Steven M. Rubin
Author Interview - Steven M. Rubin
Author of The Unraveling of Michael Galler: A Novel
After observing the effects of varying illnesses of those close to him, Michael Galler gains a heightened cognizance of the physical threats that can grow undetected inside a person. Convinced all such threats come from the same source – Cancer, with a capital C – he dedicates himself to fortifying his body against any comparable assault.
While growing up with his loving widowed father and a younger brother he feels compelled to protect, Michael balances the pressures of high school athletics, academic achievement, and Boston Marathon training. But as college approaches, he develops a promising relationship with a girl who too easily fills the gaps of his motherless upbringing – and his long-held fear of Cancer begins to take over.
It’s dramatic coming-of-age tale with a dark psychological twist that explores the motives of a teenage boy so overwhelmed by an obsessive fear that he loses his grip on reality.
Author Interview - Steven M. Rubin
Author I draw inspiration from:
There are too many to count, and all for different reasons. But when I had set out to write The Unraveling of Michael Galler, I had just finished reading Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris and was inspired by the sharp, layered dialogue between the two main characters. It illuminated for me that dialogue can be used not just to communicate information, but also to represent subtle, yet meaningful, action. In my writing, I strive to have all my characters’ dialogue be equally thoughtful and precise.
Author Interview - Steven M. Rubin | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Anywhere I can have the book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Dagny Taggart, Vice President of Operations for Taggart Transcontinental Railroad from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. I would be leaving her company’s office having just interviewed for a job (but not with her). I would be feeling confident I did well and would have expectations I would have a lot to offer them. I would know who she was when she stepped into the elevator and she would initiate a conversation exhibiting genuine interest in why I was visiting. I would learn more about her by the questions she was asking me than she would learn about me by the answers I provided. By the time I stepped off the elevator, my mindset would have changed to now being motivated by what opportunities they could provide me to learn and grow.
Author Interview - Steven M. Rubin | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
My father read many commercial novels over the years, and they had stacked up around the house. I would inevitably also read a lot of them and one day felt I could also write a book. I thought all I had to do was write one page a day and at the end of a year, I would have a book. But the project stalled while I vetted story ideas. One day, I was at an airport waiting for my flight while dealing with a difficult situation. I thought to myself, “This issue is like a cancer.” My immediate next thought was, “What if it really WAS Cancer?” I pulled out a sheet of paper and started writing. (I can assure you that one page a day turned out to be outrageously unrealistic.)
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I need to hold the book in my hand, so either hardback or paperback only. I need that sense of carrying it around and that people can see what I am reading (and I like to see what others are reading). I need the tactile sensation of turning the page. But a hardback exudes a greater sense of permanency; that I will always own that book.
I’ve never read an ebook and likely never will, but I totally get the concept.
I’ve only ever listened to one audiobook in my life. It was a book on tape I had listened to from my car cassette deck probably thirty years ago. One of my favorite comedians, Gilda Radnor, wrote a sobering memoir called It’s Always Something (a perfect title for this book by her) chronicling her experience with ovarian cancer. She had recorded an abridged version just before she passed and I revered listening to her honesty and vulnerability spoken in her own voice.
The last book I read:
While recently meeting the owner of an independent bookstore to schedule an author event, the conversation led to her sharing with me that her personal story had unwittingly shown up in a book by an author who had come into her store to do some research. The owner seemed unhappy her personal story was taken and used and I suggested she likely didn’t sell the book in her store. But she did and I promptly purchased The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. I expected to not like it because of its unusual title and I had inferred the bookstore owner wasn’t happy with it. But I was surprised not just by how much I enjoyed the author’s voice but also the timeliness of the plot for me: the interweaving of authorship, book sales, book reviews, and a transitioning industry, all from the unique perspective of the curmudgeonly protagonist, A.J. Fikry. I think Fikry’s adopted daughter was reflective of the store owner I met.
I believe how you come upon a book can be almost as interesting as the book itself.
Author Interview - Steven M. Rubin | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I’ve lost the ability to write with pen and paper; I need the facility of instant editing. But I still value the handwritten note. If you receive a handwritten letter or thank you note from me, you can be assured I typed it out first and then copied it onto the paper.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I can’t recall ever reading a book and feeling connected to a character in a way I could acknowledge as a potential, accessible real person. So, I’m going to go off the board here and go with Adam from the Bible, but not with any religious intentions. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t have large friend groups; rather, I have a lot of individual friends that I’ve attached myself to over the years for various reasons unique to each of them. The thought of being with only Adam in what was a new and amazing place and trying to explore it together as friends is intriguing to me. In fact, he probably could have used a friend himself back then.
Author Interview - Steven M. Rubin | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
When I wasn’t an author, I had become a consultant responsible for developing, negotiating, implementing and managing employee benefit strategies for large employers. I enjoy being presented with problems or challenges and trying to solve them. I think that outlook leaks into my writing style as I often will build out a chapter as a problem for a character to solve by the end of it, or at the very least, be changed by it.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I’ve never felt comfortable wearing whatever styles or trends the people around me were chasing, regardless of the era. But the Old West seems like a place I would feel comfortable. Granted, everything I know about Western fashion comes from movies, but it seems the fashions developed in those Western towns were born out of function rather than style. That mindset suits me.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Masada, in Israel. I have always been fascinated by that place and the story associated with it and I want to see and experience the scale of the ramp built by the Romans to breach it.
My signature drink:
My kids used to make fun of me for putting ice in my milk, so I started calling it an Arctic Cow to make it sound more like a thing.
Favorite artist:
Although Ringo Starr of The Beatles was never known to be a technically proficient drummer, he was able to use creativity in his playing to compensate. Having started drumming in my late 50’s, I acknowledge I don’t have time to excel in technical rudiments, but Ringo is proof to me that creativity can trump skill.
Number one on my bucket list:
Finish painting the family room, so I can stay married.
Anything else you'd like to add:
I’m not a runner, (in fact, I hate running), but I have completed three marathons because they are such humbling events of endurance. At the age of 50, I had a heart attack at the halfway point of my third marathon. After recovering, and even though I had completed two already, I decided I didn’t want to be defined as someone who had a heart attack during a marathon, but rather as someone who went back and successfully finished it. With approval from my wife and doctor, I retrained and returned five years later and crossed the finish line. Millions of people run marathons around the world each year, each dealing with their own inner demons, including Michael Galler of my book.
Find more from the author:
Website: stevenmrubin.com
Instagram: @stevenmrubin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Steven-M-Rubin-Author/61583454324561/
About Steven M. Rubin:
Steven M. Rubin
Steven M. Rubin was raised in the small oceanside Boston suburb of Winthrop, MA (1.5 square miles), played football at the University of Pennsylvania, and spent his career consulting with large employers related to their employee benefit programs. He completed three marathons, including the coveted 100th running of the famed Boston Marathon. After raising three children with his wife, Kerrie, he now lives in Weston, Connecticut. This is his first novel.
