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Michael H. Rubin

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.mrubinbooks.com/

Twitter

MichaelHRubin

Genre

Thriller, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Member Since

April 2014

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Michael H. Rubin has conquered many worlds. Professional jazz musician in the New Orleans French Quarter, radio and television announcer, nationally known speaker and humorist, and, with his wife, authoring award-winning thrillers, The Cottoncrest Curse, Cashed Out, and A White Hot Plan.

Awards
At the American Library Association's annual meeting in 2015 in San Francisco it was announced that The Cottoncrest Curse had won the IndieFab Book of the Year Gold Award as the top thriller and suspense novel published by a university or independent press in 2015.

What others are saying about The Cottoncrest Curse:

“Rubin’s gripping debut mystery depicts the bitter racial divides of post-Reconstruction South and its continuing legacy.”
Publishers Weekl ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

From an LSU Law librarian :) - how did your legal training inform your fiction writing?

Michael H. Rubin Legal training helps one analyze complex matters and organize them in a coherent manner. That's invaluable for any novelist. But, lawyers who are nove…moreLegal training helps one analyze complex matters and organize them in a coherent manner. That's invaluable for any novelist. But, lawyers who are novelists must "unlearn" what is called "good legal writing," which usually means writing using lots of legal terms and jargon.

Lawyer/novelists must write clearly, succinctly, and in ways that draw the reader in. "The Cottoncrest Curse" is a legal thriller, and my legal training was invaluable in understanding and setting forth some of the legal issues that drive the story, which this month's Chicago CBA Record's review describes as a "page-turning thriller."

It is very gratifying to write a legal thriller that others enjoy, and I'm pleased that Publishers Weekly calls "The Cottoncrest Curse" a "gripping debut mystery.(less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Michael H. Rubin The best advice I’ve ever received is the one all fledging writers get but find hard to put into practice – show, don’t tell. A novel isn’t a textbook…moreThe best advice I’ve ever received is the one all fledging writers get but find hard to put into practice – show, don’t tell. A novel isn’t a textbook. A novel isn’t a history lesson. A novel isn’t a rushed outline. A novel shouldn’t be dry and pedantic. A novel should be so compelling that readers feel as if they are completely “in” the story, not outside of it.
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Combine Editions
Michael H. Rubin’s books

Average rating: 3.86 · 191 ratings · 48 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Cottoncrest Curse: A Novel 3.77 avg rating — 106 ratings — published 2014 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cashed Out 3.85 avg rating — 62 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A White Hot Plan by Michael H. Rubin (Goodreads Author), Ayan Rubin 4.30 avg rating — 23 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	[ THE COTTONCREST CURSE ] by Rubin, Michael H ( AUTHOR ) Sep-10-2014 [ Hardcover ] by Michael H. Rubin (Goodreads Author), Unknown Author 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

15 posts
Michael H. Rubin's Blog: "The Cottoncrest Curse" on Los Angeles TV Show

The history behind the mystery

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11 at the Baton Rouge Main Library on Goodwood Boulevard I'll be giving a fast-paced, multimedia presentation on the history behind the mystery of "The Cottoncrest Curse," the winner of the IndieFab Gold Award as the best thriller and suspense novel published by a university or independent press in 2015.

400 years of history in 20 minutes!

A book signing will follow the Read more of this blog post »

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Published on August 09, 2015 12:45 • Tags: historical-thriller, mystery, suspense

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Michael’s Recent Updates

Michael Rubin wants to read The Winds from Further West: A Novel by Alexander McCall Smith (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 16, 2025 07:11PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Winds from Further West by Alexander McCall Smith. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Winds from Further West by Alexander McCall Smith <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

Michael Rubin wants to read

The Winds from Further West by Alexander McCall Smith

The Winds from Further West: A Novel
by Alexander McCall Smith (Goodreads Author)

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Michael’s Quotes

“He and I had an office so tiny, that an inch smaller and it would have been adultery.”
― Dorothy Parker

tags: algonquin-round-table, humor, new-yorker, robert-benchley

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Michael’s Groups

Anything Legal, Legal Thrillers, Legal Mysteries and More — 989 members — last activity Jan 28, 2025 08:12PM
This group is a place for authors and readers of anything legal, (thrillers, mysteries and more) to exchange ideas and reviews.

The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group — 32244 members — last activity 1 hour, 12 min ago
“It was a dark and stormy night. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky. Rain spattered a mysterious, hooded stranger who peered over the ...more

American Historical Fiction — 1585 members — last activity Feb 25, 2026 08:06AM
American history is fascinating and complex, yet it seems the majority of historical novels are based on European history. The purpose of this group i ...more

Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers — 26261 members — last activity 3 minutes ago
Welcome! Join us for our monthly group reads. We read Crime stories, Mysteries, & Thrillers. ...more

Southern Gothic discussions — 244 members — last activity Dec 13, 2019 05:22AM
for readers who enjoy the unusual works of authors such as Flannery O'Connor, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Tennessee Williams - discuss your favorite ...more

Obsessed with True Crime — 6034 members — last activity 2 hours, 59 min ago
For people that simply love true crime stories and want to connect with others that share a common interest.

WRITERS' CORNER — 271 members — last activity Oct 23, 2025 03:54AM
"Writing starts as a glimmer through the canopy, which then illuminates a whole forest of adventure." - T.B. Welcome to Writers' Corner! Come and ...more

Southern Lit Lovers — 431 members — last activity Jun 04, 2016 05:45AM
**Southern Lit Lovers is no longer an active group and not accepting new members. Requests to join will be declined. (6/1/16)*** Please also note SLLs ...more

Lit Lawvers — 672 members — last activity Apr 14, 2025 11:06PM
The Goodreads group for lawyers, law students, legal administrators, legal secretaries, paralegals and others in the legal profession.

History: Actual, Fictional and Legendary — 1209 members — last activity Feb 07, 2026 09:18AM
This group is for anyone whose interest in History goes beyond textbooks. While I enjoy reading books that cover actual events and actual people, I al ...more

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