Short story author Marina Rubin is chatting with me today about her new collection, Knockout Beauty and Other Afflictions.
Bio:
Marina Rubin was born in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, and immigrated to the United States in 1989. She is an associate editor of Mudfish, Tribeca’s literary and art magazine, and a 2013 recipient of COJECO Blueprint Fellowship. Her work has appeared in over eighty magazines and anthologies. She is the author of the critically acclaimed flash fiction collection Stealing Cherries (Manic D Press) and the short story collection Knockout Beauty and Other Afflictions (Crowsnest Books) which has received an Honorable Mention for the 2020 Miami Book Fair Emerging Writer Fellowship. In addition to writing, Marina Rubin is an avid mountaineer, having summited Kilimanjaro, made it to Everest Base Camp, completed Tour du Mont Blanc and Camino de Santiago.
What do you enjoy most about writing short stories?
I prefer to write short stories as opposed to poems or novels because this is the form that serves my purpose best, it gives me a sense of completion, almost like a mathematical equation that needs to be solved within a certain time frame. What I write is reader-friendly and delivers an intriguing plot, a cast of unforgettable, quirky characters and a thought-provoking, sometimes chilling ending. The key to my writing is accessibility. I am not sure how that would work in poetry. And as for novels, I don’t have the emotional organization and command of the craft to write something that grand, just yet.
Can you give us a little insight into a few of your short stories – perhaps some of your favorites?
There are 17 stories in the book, one as short as 2 pages, “Good People Make Bad Couples,” which is a front-row seat to a modern break-up, and one as long as 33 pages, “Man in a Fedora,” that examines a long friendship and begs the question: how well do we really know our loved ones? There are a few travel stories that take you to Rio de Janeiro, LA, Bangkok, and Rotorua. My favorite story is “Valentino” about a shopaholic who is having an affair with a married poet, one day she buys a vintage “Valentino” at a second-hand store…but who does the dress really belong to? You would have to read the story it to find out.
What genre are you inspired to write in the most? Why?
When I was young, I wrote 3 books of poetry, then when I matured, I wrote a book of flash fiction. Now Knockout Beauty and Other Afflictions is a collection of short stories. As I grow in years, I seem to grow in length, but the genre is always the same – Women’s fiction (love, sex, work, travel, family.)
What exciting story are you working on next?
I am writing a story about online dating, the Sons of Anarchy style, although I feel it’s cliché. Everything has already been written and even made into a Netflix mini-series. It’s hard to say something new and earth-shattering in 2023.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
What a great question! There is a story here! I started writing when I was fifteen and for me it was always a hobby. I went to the university and received a profession and worked in corporate America, as I continued writing and publishing in my spare time. When my fourth book came out, I was doing an author interview on the Russian Television Network. I was on my parents’ favorite entertainment show, but I did not tell them I was going to be on, I wanted it to be a surprise. Of course, when they saw me on television, they were over the moon! Afterwards, my mother, whose approval I had been striving for all my life, said: you are a writer. That’s all I ever needed. I believed her. I was a writer.
How do you research markets for your work, perhaps as some advice for writers?
That’s a million-dollar question. I look at the books that were published in the same genre and I approach the same outlets and hope that my writing will pique their interest, whether it’s literary magazines or media outlets, review sites, etc. I am also a part of the writing community and I seek advice/innovative ideas from other writers and celebrate their successes and encourage their writing.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I revise about a million times. The interesting quirk is that I need to see my work on paper to revise. I print my story and then go over it with a pen, sitting in a completely different space than my regular desk, like the train, bus stop, a bench in the park, even my living room. I think the ultimate reason for that is that you need to get some distance from your writing, distance in space and in time, put away your page, let it simmer and then read it in a day, or so, and on paper, to see it clearly and objectively. I feel terrible about the trees, though.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a military wife, seriously! You see, I grew up in a small town in Ukraine, in the former Soviet Union. At the time, all the amazing clothes, school supplies, even exotic fruit, never reached us during “the abundance of Communism.” But the kids I grew up with were children of military and always had the latest Adidas sneakers, the coolest gadgets, bubblegum, even bananas and kiwi, unlike the regular Soviet Union folks. In my head, I decided I needed to marry an army general to live a good life. Then we left for New York and from that point on, I had all the bananas and kiwi I could eat, and there was no need to get married at all.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
The book Knockout Beauty and Other Afflictions is available on Amazon and other bookstores, but I would suggest the readers buy directly from the publisher. It’ so important to support independent publishers and small presses, it’s the same thing as buying from your local grocery or farmer’s market, you are supporting a small business and your purchase is putting someone’s kid through college.
Links:
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