Rick Goeld

Biography

Here’s the dull part: I was born in New York City, and grew up in Miami, Florida. I earned an engineering degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and then went into the field of high-tech electronics. I was a nerd, with slide rule, pocket protector, and coke-bottle glasses.

I gradually outgrew my nerdiness. Encouraged by my wife, Kathy, I learned some social skills. Against all odds, I slithered up the corporate ladder and, employing smoke and mirrors whenever possible, I became a vice president at two different companies.

A few years ago, the corporate flunkies got tired of my act and put me on the street. I asked myself: Self, what should I do next? Since my main interests were sex, sports, reading fiction, sex, old-time rock-and-roll, classic movies, and sex, I decided to become a writer. I started out writing short stories, but you’ve got to be “literary” to get short stories published, and, anyway, there’s no money in them, so … I decided to write novels.

My first novel was “Searching for Steely Dan,” in which I parlayed my own near-obsession with Steely Dan and my son’s misadventures in New York into a sensitive, touching, and compelling coming-of-age story. Eddie Zittner, my protagonist, is a 29-year-old Jersey boy with no job, no ambition, and a failing marriage. His near-obsession with The Dan prompts his wife to dump him. Eddie takes to the sidewalks of Manhattan, searching for answers, searching for inspiration, searching for … well, read the book.

My second novel, "Sex, Lies, and Soybeans,” is a sexy techno-romp - whatever that means - with a timely message about the evils of genetically engineered food. This story takes place in a near-future where soy has become the world's primary source of protein, and the Soy Industry has become the world's most powerful food consortium. When a beautiful Texas State Senator blocks soy-industry-sponsored legislation, lobbyists decide to twist a few arms - or worse - to change her mind. This book is loaded with things I’m interested in: sex, political deception, old-time rock-and-roll, sex, beautiful women, off-the-wall characters, sex, references to classic movies, screeching plot twists, and, did I mention kinky sex?

I admit to being married. My wife and I have three grown children who long ago flew the coop. The kids have been replaced by three dogs who behave better than the kids ever did. The five of us live in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Where to buy in print

Books

Searching for Steely Dan
Price: $7.99 USD. Words: 71,240. Language: English. Published: December 29, 2010 . Categories: Fiction » Coming of age
Eddie Zittner's life is going nowhere. He’s obsessed with the rock group Steely Dan. He's an aspiring writer who has stopped writing. He’s bouncing from one dead-end job to another. His marriage is on the rocks. In this coming-of-age story, Zittner roams the streets of Manhattan, looking for answers, looking for inspiration, looking for ... The Dan.
Sex, Lies, and Soybeans
Price: $7.99 USD. Words: 48,760. Language: English. Published: December 1, 2010 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » General
The story takes place in a dystopian near-future where the Soy Industry has become the world's most powerful food consortium. When a beautiful Senator blocks soy-industry-sponsored legislation, lobbyists decide to twist a few arms—or worse—to change her mind. Sex, Lies, and Soybeans is a sexy techno-romp with timely messages about the dangers of genetically engineered foods.