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Where the Bodies Were Buried: Whitey Bulger and the World That Made Him: A Talk With T.J. English

September 21, 2015 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

whitey bolgerT.J. English is a noted journalist, screenwriter, and author of the New York Times bestsellers Havana Nocturne and Paddy Whacked, as well as The Westies, a national bestseller. His true-crime book, Born to Kill, was nominated for an Edgar Award. His screenwriting credits include episodes for the television crime dramas NYPD Blue and Homicide. He has written about the New England Irish mob, and covered the July 2013 trial of Whitey Bulger, Boston’s most notorious native son and iconic Irish American gangster.

Where the Bodies Were Buried details the career of James “Whitey” Bulger, who in his day, was one of the most vicious and feared killers in America. Ironically, while he was the de facto Irish mob boss of New England, Bulger was also a Top Echelon (TE) informant for the FBI. He covertly fed local prosecutors information about rival mob figures, using the agency to eliminate them and reinforce his own power. He was protected by people in the Department of Justice who also told him where to find people he planned to murder.

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Filed Under: About Books, creativity, Huffington Post Column, Interviews, Mark Rubinstein Tagged With: authors, books, Huffington Post, novels, writing

‘Protocol Zero,’ A Conversation With James Abel

August 12, 2015 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

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James Abel is a pseudonym for Bob Reiss, the bestselling author of more than 20 books. He is a former Chicago Tribune reporter and previously was a correspondent for Outside Magazine. His works have been published in many national publications and have been included in the collections of “the best of the Washington Post.” Bob’s new series of science-based thriller novels launched with the publication of White Plague, a novel about a US submarine trapped in the Arctic.

Protocol Zero, the second in this series, concerns U.S. Marine bioterror expert Col. Joe Rush. In the remote town of Barrow, Alaska, Rush is investigating the death of a researcher and his family. Rush suspects foul play, and stumbles upon a deadly virus slated for use in biological warfare. It’s a race against the clock to find out who’s behind this potential plague, as Rush tries to untangle the mystery behind the mounting deaths, while the army quarantines the town. Why are his superiors in Washington threatening to end the investigation; and who is behind the clandestine plans connected to the deadly virus? With his life in danger, and so much at stake, Rush presses to find answers and to stay alive.

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Filed Under: About Books, creativity, Huffington Post Column, Interviews, Mark Rubinstein Tagged With: authors, books, Huffington Post, novels, writing

The Carrier: A Talk With Sophie Hannah

January 15, 2015 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

 

2015-01-13-SophieHannahRoderickField-thumbSophie Hannah, a British poet and novelist, is an internationally bestselling author of psychological crime fiction. Her novels have been published in 27 countries and have featured the detective couple, Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer. In 2013, it was announced that Hannah would pen an Agatha Christie novel featuring Hercule Poirot, the first new novel in 38 years to feature the world famous detective. The decision to write the novel was endorsed by Christie’s estate and publisher.

The Carrier, Hannah’s just released novel, begins when Gaby Struthers’s plane is delayed overnight. She is forced to share a hotel room with a young woman, Lauren Cookson. Lauren tearfully reveals to Gaby she is responsible for an innocent man being sent to prison for murder. Gaby soon suspects Lauren’s presence on her flight isn’t coincidental because the murder victim is Francine Berry, the wife of the only man Gaby ever truly loved. The mystery begins, and Simon Waterhouse knows there is far more to this case than first meets the eye.

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Filed Under: About Books, creativity, Huffington Post Column, Interviews, Mark Rubinstein Tagged With: authors, books, Huffington Post, novels, writing

Need I Really Say Much More than This?

June 23, 2014 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

I think this pretty much sums up plenty of things.

MY-QUOTE

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Filed Under: About Books, Dog Tales, health Tagged With: books, contentment, happiness, pets

Suspicion: A Talk with Joseph Finder

May 28, 2014 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

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Joseph Finder has a background every thriller novelist would love to have. He spent his early childhood living around the world. He majored in Russian studies at Yale, where he was Phi Beta Kappa; completed a master’s degree at the Harvard Russian Research Center, and then taught at Harvard University. He was recruited to the CIA, but decided he preferred writing.

His first book was published when he was only 24, and he’s gone on to write critically acclaimed thrillers such as Extraordinary Powers, The Zero Hour, and High Crimes which went on to Hollywood filmdom. In 2004, his novel Paranoia, which focused on corporate ruthlessness, corruption and conspiracy, became a huge bestseller. His awards include The Barry and Gumshoe, and The International Thriller Writers Award for his novel, Killer Instinct. His latest, just-released novel isSuspicion.

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Filed Under: About Books, creativity, Huffington Post Column, Interviews, Mark Rubinstein Tagged With: authors, books, Huffington Post, novels, writing

A Good Story is Disturbing

February 4, 2014 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

2014-02-03-disturbing2-thumbAs David Mamet told me, “If Hamlet comes home from school, and his dad’s not dead, and asks him how school was, it’s boring.”

As a psychiatrist and novelist, I’m aware that all good stories are disturbing. No matter how beautifully written or “literary,” a novel resonates deeply because the storyline tugs powerfully at us. It upsets, confounds and presents chaos, conflict, imbalance and upheaval — either within its character’s mind or circumstances.

As readers, we crave instability, disturbance, and uncertainty. They make us care about the characters and the outcome. We live vicariously through the anguish, turmoil and trouble the characters endure in a quest to reorder chaos — the disequilibrium — propelling the story.

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Filed Under: About Books, Huffington Post Column Tagged With: books, Books news, Cinderella, Conflict, David Mamet, David Morrell, Disturbance, fear, Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl, Hamlet, Harlan Coben, Ian McEwan, Jane Hamilton, Janet Evonovic, John Irving, John Updike, Lisa Gardner, Philip Roth, Snow White, Stephen King, The Illiad, The Odyssey

Your Brain on Books

January 7, 2014 by Mark Rubinstein

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I was fascinated by an article dated January 4, 2014 in the Science section of The Independent, a British newspaper. The article noted research done at Emory University. It revealed that reading a gripping novel can trigger measurable changes in brain function, lingering for as long as five days. The research found reading a compelling book may cause heightened connectivity and neurological changes in the brain which registered in the left temporal cortex, an area associated with language reception and other important brain functions such as sensory and motor activity.

Professor Gregory Berns, a neuroscientist and author of the study, said, “The neural changes we found associated with physical sensation and movement systems suggest that reading a novel can transport you into the body of the protagonist. We already knew that good stories can put you in someone else’s shoes in a figurative sense. Now we’re seeing that something may also be happening biologically.”

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Filed Under: About Books, Huffington Post Column, thriller Tagged With: Biological, Biology Of Reading, books, Books news, Brain Science, Emory University, emotional wellness, Heart Pounding, Improve Memory, language, Learning, Mental Wellness, Mind.Body.Soul, Muscle-Memory, Neurological Changes, Neuroscientists, Protagonist, Reading, Science Of Reading, Study, thrillers

A Book-World Wish List for 2014

December 24, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

 2013-12-30-abookworldHP-thumbAs 2014 approaches, I think about what I would like to see happen in the world of books. I know they often say, “Be careful what you wish for,” but here are my wishes for the coming year.

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Filed Under: About Books, bookstores, Huffington Post Column, library, novel Tagged With: books, Books news, bookstores, eBooks, fiction, libraries, New Year, Wish List, Wishes

Writer to Writer: A Conversation with Raymond Khoury

November 3, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

Raymond Khoury is the bestselling author of several novels, including The Last Templar, The Templar Salvation and The Sign. Born in Lebanon, Raymond and his family were evacuated from Beirut’s civil war, and fled to New York when he was 14. He worked as an architect and investment banker before becoming a screenwriter and producer for networks such as NBC and BBC. Since the success of The Last Templar, his debut novel, he has focused solely on writing fiction. His works have been translated into over 40 languages. Rasputin’s Shadow is his sixth novel.

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Filed Under: About Books, Huffington Post Column, Interviews, On Writing Tagged With: Author Interview, BBC, books, Books news, Brad Meltzer, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Harlan Coben, Lebanon, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, NBC, Nelson DeMille, novels, oliver-stone, Rasputin, Raymond Chandler, Raymond Khoury, Russia, Screen-Plays, Screenwriting, Stan Lee, Steve Berry, Steven Spielberg, Thriller, Thriller Writing, Writers, writing, Writing Tips

A Book and Its Cover

October 24, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

We’ve all heard the old cliché, You can’t judge a book by its cover. While that’s probably true many potential readers do decide whether to look inside a novel based solely on its cover.

First, it’s important to make a concession. If the writer’s name is Stephen King, John Grisham, Sue Grafton, James Patterson, Janet Evonovich, or one any of a cadre of best-selling novelists, the book’s cover barely matters. Virtually anything written by these authors will be read by millions of people. The usual marketing tools aren’t necessary.

But for the overwhelming majority of novelists, the book’s cover matters enormously.

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Filed Under: About Books, Huffington Post Column, Mark Rubinstein Tagged With: Art, Artists, Bestsellers, Bestselling Authors, Bestselling Books, Book Cover, Book Cover Art, Book Cover Design, Book Covers, Book Marketing, books, Books news, Classic Book Covers, Cool Book Covers, Design, First Impressions, Graphic Art, Illustration, Novelists, novels, Pre-Judging, Tone, Weird Book Covers

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