In this week’s Author Spotlight, we interview Stephen Rubino, author of Act of Faith: America’s Longest Running Criminal Conspiracy Perpetrated Against Children. 

Name: Stephen Rubino

Hometown: Washington, DC

Book Title: Act of Faith

Genre: Historical Fiction

Dorrance Publishing (DP): Describe your book in 10 words or less.

Stephen Rubino (SR): A behind the curtain look at the global abuse scandal.

DP: What made you want to write your book?

SR: The arc of all of the personalities that were involved in the scandal has never been put in one place for a dramatic presentation that are rooted in actual events. They needed to be. Unfortunately the toxicity of the sexual abuse cycle is permanent. Recovery from this is more akin to managing the randomness of the reoccurring memories as opposed to recovery as is generally understood. 

DP: How long did it take you to write your book?

SR: 4.5 years.

DP: What do you do when you have writer’s block? 

SR: I keep writing and visualize the dialog(the actual people  of the next scene. It usually works and gets things going again. I am also a big proponent of relaxing the conscious part of the brain and just before bedtime lay down with a belief that the writing problem will get worked through in the subconscious enough so to get a solution the next day. This has worked for me for over 40 years. May not work for anyone else but that is what I do.

DP: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

SR: Chapter 8 Running Into the Darkness. Elizabeth is impulsive and for the first time she agrees to try and unpack her abuse memories with her first love who she has not seen in thirty years. Her first love happens to be a Catholic priest. Humor, awkwardness, despair, anger, resilience, determination and fear all come together in one chapter.

DP: If you were stuck on an island and had to have one person from each category with you, who would they be and why?

-One friend or family member:

SR: My Uncle Joe who was a master stone carver. Would want to know more of the story of his immigration from Italy and his training as a stone carver. I should have asked more questions when I had him in my life. 

-One fictional character:

SR: Jack Ryan from Tom Clancy novels.

-One famous person (living or dead):

SR: Coretta Scott King. From 2010-2013 I was CEO of the King Estate and managed the world wide rights of MLK’s intellectual property. After the assassination she raised four children that had experienced significant trauma. That is an amazing feat in my opinion. Would love to talk to her about that.

DP: Besides writing, what are your other interests?

SR: We make maple syrup in Vermont and I enjoy woodlot stewardship (400 acres) immensely.

DP: Do you keep a journal?

SR: Yes.

DP: How did you celebrate the publishing of your book?

SR: Did not celebrate, too early in the process.

DP: If your book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?

SR: Jennifer Lawrence as Elizabeth, Colin Firth as Tom Atkinson, Ray Abruzzo as Anthony Courso.

DP: What did you enjoy most about working with Dorrance Publishing?

SR: The marketing. Both the cover and manuscript had been previously developed and professionally edited for content, substance and style prior to submission.

DP: Five favorite books of all time?

SR: No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin

T-Rex and the Crater of Doom Walter Alvarez

The Last Lion by William Manchester

Hunt for Red October Tom Clancy

Titan by Ron Chernow

DP: One sentence of advice for other writers:

SR: If you think you can’t, you won’t; if you think you can you will. I do not own that sentiment. It has appeared in dozens of places and differing formats, but is what I lived by and taught my children.

Thank you, Stephen!

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