Mark Rubinstein's Blog, page 24
September 9, 2014
The Golden Hour: A Talk with Todd Moss
Todd Moss was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under Condeleeza Rice. He oversaw diplomatic relations with 16 West African countries. After penning four non-fiction books, he has turned to fiction, and The Golden Hour is his first novel. This international thriller is set in the world of diplomacy, espionage and special operations, both military and 
diplomatic.
In The Golden Hour, Judd Ryker, newly appointed as Director of the State Department Crisis Reaction Unit, is in charge of helping t...
September 5, 2014
Seeking your opinion
Author Mark Rubinstein wants to hear your thoughts on his blog. Please comment if you have something to contribute.
September 3, 2014
Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good: A Talk with Jan Karon
Nine years ago, Jan Karon, the author of the hugely popular Mitford series of novels, announced that Light from Heaven (2005) would be the last Mitford book. Now, she’s back with a new Mitford novel featuring Father Timothy Kav[image error]anagh and his wife Cynthia, along with the rest of their family, neighbors and friends set in this fictional North Carolina town. The series has sold many millions of books and there’s no doubt that untold numbers of Jan Karon fans are ecstatic about the publication of...
August 26, 2014
“Visions” A Talk with Kelley Armstrong
Kelley Armstrong has published twenty-one fantasy novels, thirteen of which have been part of her Women of the Otherworld series. Her novels blend suspense and the supernatural. Last year, she began The Cainsville series with its first novel, Omens. The second in this series is Visions,featuring Olivia Taylor-Jones, the daughter of all[image error]eged notorious serial killers.
Olivia has moved to Cainsville, where strange things begin to occur. She finds a dead woman in her car. The body is dressed to loo...
August 18, 2014
“Haunted” A Talk with Randy Wayne White
Randy Wayne White is a New York Times best-selling novelist of crime fiction and non-fiction; and the writer of a television documentary. He’s perhaps best known for his 21 “Doc Ford” novels, and his most recent “Hannah Smith” series. In Haunted, the third novel in the series, Hannah (who inherited her late uncle’s private
investigation business, and also charters fishing expeditions) is hired to help stop a condo development. While working on this case, Hannah is confronted with dangers lurk...
August 12, 2014
“The 6th Extinction” A Talk with James Rollins
James Rollins is more than a thriller author. He’s a veterinarian, a man of science, and writes best-selling novels evocative of Michael Crichton and Isaac Asimov, but with a uniquely imaginative flavor of their own. His novels combine elements of history, scientific fact and speculation with military suspense and threats of global destruction. His books transcend all genres.
He’s well known for his Sigma Force novels. The 6th Extinction is the tenth in this imagi
native series and finds Comman...
August 5, 2014
“The Forsaken” A Talk with Ace Atkins
Ace Atkins has written 15 books over the past 15 years. A former college football star for Auburn University, he became a crime reporter for the Tampa Tribune, earning a Pulitzer Prize nomination [image error]for covering a cold case from the 1950s. He published his first novel, Crossroad Blues, at age 27, becoming a full-time novelist at age 30.
The Forsaken is the fourth Quinn Colson novel, a series which has won critical acclaim. Two books in the series have been nominated for Edgar Awards. The series f...
July 30, 2014
The Perfect Stranger: A Talk with Wendy Corsi Staub
Her new novel, The Perfect Stranger, concerns Landry Wells who is involved with a group of women bloggers, all of whom have something in common—breast cancer. One blogger is dead, the victim of a random crime—or was it? At the funeral, Landry is about to meet her online friends, with whom she’s shared things even her husband and children don’t know. These women know everything about her—and one might be a cold-blooded killer.
What drew you to writing?
I’m from a big Italian-Sicilian family. We sat around the table and told stories. My dad was a natural storyteller and my mom was a rabid reader. I think I had a book in my hand when I was a year old. I guess I had it in my DNA and my early environment.
What were you doing before you began writing fiction?
I was trying to figure out if I could write fiction and make a living. I never wanted to do anything else. In third grade, I wanted to become an author. I never had a different plan. I went to college, majored in English, but all I wanted to do was to move to New York City and become an author. I did a lot of other things, but they were all directed toward becoming a writer. And, that’s what I did.
What made you decide to turn to so many genres—Young Adult, Women’s Fiction and Suspense/Thrillers?
When I was in college, I worked in an independent bookstore. I knew I wanted to become a commercial writer. I was very aware early on what was selling and what wasn’t. If I wanted to pay my bills by writing, I would have to figure it out. I adapted very early in my career. I’m naturally a very prolific writer. I write quickly—that’s just my style. I would get bored between projects and wondered what else can I do that will help me break out of the pack. So, I tried my hand at different genres under different names—one, Wendy Markham, is still being used in women’s fiction.
Do you have a favorite among these genres?
The psychological suspense novels are my favorites. I’m passionate about them. They’re what I love to read and write.
Having written 80 novels, you must be very disciplined. What’s your writing process?
I find I can only write in my home office on my desktop computer. I can’t just pick up a laptop and go to Starbucks and focus. I find if I live and breathe what I’m writing, if I just immerse myself, I work best. Yesterday was a 16 hour day because I’m narrowing in on the ending of a book. When I’m home, I write intensely seven days a week. Now, I write two or three books a year. Some years ago, I wrote more; they were Young Adult and shorter than the adult thriller novels. It takes a lot of coffee to keep me going.
Ever work on two novels at one time?
Only in production. For instance, I had to stop writing one to edit another, or look at a copyedit. But, I never write two at the same time. I’m totally immersed in what I’m writing. I live and breathe the characters in the setting of a novel I’m writing.
The Perfect Stranger is written in the present tense. What made you decide to write it in that way?
All my adult thrillers are written in the present tense. When I first started writing as a Yong Adult Suspense author, the present tense was the way to go. It was a comfortable voice. When my editor asked me to write an adult novel, I wrote it in the past tense because that’s what I thought you were supposed to do. It didn’t work. It felt very flat. I rewrote it in the present tense and it felt completely right to me, and I’ve never gone back. The present tense feels so immediate. If you’re writing suspense, it brings the reader right into the story. You know, suspense is all about something that’s about to happen. In the present tense, the reader is in the moment.
Since The Perfect Stranger captures so much about the day-to-day lives of women, what kind of feedback do you get from readers?
They can relate to the story and the characters very easily. It’s always fascinating when danger strikes, when you least expect it, in the most ordinary places. It’s terrifying if danger jumps out at you in ordinary circumstances, and most readers live ordinary lives, as I do. They relate to the stories—to putting your kids to bed; to cooking; shopping and those sorts of things. They identify with those activities. I identify with them also and I write what I know.
What do men say?
Surprisingly, I do have quite a few male readers. It’s not romantic suspense. I’m a woman writing suspense. Occasionally, I’ll be labeled a romantic suspense author, which can put off male readers. But, it’s really psychological suspense. I have a large cast of characters and many of them are men—and they’re not always the killers.
When you have time for reading, what do you enjoy?
When I’m writing fiction, I read only non-fiction. I read biographies, historical works and true-crime books. I’m presently reading a book by Kevin Cook about the Kitty Genovese murder in New York. I enjoy reading about murders that haven’t been solved. I read about the Zodiac Killer and things like that. I love watching Cold Case on television. I read only non-fiction when I’m writing a novel because I feel reading fiction could muddy my voice. My process is one of total immersion. I want the only fiction voice in my head to be my own.
With so many published books to your credit, have any been adapted to television or film?
I have some irons in the fire, but I’ve learned that with Hollywood, you never hold your breath. Some things have been optioned, but I’m just going to go on writing.
If you could invite any 6 people to dinner, writers or not, living or dead, who would they be?
Lately, I’ve been immersed in doing genealogy research. I want to find out more about where I came from. I’ve been on line and uncovering fascinating stories about my family’s past. Tantalizing bits of stories have been lost. I would love to pluck a few people from that family tree and sit them down at the table so they could tell me more about who we are and where we came from. It’s so difficult to solve those mysteries. And some would very likely make great stories.
What’s next for you?
In February, The Black Widow is coming out. It follows The Perfect Stranger. After that, I’ll be working on something called Blood Red, which is the working title for a novel about a serial killer who stalks redheads.
Tell us about your book touring.
Some years ago, I embarked on a 50 state book tour with the goal of doing signings in all 50 states. I only have three left.
Congratulations on penning your 80th novel, one that holds the reader in suspense until the very end.
July 28, 2014
“The Perfect Stranger” A Talk with Wendy Corsi Staub
With the release of her twenty-first thriller, The Perfect Stranger, N Y Times bestselling suspense novelist Wendy Corsi Staub will have published more than eighty novels in various genres. Wendy has twice been nominated for the Simon and Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award; and is the recipient of the Romance Writers of America Rita Award; t
he RT Book Reviews Award for Career Achievement in Suspense; the RWA/NYC Golden Apple for Lifetime Achievement; and many other honors. Wendy’s titles are r...
July 22, 2014
Wars of the Roses: A Talk with Conn Iggulden
Conn Iggulden is internationally known for his historical fiction. He’s written the Emperor series about the life of Julius Caesar, and the Conqueror series, based on the lives of Mongol warlords. He’s also written a series of children’s books called The Dangerous Book for Boys.
Now, he’s begun the Wars of the Roses series with the first of three books, Stormbird. This series focuses on the betrayals and machinations behind the story of the two royal families who plunged England into one of t...
