Wordsmith – Robert Kerbeck

Location: Malibu via Philadelphia

Education: B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania, though I learned to write at the summer writing workshops at the University of Iowa. Thank you Kelly Dwyer, Susan Taylor-Chehak, Sands Halls, Julia Fierro, and Charles Holdefer!

The Writer

How long have you been writing?
Do you have a specific writing style? I tend to focus on people that are deeply flawed. That’s the nice way to put it. Really, I like to write about assholes. I try to understand how they became the way they are and see where they went off track. Then I give them another shot at doing things differently. Sometimes they even take it.

Do you see writing as a career?
Why not?

What is your ultimate goal as a writer?
I recently finished my first novel, The Ballad Of Mr. Jack, the tale of a renegade, rock-and-roll, world-renowned antique Islamic carpet expert and his train wreck of a life. I’d love to see it published.

The Work

Tell us about your work in Crack the Spine.
“Ass Breaker: A Cautionary Tale” is the story of Captain Dave, a prejudiced alcoholic, trying to win back his ex-wife. Set on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, Dave puts down the Hawaiians he works with, but when one of them is injured while cliff diving, Dave puts his life on the line to save the boy.

Is there a main theme or message in this piece?
When is it too late to change? When does one become, if ever, irredeemable?

What inspired this work?
I was on Lanai and met a local Hawaiian who’d jumped off a cliff and broken his ass. It was too damn good to pass up, so I made up a story around that little nugget.

Tell us about another project you have published or are currently working on.
In my recently completed novel, The Ballad Of Mr. Jack, Jack Rooney looks like an aging rock star. He acts like one too, spewing profanity and screwing women at every stop on his world tours. But “Mr. Jack,” as he calls himself, doesn’t tour with a band; he’s really an antique carpet expert—the Indiana Jones of rugs—on the hunt for ultra-rare textiles. After authenticating a fake carpet for a major LA museum—and thus destroying the career of his former lover, the mother of his child—Jack finds himself broke, alone, and disgraced. “Borrowing” his brother’s credit card, Jack books a first class crossing to England on the Queen Mary 2 to rock it out one last time before jumping overboard. On the ship he meets the Blairs and forms an unlikely bond with their eight-year-old son. For his last (maybe only) good deed, Jack decides to help the couple’s foundering marriage and save the boy from a childhood like his own. When the Blairs discover Jack’s plan to commit suicide, they intervene and invite Jack on their vacation. He takes the family on a high-speed adventure through the streets of Paris. A transformative experience, the journey forces Jack to take a hard look at his past. Can he find the courage to open his heart to the woman and child he abandoned years earlier? More importantly, will they let him?

Where can we find this work?
An excerpt is posted on my website.

The Methods

How often do you write?
I try to write every day for at least two hours.

Where do you write?
I call it Big Daddy’s Surf Shack. Others call it a wood shed.

What are your thoughts on writing at a computer vs. writing longhand?
I used to write longhand but never finished anything, since I couldn’t read my writing. For me, writing on a computer is key. Shit, I wrote an entire novel using the notes program on my Ipad. Scout’s honor.

What is your usual starting point for a piece?
I start with a dramatic idea or situation, and focus on plot and dialogue to advance the story. Once I’ve finished the first draft I go back and add description. Later, I play with language to enhance meaning.

How do you react to editorial rejections of your work?
It just makes me think the next response will be a yes. Occasionally, this turns out to be true.

How do you react when one of your submissions is accepted for publication?
I say thank god there are insightful geniuses in the literary world.

What is your best piece of advice on how to stay sane as a writer?
Join a writing critique group, and be receptive to criticism. It is the best (and cheapest) way to improve as a writer.

The Madness

What is your favorite book?
Let me mention two short stories that recently knocked me on my ass. The first was Ryan Harty’s, “Why The Sky Turns Red When The Sun Goes Down.” I was so devastated my wife forbid me to read it again. The second was Ron Rash’s “Hard Times.” I dare you to read it without your jaw dropping open.

What makes you laugh?
Making my wife or son laugh.

What makes you cry?
Making my wife or son cry.

What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?
The sun rising on 4-6 foot surf in Hawaii and no one out.

Beer or Wine?
Tequila por favor.

The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
George Harrison

Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams?
The Glass Menagerie is as good as it gets.

Additional Reading on Robert

www.meetup.com/Malibu-Writers-Circle-Writing-Group