert Wilgus said he never knew what he wanted to accomplish in life – until he discovered his love for writing.

“I never really had a true direction,” Wilgus said, “but what gave me more interest to write was creative writer adjunct professor, Mrs. Manning.”

Wilgus self-published his first book, Sickle, a murder mystery, last May.

“The whole process of becoming a writer was more of a growing up experience,” he said.  “Everybody wants to be a musician or rock star, but I wanted to be more realistic.  So, I decided to write.”

Wilgus is from Fenwick, Del., and is a business major with a concentration in marketing.

Even with a busy schedule at Wesley, Wilgus said he is ready to create more Sickle horror for his fans.

“I plan on writing two more books stemming from Sickle that will have a time span,” he said.  “They will be called Sickle II and Playground for those who are fans.”

Acting professor, Janet Baker, has high expectations for Sickle.

“I am quite excited that Rob has written a story and it’s being sold in the bookstore,” said Baker.  “I’m looking forward to reading his talented words.”

Wilgus said he loves writing horror.

“For the most part, I want to generally stay a horror writer,” said Wilgus.  “I’m actually working on a new book now called City State of Mind, and I’ve written about 80 pages thus far.  It’s a resemblance of the Silent Hill video games.”

Wilgus has other ideas about a different audience.

“In the future, I want to write a children’s book,” said Wilgus.  “However, right now, I’m just going to stick with what I know.”

Sickle can be purchased at Trafford, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and is also sold as an E-book.

“So far, I know I’ve sold around 250 copies,” Wilgus said.  “I find out the amount monthly from my royalties check.”

Sickle can also be found in Wesley’s bookstore.

“It was a process getting Sickle in the bookstore,” Wilgus said.  “I realized the bookstore was selling faculty books, so I suggested and created a portfolio of the benefits that would occur if my book was sold there.  All I needed was a consignment agreement, and that’s what allowed me to sell it there.”

Wesley’s bookstore assistant manager, Sarah Bullock, expresses her excitement for the book.

“We are highly interested to read Sickle,” said Bullock.  “It’s great that someone has published a book before they’ve earned their degree.  We had three in stock, but one student has already bought one.”

Freshman Leah Mattress was the first to buy Sickle from the bookstore.

“I’m really into action and mystery books,” said Mattress.  “The chapters that I read so far really catch my interest because, as I read on, I can put together what Jack Wilson, the main character of the book, is going to do.  I would describe what I mean but it would better if everyone just read the book.”