A Morning Chat with Psychological Thriller Author Rob Kaufman


As a child, Rob Kaufman was always fascinated by the stories recited by those around him and the words used to tell them. As he got older, his need to tell his own stories grew, as did his ability to share them in exciting and captivating ways.

However, he wanted to share more than just stories. His primary desire was to create characters with whom people could relate, while at the same time bringing them through a journey from which most would crumble.

His degree in Psychology was the first step toward getting beneath the surface of the people in his life. What followed was a lifelong search for what makes people tick – what forces them to become evil when deep down in their heart of hearts, they are yearning for love. Rob’s characters walk this search with him, deep into the human psyche, creating psychological thrillers from every day events.

Rob’s second book “One Last Lie" continues to receive great praise and is selling well in both electronic and paperback formats. His current book, “A Broken Reality” is much darker than his first, with characters who hold bits and pieces of strangers he’s known, friends he’s had and personal tragedy he’s lived through.

“This book hits home for me,” says Rob. “There were a few pages that made me laugh out loud as I wrote them... and many that made me cry. And the great thing is, I’m finding that many readers of this book are experiencing the same emotions.”

Through social and other media, Rob hopes to get “A Broken Reality” into the hands of millions, so that they, too, can experience the ups, downs, twists, turns and final tragedy that has helped make this book a Five-Star contender.
Website Address: www.AuthorRobKaufman.com
Twitter Address: @RobKaufmanCT
                                                   

About the Book:

Title: A BROKEN REALITY
Author: Rob Kaufman
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 320
Genre: Thriller/Suspense/Psychological Thriller

BOOK BLURB:
On a fateful night in the dead of winter, an unimaginable tragedy changes the lives of two families forever. How will they manage to deal with reality while stopping the sociopath who is pushing them toward the edge of sanity?

Ten-year-old, Danny Madsen, has been missing for four days when Jesse Carlton begins his own search for his godson on a frigid, snowy night. Driving along a deserted rural road, Jesse hits a stretch of black ice at the same time Danny appears from the thicket. Unable to control the car, Jesse slams into the boy and watches helplessly as Danny's body flies back into the dark brush.

When Jesse regains consciousness, he has no recollection of how he and his car wound up in a ditch. However, there's a witness: Charles Hastings, the sociopathic kidnapper who chased Danny through the brush and into the path of Jesse's car.

Hastings takes this chance to set up Jesse so he'll take the fall for both Danny's disappearance and death. And so the mind games begin--an onslaught of psychological manipulation that devastates Jesse, his wife, Danny's parents and the cops' investigation. Inexplicably, the torment continues even after the primary suspect is killed and the rollercoaster of emotions and confusion seems never-ending until the final and devastating truth is revealed.

If you like gripping, suspenseful page-turners that keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end, this is a must read!

It’s a pleasure to have you here today, Rob. Can you tell us what your new book is about? 

A Broken Reality is about a kidnapping that goes awry and what happens to a man, his family and his friends when he suffers an event so tragic, his mind refuses to accept reality. Add to that, a lurking sociopath who is intent on making sure that this man accepts and suffers reality, and you’re in for the ride of a lifetime. 

Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?
The two main characters are Jesse Carlton and Charles Hastings. Jesse is the godfather of Danny, a ten-year-old boy who has been missing for four days. He goes in search of Danny and while doing so suffers the tragic event of hitting Danny with his car and dissociative amnesia takes over… he can’t remember a thing. Charles Hastings is the sociopath who kidnapped Danny and witnessed the event. He comes from a terrible childhood and has, his entire life, made other people suffer for it. Now it’s Jesse’s turn.
The supporting characters are: Melissa Carlton, Jesse’s wife, who is by his side every step of the way and forces him to see the psychiatrist who can possibly help him break through his amnesia. Antonio Rivera is the FBI Agent in charge of Danny’s kidnapping and spends so much time working and trying to find the boy that he puts his own family-life in jeopardy. Becky and Don Madsen are Danny’s parents who are trying to stay sane, and keep it together, through the series of events that began with their son’s kidnapping and ends with… well, I don’t want to give away the ending!


Your book is set in Rockland, Massachusetts.  Can you tell us why you chose this city in particular?

Most of my books take place in New England. Not only do I live there (Connecticut), but Boston is one of my favorite cities, as are the surrounding areas. I needed a location where snowstorms are a normal occurrence. I also needed a location that I knew well so that readers could “feel” the surroundings as I spoke about them.


Open the book to page 69.  What is happening?

Becky, whose son, Danny has been kidnapped, is deeply depressed and at her wit’s end. She is sitting on her bed, holding her nephew, Dylan, and rocking back and forth – talking to him as though the boy she is holding is Danny and Dylan is the boy who is missing. She’s in the midst of a breakdown and her husband and brother are about to bring it to an end. 


What has been the most pivotal point of your writing life?

I had started my second book, “One Last Lie” and could not, for some reason, get past Chapter 4. I let eight months go by until one of my Facebook friends (someone I grew up with), said, “Since your first book, I’ve been waiting for your second book. I’m not going to live forever. DO IT ALREADY!” I can’t say why, but it pushed me to do what I had to do and the creativity started to flow. I finished the book in two months and it’s been extremely successful. I owe my friend a lot!


What kind of advice would you give other fiction authors?

No matter how crazy you think your idea might be or how impossible you think it will be to pull everything together for the story to make sense: stick with it. A Broken Reality created a lot of sleepless nights and frustration. I had to precisely figure out timing, scenes, action, etc. so that there wouldn’t be one flaw… so that an editor couldn’t come back to me and say the plot was broken or the timeline didn’t work. In the end, it all came together and again, it was worth it. A Broken Reality is getting great reviews from readers all over the world.