By Lisa Carolin
Chelsea resident Rob Mahan has segued from a career as a mechanical engineer and technical writer to becoming a novelist during his retirement.
Mahan followed the timeless advice to write about what he knew, and that included his family and his Irish heritage. He was born and raised in northeast Ohio and moved to Michigan to attend General Motors Institute in Flint. He and his wife Linda have been married for 45 years and have lived in Georgia and California and then Chelsea since 2013. Mahan says they are Midwesterners at heart and, “enjoy the pace and the strong sense of community here.”
Nevertheless, the inspiration for his first novel, An Irish Miracle, came when the couple was living in Redwood City, California.
“The story evolved from a mix of curiosity about ancestry, personal reflection, and a desire to explore how people make meaning in their lives – especially in rural and working class communities like the one I grew up in,” said Mahan. “Writing gave me a chance to work through ideas that had been rattling around in my head for a long time.”
Mahan says it takes discipline to regularly sit down and write and that his concentration is best in the morning before all the distractions of the day compete for his time.
“I am an introvert, so I enjoy the solitary process of writing,” Mahan said. “I start with a concept for the story arc and a general outline of chapters, but I like to leave room for discovery along the way. Writing is both difficult and satisfying for me. It’s a creative puzzle that taps into different parts of my brain than engineering did, and when the pieces come together, there’s nothing quite like it.”
So far, he has published two novels, which are part of The Irish Roots Series:
An Irish Miracle follows Dillon and his hardworking Ohio farming family as their multi-generational existence faces an existential crisis.
Dillon’s Tale: Back to Irish Roots, the sequel, follows Dillon’s return to Ireland, drawn by a connection to the land and his search for a deeper understanding of himself and his family’s history.
“They’re character-driven stories with a mix of humor, tragedy, triumph, and introspection, with a dash of Irish enchantment sprinkled in,” said Mahan. “Strong bonds with animal companions play a large role in the lives of many of my characters.”
Exploring his Irish heritage in the first two novels was not his original intention. In fact, Mahan says his favorite genre has always been hard science fiction, which emphasizes scientific accuracy and realism, and his favorite authors include Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Larry Niven, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov for what he describes as their storytelling and their approach to science, history, and human behavior.
Now, thanks to encouraging feedback from readers and his penchant for science fiction, Mahan is developing a hard science fiction novel titled Terra Rings: A Matter of Degrees, about a time in the not-so-distant future when energy challenges on earth have pushed humanity to take bold steps in engineering solutions.
You can buy Mahan’s self-published novels on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats, and read sample chapters and his short stories on his writing website.
“I’ve been grateful for the support and interest from family, friends, neighbors, and readers, especially here in Chelsea,” said Mahan. “Writing these books has been a rewarding way to reflect on where I’ve come from and where imagination might lead next. I hope people enjoy reading my stories as much as I’ve enjoyed creating them.”
