Cashed Out
by Michael H. Rubin
Release Date: August 15th 2017
Genre: Thriller
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with MICHAEL H.
RUBIN
author of CASHED OUT
How would you describe your style
of writing to someone that has never read your work?
The novels that are published under
the name “Michael H. Rubin” are actually jointly written by my wife, Ayan, and
me. We write thrillers.
Our first novel THE COTTONCREST
CURSE, is a historical thriller that follows the lives of several families in
and around the Cottoncrest Plantation in a tale that runs from the Civil War
era to the Civil Rights era and on into the present. Our just-released legal
thriller, CASHED OUT, is told in the first person in a voice that will remind
readers of film-noir characters.
Although each novel is different,
and each can be read independently of the other, they are linked in that key
characters in CASHED OUT are descendants of characters in THE COTTONCREST
CURSE.
As we write our novels, we have one
ultimate goal, whether we’re writing in the third person, as in THE COTTONCREST
CURSE, or in a contemporary first-person voice, as in CASHED OUT. When they get
to the end of a chapter, we want our readers to say to themselves, “OK,
I’ll read just a few more pages to see what happens next.” Many of our fans
tells us that they get so involved in our novels they stay up all night reading
until they finish them.
How do you create the characters in
your novels?
My wife and I work out the key plot
points and characters on our daily early power morning walks at 4:30 a.m. We’re
full of ideas and we constantly talk about not only the characters and plot
points of both the manuscript we’re currently working on but also ideas for
future novels. As we talk about each character, we create a background story
for them - - who their parents were, how they were brought up, what their goals
and desires are. Although we don’t necessarily put all the information into the
novel, it is our knowledge of their entire background that enables us to draw
fully developed characters.
We also try to find a “voice” for
each character. Dialogue, for us, is never a mere transcription of speech.
Rather, we view dialogue as compelling discussion that reveals character.
What are some of your
writing/publishing goals for this year?
We have completed the manuscripts
for our third and fourth thrillers. Our next novel, ENFLAMED, revolves around a
small-town deputy sheriff deep in South Louisiana who must race against the
clock in an attempt piece together clues arising from seemingly disparate
events in time to thwart a major terrorist attack. After ENFLAMED, we have
SANCTION, a cat-and-mouse thriller between a female detective and a disbarred
lawyer played out in the seedy side of New Orleans.
Our goal, and that our of New York
agent, is to wrap up negotiations with publishers about these two books.
Do you feel that writing is an
ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
My wife and I are fortunate. We’ve
both had varied professional careers in addition to writing. I’m currently a
full-time trial and appellate attorney and help manage a law firm with offices
from the West Coast to the Gulf Coast to the East Coast. I’ve been a
professional jazz pianist and have played in the New Orleans French Quarter.
I’ve also been a radio and television announcer and a law professor. My wife
was in television production for many years, including writing grants and then
scripts for children’s programs as well as documentaries. Between the two of
us, we’ve had ample experiences that provide a solid foundation for our novels,
although the characters and situations in each are entirely fictional. We find
the process of writing novels to be both fun and invigorating.
BLURB
One
failed marriage. Two jobs lost. Three maxed out credit cards. “Schex”
Schexnaydre was a failure as a lawyer. Until three weeks ago, he had no clients
and no cash -- no clients except for infamous toxic waste entrepreneur G.G.
Guidry, who’s just been murdered, and no cash, except for the
$4,452,737 Guidry had stashed with him for safekeeping.
When
Schex’s estranged ex-wife, Taylor, is accused of Guidry’s murder, she pleads
with Schex to defend her. He refuses, but the more he says no to Taylor, the deeper
Schex gets dragged into the fall-out from Guidry’s nefarious schemes, ending up
as the target of all those vying to claim Guidry’s millions for themselves.
Author Info
A
nationally-known speaker and humorist as well as a full-time attorney, Michael
H. Rubin has had a varied career. He has also been a professional jazz pianist
in the New Orleans French Quarter, a radio and television announcer, and an
adjunct law professor. His debut novel, “The Cottoncrest Curse,” received the
Book-of-the-Year Gold Award at the annual meeting of the American Library
Association in 2015 and was named the top thriller/suspense novel published by
a university or independent press. Rubin is the winner of the Burton Award,
given at the Library of Congress, for outstanding writing, and is a member of
the Author’s Guild, the International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of
America, and the International Association of Crime Writers.
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