January 25, 2026
By Adam Messer
Ed Robins is an author and publisher who created The 10 Cent Universe to mash Dime store pulp genres in contemporary science fiction settings.
Please introduce yourself.
Hello, I’m Ed Robins and I have been writing since the age of eleven. My father was an avid consumer of speculative fiction and raised me on a steady diet of television shows, books and movies to feed my imagination.
If there’s anything I like more than science fiction, it’s old things, especially books. It inspired me to create The 10 Cent Universe by mashing together the styles of dime store pulps with modern science fiction.
I currently reside in Wichita, KS with my wife and two children, and tell too many “dad jokes”.
What genres do you write and why?
I write science fiction mashed up with other genres. My longest series is a hardboiled detective noir that takes place on a generation ship. I’m also working on a western series set on the planet the same generation ship eventually settles. Over the next few years, I plan to expand my 10 Cent Universe to include genres such as: spy, war and horror.
What is your earliest memory of reading?
I would “read” The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper to my mother every night. I couldn’t actually read it, but had memorized the entire book.
When did you know you wanted to write? How did it happen?
In fifth grade, I read Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe. I devoured the series and it made me fall in love with reading. The same year, I had a teacher who encouraged creative writing and I discovered how much I enjoyed creating stories of my own.
What’s one of your favorite scenes in one of your books?
In A Violent Man, the MC confronts his ex-wife with the various ways she has manipulated and betrayed him. I spent a lot of time on that scene to get it right, and I think it turned out to be one of my best.
What makes a good character? A bad one?
I need to understand what motivates a character. That doesn’t mean everything needs to be laid out on the table–some of the best stories I’ve read are about discovering why a character acts or thinks a particular way–but their actions and thoughts need to be consistent and ultimately relatable.
What moves the story for you?
A story that balances plot, characterization and theme in a way that satisfies all three.
What is your favorite book and why?
When I have to choose, I say Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Valjean’s struggle is such a universal one, as is Javert’s, even if the circumstances are different for each person. Hugo is masterful at driving the plot forward with strong, relatable characters.
What do you want to say to your audience?
The support I’ve received has been so gracious and generous! It means the world to me that readers have reached out to me directly, or left reviews, and are as excited as I am about these stories.
What advice do you have for new writers?
Read. A lot. Nope, even more than that. Read outside your preferred genre, too, and really study those writers you find most compelling. Support your fellow writers where and when you are able.
Do you have anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for your time and to Action Pulp for providing the forum!
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