Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Austria with my husband, a painter, and our two daughters. I studied Romance philology and English and American Studies in Salzburg, Venice, and London, culminating in my dissertation on ‘Machiavelli under the Perspective of Greek and Latin Historiography’. I worked at the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF, doing radio features and working on the ‘Prix Ars Electronica,’ an international competition in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music. Some years later I diversified into marketing and joined Sony DADC Austria. After the birth of my two daughters I founded a translation business. The 4 Arash books (2 are already released) are my first novels.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Raytara – Judgement of the Stars”. It’s the second volume of the four-book series “Arash”. I’m addicted to creating new worlds and settings, but with a particular fantasy story in mind I needed some special creatures to go along with it. Fairies? No. Vampires? Overdone. So I decided to introduce a new player in the world of fantasy creatures: the Arash, descendants of the stars whose name means ‘bright.’ More human than vampires, but powerful enough to be alluring, they are the “stars” of my four-book series.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Besides getting up in the middle of the night to jot down some ideas? No.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love all the books by Nicholas Christopher. Paul Auster is another favourite of mine as well as Douglas Coupland and Nick Hornby but I wouldn’t dare suggest that they influenced my work.
What are you working on now?
It’s another Arash novel, but not directly connected to the first four books. It features a new heroine, Ruth, who is the bad girl in the previous books.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I wish I knew! I’m rather new in this game so I’m relying mostly on Amazon and my website www.arashbooks.com
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never be discouraged by refusals from agents and publishing houses. It’s just part of the game.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In the words of Henry Moore:
The secret of life is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for the rest of your life. And the most important thing is, it must be something you cannot possibly do.
What are you reading now?
Invisible by Paul Auster
What’s next for you as a writer?
Preparing the release of the next 2 Arash sequels: Tasagalt – Cross of the South and
Jhanmar – World Travellers. And of course trying to bring to paper all the stories which keep popping up.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A trip to the Stars, Nicholas Christopher
The Story of Forgetting, Stefan Merrill Block
Loving Monsters, James Hamilton-Paterson
Author Websites and Profiles
Elke Schuster Website
Elke Schuster Amazon Profile
Elke Schuster’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
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