When deciding which smidges of myself would go into those not-so-nice characters, I was reminded of the famous psychologist Carl Jung, and his concept of the “shadow”—the parts of us we’re not particularly fond of, and which we keep hidden away in the deep subconscious recesses of our psyche. For those not-so-nice characters, I mined suppressed tendencies—disagreeable and menacing—from my shadow.
Robert Steven Goldstein – 28 March 2025
The Back Flap
Set against the dynamic backdrop of San Francisco, this gripping psychological novel weaves a complex tapestry of deception, envy, desire, politics, and power. It compels readers to confront a haunting question: How well do you really know the people you encounter every day?
About the book
What is the book about?
Craig Schumacher is not your typical executive. With a gentle spirit and a morning ritual that includes serene meditation alongside his cherished rabbit, Golda, Craig values connection over competition. Yet, beneath his calm, polished exterior lies a secret he’s worked hard to keep hidden—one that could change everything.
Enter Byron Dorn—Craig’s employee and chaos incarnate. Crude, impulsive, and driven by envy, Byron is elated when he and his wife stumble upon information that he believes could unravel Craig’s life. But when Byron ropes another couple into his schemes, things become a lot more complicated.
Because Craig isn’t the only one with a secret. And as the stakes rise, everyone will have to decide what they’re willing to sacrifice to get what they want—and when they’re willing to walk away.
When did you start writing the book? How long did it take you to write it?
Golda’s Hutch is my fifth novel. I started writing it in 2022, just after my fourth novel was released. I pretty much release a new novel every three years. Of that, it takes me about two years to finish writing the work (of which about a month is actual writing and twenty-three months is rewriting!)—and then there’s a year or so to get the book out, which involves working with editors, cover designers, proofreaders, layout people, and publicists. Golda’s Hutch followed that pattern quite closely.
Where did you get the idea from?
I start with characters. I try to recall people I’ve known, combine the interesting traits of two or three of them, toss in a sliver of myself and a huge chunk of imagination, and after a bit of cerebral kneading and manipulating, I have a character. That character often suggests to me what sorts of other characters would make for intriguing compatriots. And a week or so later, when what feels like the right number of characters have materialized, they as a group pretty much take over—they make it quite clear where the novel needs to be set—and then the plot starts oozing slowly from their collective fictional pores.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
When I’d churned out an initial very rough seventy-five pages, they didn’t feel quite right to me, but I wasn’t sure exactly why. I then shared those pages with a couple of old friends, one a poet and the other a novelist, and they both came back at me with essentially the same question—why should I care about these characters? And I realized that, in my haste to get right to the book’s action, I hadn’t first spent quite enough time fleshing out the main characters enough so that when thorny issues arise, they would resonate emotionally with a reader. I created some introductory scenes that were interesting in themselves, but served more to establish the characters as people—with particular emphasis on their vulnerabilities.
What came easily?
Once I got past that initial hurdle, the novel was really a joy to write. As I alluded to before, it was almost as if the characters had taken over and were writing the book for me.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
The characters are fictitious, but each one has a bit of me in them, as well as traits from one or more people I’ve known over the years. When I say that there is a bit of myself in every character, that includes males and females, and more importantly, nice characters and not-so-nice characters. When deciding which smidges of myself would go into those not-so-nice characters, I was reminded of the famous psychologist Carl Jung, and his concept of the “shadow”—the parts of us we’re not particularly fond of, and which we keep hidden away in the deep subconscious recesses of our psyche. For those not-so-nice characters, I mined suppressed tendencies—disagreeable and menacing—from my shadow.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Well-known writers who have influenced my work include John Steinbeck, Hermann Hesse, John Irving, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allan Poe.
But two far more obscure authors have been especially influential for me as well: Gerald Kersh, who was most productive in the 1940’s and 1950’s; and Jerzy Kosiński, who was most productive in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Although they produced what for me were very powerful works, both men died at age fifty-seven, so we were never able to see the kind of books they might have written with more years of wisdom and life-experience behind them.
Do you have a target reader?
I write offbeat, edgy literary fiction, with esoteric themes, so I’m profoundly grateful when anyone finds that my work resonates with them. And it’s hard to predict who those people might be. Although I’m by no means a best-selling author, I’ve been pleasantly surprised and gratified, over the years, by the number of readers who’ve felt a strong connection to my stories.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it? Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences? Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I write in Microsoft Word. I don’t outline (I’d find it unbearably boring to do so—though I fully acknowledge that many writers employ detailed outlines and write wonderful stuff that way). I start with characters whom I feel I know well (though they always wind up doing strange things along the way that surprise me). I have only the barest hint of a plot—a starting point, and perhaps a few incidents I’d like to get to as the plot rolls out. I write in short segments—groups of which will eventually comprise a chapter, while remaining as independent entities within that chapter. I edit each segment compulsively before moving on to the next—but while I’m doing that, there is this mysterious subconscious background process going on in my head, planning the next segment, and perhaps some further bits of business down the road. I know that such a background process is always percolating deep inside me, because occasionally something intriguing about a future segment suddenly pops into my head—interrupting my foreground process—and I’ll stop for a moment, jump ahead in the manuscript, and quickly jot down a note about it. I avoid writer’s block by acknowledging, at the start of each new segment, that the initial draft of it is going to be crap—and just write down the ideas as fast as I can—not even worrying about wording or sentence structure. I know full well that I’m going to wind up rewriting and obsessively polishing each segment thirty or forty times before I move on, so why agonize about the drivel that spews out initially?
Did you hire a professional editor?
I always work with a good copyeditor and experienced proofreaders. If I publish with a small press, it’s of course mandatory. But even if you’re going it alone, you need editing and proofreading to churn out something presentable.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I never listen to music when I write. But I’ve practiced yoga for well over fifty years, and always listen to Baroque music, frequently Bach or Telemann, when I practice.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I’ve submitted to agents in the past, but not for this book.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I think the novels I write—their style, themes, and subject matter—lend themselves more to small independent presses
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
The cover was done by a professional cover designer and he did a terrific job.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
The wonderful folks at Books Forward are doing the publicity and marketing for Golda’s Hutch, as they’ve done for the two novels I wrote just prior to this one. They’re wonderful partners, and great at what they do.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Do it. Give it all you’ve got, and go for it. People almost never regret trying to do something that was important to them, regardless of how successful that attempt turns out to be. People’s deepest regrets almost always involve things they were too afraid to try.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Brooklyn, New York.
Where do you live now?
San Francisco, California.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I’ve practiced yoga, meditation, and vegetarianism for over half a century. I’m blessed to be in a wonderful, loving marriage of thirty-seven years. I had a thirty-five-year corporate career, starting as a mail boy in 1974, and culminating as a vice president and executive consultant in 2008. I was active in the Bay Area’s BDSM community for about thirteen years, from my late twenties to my early forties. My wife and I have shared our home with an array of dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles, and parrots, each of whom has displayed a unique personality, startling intelligence, and a profound capacity for love. I’m seventy-three years old. Aspects of all these things are, in some way or another, reflected in Golda’s Hutch.
What are you working on now?
Golda’s Hutch will be released on March 11th, 2025. The day after that, I’ll begin work on another novel.
End of Interview:
For more from Robert Steven Goldstein visit his website.
Get your copy of Golda’s Hutch from Amazon US or Amazon UK.