Click Here To Purchase The Rasner Effect

Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest Mark Rosendorf author of The Rasner Effect.

 Mark was raised in Queens New York, and he holds a Master’s Degree from Long Island University’s Human Development and Leadership program. He is a licensed guidance counsellor for the special education district of the New York City Department of Education.

Good day Mark and thanks for participating in our interview.

Mark:

Thanks for having me, Norm. I’m looking forward to it.

Norm:

How did you get started in writing?

Mark:

When I was just 8 years old, my mother received some good news: a computer textbook she wrote had just been accepted for publication. 
I barely remember it, but folks tell me that the first thing I said to her was, ‘Someday, I’m going to publish a book.' Since then, throughout my schooling, I took many writing courses and found it to be something I excelled in. It even helped me in other classes (I once wrote a 5 page essay on World War II that received an “A” because the teacher loved the dramatic way it was presented despite not having one single fact). Now, in my adulthood, I’ve achieved my eight year old dream becoming a published author.

Norm:

How did your book come about? 

Mark:

The Rasner Effect is a composite of my own experiences and observations in working with troubled teens. I have taken the various personalities of the emotionally impaired with sociopathic tendencies, enhanced them, fictionalized the characters and fit them into my own wild imaginings to create the world of The Rasner Effect.

Norm:

As a follow up, could you tell our readers a little about The Rasner Effect and where did the title come from?

Mark:

Regarding the title, I originally called the book “Permanent Solutions” but everyone I pitched it to thought I was talking about a hair product. I went with The Rasner Effect because the book is not just about Rick Rasner, but also his effect on the other characters. Even the scenes Rick is not in, the story is still about his influence on the other characters and how his presence has affected them.

The Rasner Effect revolves around Rick Rasner, who had his entire life as he knew it wiped out when the Duke Organization, a group of ruthless killers, set off a violent explosion. Many years later, as he still struggles to remember any shred of his former existence, he puts a new life together – as a therapist in the Brookhill Children’s Psychiatric Residence, a facility for troubled urban teens.

Brookhill’s policies, set by head director Katherine Miller, brutal and oppressive. She bullies staff and the teens alike. Rick’s meek personality leaves him incapable of handling her attacks. He develops a bond with fifteen-year-old patient Clara Blue – something about her conflicted, volatile personality strikes a chord deep inside his psyche. Rick wanted to help her and the other patients, yet met with non-stop opposition from both Miller and the staff.

The Duke Organization resurfaces, searching for Rick Rasner. When they find him at the Brookhill facility a bloody hostage situation ensued. The lives of both Rick and Clara are about to change – but for the better or worse?

Norm:

Do you write from your own experiences?

Mark:

Yes I do. When I’m not writing, I work as a Guidance Counselor for a special needs school. Many of my students have emotional disabilities and anti-social tendencies. Working with them for years, I’ve come to understand the personalities and the thought-process. Many of the characters in The Rasner Effect are based on personality traits I have worked with. And much of the book is shown from the anti-social perspective.

Norm:

Was your book improvisational or did you have a set plan?

Mark:

I did have an outline set when I put the book together, but as the story progressed, I found the characters practically taking over and dictating how certain scenes went. Many parts of the original plan went out the window as the writing continued.

Norm:

Who or what has influenced your writing? As a follow up, how has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

Mark:

I’ve always enjoyed action/adventure dealing with government cover-up. I particularly like stories taking everyday people and putting them in extraordinary situations. The Rasner Effect is a composite of this, while incorporating my own experiences as a guidance counselor. There are therapy sessions within the pages of this novel, but also focuses on Rick Rasner’s dealings with the politics of an overbearing boss, something I have also had experience in dealing with in the past.

My goal with The Rasner Effect was to write a novel where everyone can find a character, a scene, a circumstance they could relate to. Based on reviews and reader comments, I believe I’ve succeeded in my goal. The Rasner Effect is a book that is for anyone who fits into one or more of the following four categories: 

1) If you’ve ever worked with teenagers individually or in a group.

2) If you’ve ever watched the news and thought to yourself, “I don’t think they’re telling us everything.”

3) If you’ve ever imagined waking up one day and discovering you were someone else…particularly someone who doesn’t follow the “rules.”

4) If you’ve ever worked for a boss you wished would DIE a horrible but deserving death.

If you fit into any of these categories, then The Rasner Effect is for you.

Norm:

Can you tell us how you found representation for your book? Did you pitch it to an agent, or query publishers who would most likely publish this type of book? Any rejections? Did you self-publish?

Mark:

When I started with this, I thought it would be a piece of cake. I thought – this is a great story, people are going to want to read it, publishers are going to want to see it, people are going to eat it up. In truth, I had no idea what I was getting myself in to. I shipped his story to publishers across the country and waited. After six months, I accumulated more than 100 rejection letters, most of which expressed the companies’ reluctance to work with a talented, but green, writer. I continued to endure and send out submissions to publishers and agents. I did not want to go the self-publishing route.

Finally, the senior editor from L&L Dreamspell took the time to tell me what I needed to do to improve my work so it could be published. She told me my story was well worth the effort. After following their advice and resubmitting the work for publication, L&L Dreamspell was one of three to send me an acceptance. I’m a very loyal guy; they did right by me, so I went with them for publication of The Rasner Effect. Sales, along with the positive reviews so far, have affirmed their belief in my work.

Norm:

Are you working on any books/projects that you would like to share with us? (We would love to hear all about them!)

Mark: 

I have completed the sequel to The Rasner Effect, titled: Without Hesitation: The Rasner Effect 2. My publisher has scheduled it to come out around January, 2010 and I am now working on the third book of the series. I also have a short story coming out in L&L Dreamspell’s anthology: Cat in the Dreamspell. My entry is titled: Cat in the cockpit and it reads very different than The Rasner Effect. It’s more of a campy story with a Twilight Zone-like theme.

Norm:

Where can our readers find out more about you and The Rasner Effect?

Mark:

My website: www.markrosendorf.com has information about the book, reviews, character bios, updates and much more. It’s everything you’d want to know going into The Rasner Effect.

Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavours

Mark:

Thanks, Norm.

Click Here To Purchase The Rasner Effect