About
ABOUT
About
Ruben Edwards
Ruben Edwards was raised in Roslyn Heights, New York. At an early age he showed an appetite for reading, voraciously consuming books wherever he could get them, especially the local library. As a child his mother read to him and his brother religiously at night, the favorites were Richard Scarry, Shel Silverstein and many more.
In middle school he read through the books assigned in class so quickly that the teachers simply gave him access to the entire English department inventory which he would read through while the rest of the class caught up. In his youth his favorite authors were Michael Crichton, a Roslyn High alum, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. During high school he was introduced to Ayn Rands Atlas Shrugged which he barely understood at that time but she remains a favorite author of his, recently reading through “The Fountainhead” for a third time.
After high school and a brief unsuccessful attempt at college in Boston he moved out west to Los Angeles, working for a few years in the film industry doing various jobs in front of and behind the camera. The many hours on set before the age of smartphones and round the clock information gave him endless hours to read. It was during this time he delved into America classics by Ayn Rand, Upton Sinclair, Sherwood Anderson, Jack Kerouac.
Ultimately deciding he wanted to change the course of his life he joined the United States Navy as an Aircraft Electrician on SH-60 helicopters (the Navy version of the more popular and well-known Blackhawk). He did two cruise deployments across the Pacific, one to Southeast Asia and the second off the horn of Africa. Both times he was on small ships that housed no more than three hundred sailors. Being out on the flight deck all day and seeing the ocean firsthand is one of his most cherished life experiences. During those 6-month deployments he was on a Stephen King tear and read the entire Gunslinger Epic, over five thousand sprawling pages that he still considers one of his favorite literary journeys.
Settling in San Diego after leaving the Navy he met his wife and started writing his first novel after a fateful nightmare brought on by a stressful work environment. There were many pauses and obstacles including a major job change and relocation to the Pacific Northwest near Seattle. On the road 250 days a year at that time writing became difficult. That changed with COVID and starting a family where he picked up his writing again. Another pause and relocation back to California, this time in Los Angeles he ultimately finished in 2023.
He realized how much he enjoyed writing and has already started on his next novel. The list of ideas is too long without enough hours in the day but he hopes to complete at least one novel every year. He has focused on reading “first novels” these days by others like himself and is finding amazing inspiration and stories from all the unique authors he has discovered, Hernan Diaz, Shelby Van Pelt, Will Dean, Olivie Blake and Danielle Valentine. They make him want to push himself harder and continue creating.
Ruben enjoys exercising and running which has become a way to work out plot issues and character development. He finds running helps clear the clutter and allow his writing mind to work. His primary focus is and always has been his family and creating new adventures each weekend for them to spend time together and create experiences.
About The Book
Some journeys lead to a destination—others, to something far more sinister.
Twelve-year-old Andrew has lived a life of quiet privilege, shielded from the world’s darker truths. But when he’s sent to an elite and isolated school hidden deep in the mountains, his new reality is anything but safe. The moment he arrives, something feels off—the cold stares of the other boys, the eerie silence of the vast stone halls, and the ever-watchful gaze of The Father, a man whose presence exudes both power and quiet menace.
What begins as a simple transition to a new school soon turns into a chilling ordeal. Stripped of his past, Andrew finds himself entangled in a world of obedience and secrets. The rules are absolute, the punishments severe, and the echoes of those who came before him still linger in the air.
As he uncovers the truth hidden within the school’s walls, Andrew realizes he’s not just a student—he’s a pawn in something much larger. But how do you escape when the very place meant to shape you is designed to break you instead?
A gripping tale of survival, control, and the resilience of the human spirit, The Children’s Robe will stay with you long after the last page.
