SDSU grad publishes novel

Shayla Waugh

Shayla Waugh

Former SDSU student and Collegian staff member, Steve Ruthenbeck, had his novel “Dogs of War” published. He wanted his first interview on the novel to be with the Collegian.Shayla: What was the small town in Minnesota that you grew up in?Steve: The name of the town is Okabena. Bonnie and Clyde robbed its bank once. Right now, I’m attempting to be the first person to ride a bike 1,000 miles on the streets of Okabena. It has about four of them (streets). One is even four blocks long!Shayla: What were your life and childhood like there? Would you say they had a large influence on the person you are today?Steve: I grew up on a farm with one sibling who was six years older, so I remember being alone a lot. I think that caused me to develop an imagination to keep myself entertained.Shayla: What was the junior college that you attended before SDSU?Steve: Minnesota West Community and Technical College, Worthington campus; AKA “High School Part II: I Can’t Believe I Still Have A Locker.”Shayla: Why did you choose SDSU? What years did you attend SDSU?Steve: I had friends attending SDSU, and liked the campus, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I walked the grounds of SDSU from 1994-1997. I helped wear a lot of paths through the grass, as most sidewalks seemed to take a meandering route between buildings.Shayla: How would you describe your years at State?Steve: My time at SDSU was fun and horrible. I loved the town, college and being around so many people. At the same time, I never found my niche and spent a lot of time treading water instead of diving in … or at least performing a belly flop.Shayla: Would you say you are glad you went for a journalism degree or? If you had the chance, would you change it?Steve: I wasn’t really into journalism at the time. In retrospect, it worked out for the best. I think a journalism background helped me develop a more to-the-point writing style. Sometimes what a writer leaves out is just as important as what they put in.Shayla: I understand you used to write a column for the Collegian. What was the name of your column? What topics did you usually write about? How long did you write for the Collegian? What was the rest of the Collegian staff like when you were here?Steve: The name of my column was The Trashcan Oracle. I wrote it in 1996 and part of 1997 (the Collegian wouldn’t hire me in 1995). I wrote about life and stuff, generally from a humorous point of view. I remember columns about “Things I Hate” and “Calling Girls.” Once in awhile I tried something serious (a column about making fun of others). Another time I tried something weird (a rhyming story about a cowboy who has a showdown with death; I imagine the editor did a lot of head scratching over that one). My worst idea was a column satirizing fraternities (I got a little backlash on that topic … yikes!). The staff was a pretty eclectic bunch at that time. We had some laughs.Shayla: If you could say anything to the students you went to SDSU with, what would it be?Steve: Hi, how’s it going?Shayla: Why did you want to publish a novel? Where did your passion for writing come from?Steve: I always had the desire to get a novel published. Then various facets of life just kind of dried up and blew away and left me with nothing else to do other than write. I don’t even know if what I have is passion. To be honest, I got pretty tired of all that typing, but I just kept going. Maybe I have more endurance than passion.Shayla: Have you had any other works published?Steve: I had a couple of short stories published. I don’t really care to admit to them now. They seem too amateurish to me.Shayla: Could you tell me about the process you went through in writing “Dogs of War”? Did you have any failed attempts before you succeeded with the novel?Steve: I had the initial idea for “Dogs of War” in 1997. I returned to Berg Hall one night (room 309), sat down to watch a little TV and caught part of a bad werewolf movie. As a result, the image of a werewolf shooting a machinegun popped into my head and refused to go away. I eventually thought of a story to go with it. Finally, I tried to write “Dogs of War” in 1999 and failed. That was nothing unusual. I started about 10 to 15 novels before I finished one in 2000. After that, I wrote four more books that got rejected. As a result, I got very burned out on writing. Some other life events left me even more discouraged. Instead of quitting, I went back and restarted “Dogs of War” – not sure how I finished.Shayla: How long did it take you to complete?Steve: “Dogs of War” took about a year to complete because I did a lot of research on World War II. Ironically, I then cut a lot of that information. The first draft of “Dogs of War” went into greater technical detail. For example, the first chapter contains airplanes, and I initially described the size of their engines, horsepower and the like. Then I gave the first chapter to a person to read. They said it was interesting; they’d finish it later. That confused me. I didn’t understand how they could start the first chapter and not finish it; the writing seemed pretty exciting to me. Then I went back in, looked at it and thought: “how can I speed this up?” So I started cutting stuff, and the cuts made it better. I eventually did the same to the whole book, streamlining it and making it as tight as possible. Shayla: How did you get it published? Who is your publisher? Was it rejected by any publishers?Steve: I finished the book, got out my copy of Writer’s Market and started querying as many publishers as I could find that handled the genre. Harbor House bit on it. They are an up-and-coming small-press publisher. The other publishers replied with a standard rejection letter, but that’s how it works. Publishers have a lot of manuscripts to choose from. Even Harbor House gets about 200 submissions a month.Shayla: What type of reader do you think would be interested in “Dogs of War”?Steve: People who like action/horror/history and a bit of depth for flavor.Shayla: Can you give me a brief idea of what the novel is about? Any central theme? How does it begin?Steve: The novel is a metaphorical journey into the base realities of human nature. It also has Nazi werewolves driving a Panzer tank! The story begins with a paratroop mission gone wrong. The first chapter is on my website at www.steveruthenbeck.com.Shayla: Where did your characters evolve from?Steve: Basically, I tried to use the characters to illustrate various facets of human nature. I was trying to do something a bit different with the story. I wanted to strike emotional chords rather than just hit plot points. At the same time, I didn’t want to skimp on the action. My goal was to combine a pulp novel with something a bit more literary. Shayla: Do you have any heroes or inspirations that you draw from?Steve: Anyone who doesn’t quit despite adversity and keeps trying to do the right thing even when it costs them is a hero. As for inspiration, I’ll go with the Bible.Shayla: If a random person walked up to you and said they wanted to write a novel, what would you say to them? Would you give them advice?Steve: I’d tell them that overnight success takes 10 years of hard work. I’d also tell them that if they expect a Stephen King or J.K. Rowling type payday, they have a better chance of winning the lottery, being struck by lighting and being attacked by a shark all within the same hour. Finally, I’d tell them to avoid self-publishing like the plague. Professionals hold self-publishers in disdain, and the chances of getting screwed are immense.Shayla: What would you say to your critics?Steve: I have written what I have written.Shayla: When will the novel be available for purchase? Where will readers be able to buy it?Steve: The novel is officially released Oct. 1. I’m not sure where it will be sold physically. People can order it online from pretty much everywhere, though: Amazon.com, BarnesandNobles.com, Walmart.com, Target.com, etc.Shayla: Why should readers buy “Dogs of War”?Steve: It’s one of the top ten best action/horror World War II novels ever written. Granted, I’ve only read like two of them, but still!