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I’m often asked why I write crime-thriller novels. Sometimes, I think the answer is easy: I love to read them, so I write them, too.
But why crime? You can tap the range of human emotions and experiences in virtually any genre, so what about crime novels is so attractive?
Read more on the Huffington Post >>
It’s always daunting to begin writing a new novel. I’m filled with questions: will I find the right voice? Will it come to me the way the others have? Will I run out of ideas? And a million others. A sense of dread pervades me, and I wonder if I’m half the writer I’ve been told I am. If I ponder these questions too long, paralytic inertia can take over.
Is it a crisis in confidence?
I don’t think so, at least not for me. It’s the usual apprehension I feel—a sense of dread—before I begin the creative trek through the minefield of the writing process. For me, it seems the natural prelude to the hard work (and the pleasure) of writing, of creating. Yes, I have a skeletal outline of the novel’s basic trajectory (or part of it) but that can never ensure full-blooded characters and a rich plot with a compelling narrative drive.
Read more on Literary Wealth >>
I won’t repeat the platitudes and we will continue to hear about the horror that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut
As a psychiatrist, I can say it’s very likely this young man was a disturbed and tortured soul whose inner demons exploded on that horrific day. I’m struck by the fact that in each of these mass killings—whether in Aurora, Colorado, Arizona, Virginia Tech, a shopping mall, a high school, an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, or wherever these horrific events have occurred—the shooter was always a young, loner male with deep-rooted mental problems that were inadequately treated.
Invariably, after a few days of media frenzy and semi-soul searching, we go about our lives. Except for those directly affected, the tragedy fades into the background. Of course, the effects ripple outward to the victim’s families, friends, the neighborhood, the town, and eventually, to all of us as a nation.
We must reflect on ourselves as a culture, and we’re obligated to make changes in many ways: first and foremost, we must change our mental health delivery system. Otherwise, these tragedies will occur again and again.
Mark Rubinstein,
Author, Mad Dog House
Readers of “Mad Dog House” ask frequently if people can truly change their way of being and dealing with others.
Can people every change their basic personality styles?
The answer is: yes and no.
Most professionals agree that basic personality style (traits and tendencies) are deeply ingrained by the time we’re adolescents. Yes, there can be some minor modifications after that, but our basic way of interacting with others is pretty much set by the time we’re seventeen or eighteen.
So what about someone seeking psychotherapy because of unhappiness with relationships and how life is going? What about the person who repeats endlessly the same maladaptive patterns of behavior leading to frustration, failure, unhappiness, and even deep depression? Or the person whose relationships are tainted by neediness, or dependency, or the wish to dominate others; or any other joy-sapping traits that make life difficult?
The goal of any psychotherapy is to help a person develop a better understanding of one’s self. It’s called insight. Hopefully, by developing an awareness of personality pitfalls, a person can recognize them, nip them in the bud before they ruin a relationship, and therefore, live a more fulfilling life.
For example, a man comes for counseling because he’s been fired from three different jobs. During sessions (to which he always arrives late), he realizes that even going back to elementary school, he undermined his own success by tardiness and by not completing tasks on time. In high school, he received Cs instead of As because he never submitted his work by the deadlines. In business, he repeated the same pattern. He also learns in the sessions, that as a child, it was his way to get attention from his mother. Without realizing it, he’s been repeating this pattern with every authority figure in his life.
I like to think of it in this simple way: imagine personality style as a ninety degree angle. If a person can move that angle a mere three degrees, then a significant change in how one perceives people and interacts with them is possible. This can lead to positive changes.
Mark Rubinstein
Author, “Mad Dog House”
For anyone who ever celebrated Christmas, one of the great pleasures on Christmas morning was emptying the stocking. Though the racy bicycle or beautiful dollhouse beneath the tree was a cause for celebration, there was nothing quite as enjoyable as dumping the stocking’s contents and reveling in all the trinkets Santa had left. Pouring forth might have been a Duncan yo-yo, or a Smurf, a set of jacks, a pink Spalding ball, an egg of Silly Putty, and other unexpected delights.
That was then; this is now.
Today, we have Cyber-Stockings, and you’re never too old to download gifts on Christmas morning. This year, Amazon will sell to Santa, its e-books, which can be delivered as gifts for a Kindle owner to enjoy. So, your cyber-stocking can be filled with good books to read throughout the year.
I wonder if Santa will put a virtual candy cane in the cyber-stocking, too.
Mark Rubinstein,
Author, “Mad Dog House”
I was dropping off a poster to promote a December 10th appearance at R.J. Julia bookstore. I’d never been to Madison, Connecticut, and was looking forward to exploring the town and seeing the store.
Madison is a charming, shoreline town on Long Island Sound. It’s main street, Boston Post Road, is reminiscent of the time main streets of long ago. The store, housed in an early 20th Century building, has an old-fashioned cast iron façade, and a window festooned with books and gifts for the holidays. From the street, the store seems to call for you to enter.
And enter, I did.
Once inside, I felt transported back to the 19th Century, circa Charles Dickens. The two-story store has many curved nooks, and floor to ceiling mahogany shelves holding thousands of books. The predominantly youthful staff exuded interest, enthusiasm, and an obvious joy in working there.
The enticing aromas of freshly brewed coffee and fragrant pastries drew me to the rear of the store, where a charming tea room was located. The entire experience was simply magical. I wish every bookstore was this way.
I feel privileged to have been invited to talk there on Monday, December 10th at 7:00 PM and to have “Mad Dog House” on sale in such a lovely setting.
Mark Rubinstein
Author, Mad Dog House
How things have changed. Writing on a computer or some other technological tool is de rigeur these days.
In the old days (like 15 years ago) I wrote on a typewriter, or legal pad. If I needed to communicate with someone, I wrote a letter or made a phone call.
But now, the computer is the center of this writer’s life. E-mail communication with the editor, copy editor, art department, publicity people and others is crucial. If there’s an e-mail glitch, most communication stops. Or I must revert to the telephone, which is a jangling intruder in other people’s lives. How effortless is the e-mail, while the telephone call is cumbersome.
Sometimes, the computer freezes, or some insane gremlin seems to have invaded the machine. Files get locked, a manuscript is inaccessible, words and sentences get distorted, and I have to suspend writing until my computer guru straightens things out. Now, I’m at the mercy of technology beyond my comprehension.
In the old days, I simply would have changed a ribbon.
Mark Rubinstein,
Author, Mad Dog House
“Mad Dog House” has many favorable reviews, even though it’s been out for only one month. I find that very gratifying. Many reviewers have commented that it should become a film, while others ask for a sequel. I never wrote the story with either a sequel or series in mind; rather, it was written as a stand-alone novel.
But while it has its own power, the novel, leaves plenty of room for a sequel. My concern is that I’ve read many suspense/thriller novels that were followed by poorly written sequels. They were obviously rushed so the novelist could ride the seductive wave of demand. The second book suffers as a result.
I’ve decided to write a sequel to “Mad Dog House.”
But I’ll do it only when there’s been enough time for the creative juices to flow. I find that reading reviews and listening to readers’ comments help cement the undercurrents in the novel. They also provide insights about the characters I never willfully thought about. The novel and its characters need time to marinate in my mind. It will all evolve into a new and perilous situation from which Roddy and Danny must extricate themselves, if they can.
The last thing I want is for “sequel fever” to take hold, resulting in a formulaic novel. I want Roddy Dolan and Danny Burns to ride a perilous, fear-filled rollercoaster just as they did in “Mad Dog House.” That will satisfy readers far more than a rushed sequel.
After all, a good story takes time to tell.
Mark Rubinstein,
Author, “Mad Dog House”