FIRST PERSON
The Power of Words
Retired Wayne cop Steve Rusiniak becomes popular writer
There’s no writing in my background. I credit my former profession
for giving me opportunities to speak
publicly about issues that dealt with
juvenile and family matters. I learned
to craft relevant speeches that were
both entertaining and informative.
I realized the power of words, and
used a “make them laugh and cry
while still delivering the message”
kind of format that has served me
well to this day. I wrote about this
in “But you were just a cop.”
Writing, for me, is about committing my thoughts to paper. It’s about
sharing what I’ve written, and it’s
about moving the reader. It’s not about
the money. I have a file of finished
stories, and ideas and notes for new
stories that I might submit somewhere someday. This is my therapy.
I write about family, relationships,
young kids, teenage kids, lessons I
learned from my mom, gratitude,
volunteering, God moments, my
detective years…
I’m retired 10 years now. I’ve been
married to Karen for 34 years. Our
kids are Michael and Tracy. My best
buddy is Bailey, our 10-year-old rescued puppy. We live in Wayne, and
we live at the shore in West Ocean
City, Md. My ex-cop brother got me
involved working for an international
security protection organization.
Once I worked as police presence
on the set of a reality TV show.
For 40 years, I volunteered for Boy
Scouts. I’m an Eagle Scout. I became
assistant Scout master at age 18.
16
I was committee chair, Scout master,
and worked with Eagle Scouts
earning district advancement.
Welcome to my library! This is my
home office, and all those framed
book covers and stories on the walls
are mine. My favorite books to read
are historical fiction. My favorite
author is James Michener. What I
write and what I read are different
things.
“The Power of a Son’s Kiss” was
the first thing I ever got published. It
appeared in The Parent Paper under
the fictitious name Stephen Wayne.
Long ago my friend Wayne and I
wrote a book together about the
WAYNE MAGAZINE BACK TO SCHOOL 2016
Jersey shore. The rough draft still
sits in an old briefcase in my closet.
Years later Wayne wrote “The
Coming Storm,” and I tweaked it.
That was our first paid piece, and
that’s how ‘Stephen Wayne’ was
born. I was already writing on my
own, and for a while I submitted my
work as Mr. Wayne. I wasn’t ready to
expose pieces of my personal life under
my own name, and I