Vengeance Equation »

Born August 5, 1933 in Duluth, MN; married Betty Lou Pavlik, 1955; children: Robert Jr., David K., Steven J.

Education: University of Iowa, B.S.C., 1956, M.A. (counseling/education), 1968, M.A. (writing), 1986; U.S. Air Force Command and Staff College, 1966, and Industrial College of the Armed Forces, graduated 1973 (with honors)

Avocational Interests: Flying, reading, international travel (especially swimming); became first person to officially swim across Lake Superior 1953), sports

Career: U.S. Air Force, career officer, 1956-77, serving as a pilot in Vietnam and France; University of Iowa, Iowa City, director of safety and security for hospitals, 1977-85; writer and teacher, 1985--. University of Iowa, assistant professor, 1964-66, associate professor, 1966-68, professor of aerospace studies, 1975-77, Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Citizens Center, writing teacher, 1994--. Commercial pilot

Member: Authors Guild. Authors League of America. Air Force Association (life member). Iowa Authors Collection. Minnesota Authors Collection. Iowa Lettermen's Club (past president). Iowa Varsity Club (member of executive board). Rotary International. Daedalians. Presidents Club of University of Iowa (life member)

Awards, Honors: International Literary Award. Manuscripts International, 1988 for the story "Death Defied". Lifetime Achievement Award, University of Iowa/National Varsity Club; to be entered into the new Hall of Fame, Who's Who in Entertainment, Who's Who in America, International Authors and Writers Who's Who

Writings: Apollyon (novel), University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA), 1985 The Chase (novel), University of Iowa, 1988 The Black Samaritan (novel), Commonwealth Publications (Edmonton, Alberta), 1997. Second edition, Baker & Taylor/Replica Books, 2000. The Vengeance Equation (novel), Press-tige Publications (Catskill, NY), 2000 The Vengeance Equation (novel) Baker & Taylor/Replica Books Library [Hardcover] Edition, 2001. Contributor of articles and stories to periodicals, including Iowan Transit and Education Journal

Work in Progress: To Catch The Wind

Sidelights: Robert Stein told CA: "The primary motivation for my writing comes from the inside, but for the most part is an unknown. Kurt Vonnegut (who visits here to read at Iowa's eminent Writers' Workshop) once told me, 'If you can work at something else, do that! If you must write, then you must.' I am compelled, feel I must write, have to get the action, thought sequences, metaphors, and similes onto the page.

"What a privilege to have had four mentors or motivators who are noted authors! They are David Morrell, "father' of Rambo, Hank Searls, who wrote Jaws 2, W. Cotler Murray, who wrote Michael Joe: A Story of Irish Life, and James Alan McPherson, who won a Pulitzer Prize for Elbow Room. Each has had enormous, personal effect on my writing. Without their tutoring and patience and affection, being published would not have become a reality. Also very important are the writing programs at the University of Iowa: expository writing and the Writers Workshop. To this day, their influences remain profound.

"I try to create interesting, believable characters that share Midwest civility. I mean to put those characters at the center of misery and injustice, to have them struggle for the greater good, to make our world a better place."

Robert Savy, a Parisian Jew—hidden as a Catholic child during the Holocaust by a French husband and wife—inherits two million dollars in diamonds. When his clever investments build further fortune, he leads a worldwide hunt as the multinational billionaire, seeking retribution for his murdered family. . ..
Inspired by the 44-year, worldwide manhunt for Paul Touvier—the most wanted war criminal in French history—this story is fast-paced and riveting. It focuses on the timeless dilemma: Revenge, or Justice? Martha Ivery, Editor-in-Chief

Coauthor of Every Man A Tiger, with Tom Clancy - Chuck Horner

A spell-binding book that weaves the excitement of a mystery story with the rich history of the Second World War.