Australian & New Zealand Author Showcase No 2- Luke Schulz

G’day / Kia Ora.

Today I have the honour of hosting the second of my author showcases focusing on the awesome talent originating from Australia and New Zealand.

The idea came to me whilst seeing so many of the book community gathering at recent conventions in the US and UK. And once my FOMO had subsided, I got to thinking about who might be gathered together if we had similar conventions closer to home. Pending the master planning required to arrange a massive convention, I thought the next best thing might be to run an Australian & New Zealand author showcase. So, I sent out the call, with the only prerequisite for participating being the author had to have been born in either country or currently live there.

I’m thrilled to say that a huge number of authors have reached out to me, and I will be posting their individual showcases at regular intervals over the coming weeks. So hopefully you will enjoy these interactions with some very talented people. Please be sure to check out their work, sign up to their newsletters and follow them on their social media of choice. I make no apologies for any damage inflicted to your TBR’s!

Today we are jumping on board with Luke Schulz, just as his second book The Sun Prince is entering the world (15th October)

Q&A:

1. Do you feel that being an Aussie / Kiwi (or residing there) influences your writing?

hmm I wouldn’t say the fact that I am Australian influences my writing at all no. I’m really not sure if there is such a thing as Aussie based fantasy, though that would be awesome to read! In terms of culture and history, I think there is a lot to draw from especially given our indigenous background, though I can’t say personally that any of this has directly influenced my writing.

2. What are some of the challenges being located so far away from the rest of the world, do have any tips for overcoming these?

In terms of publishing there are lots of challenges. First of all shipping anywhere too and from here to the rest of the world is an absolute pain in the *** and this can make it hard to sell signed copies of your books overseas. When the majority of our readership resides either in the UK or the US, of course it is going to make things like getting an agent, running a promotional sale, shipping, and gathering connections harder. It is especially painful when I see all of my online author friends catching up at events like dragoncon etc.. and I’m here twiddling my thumps wishing I was there.

3. How do you go about establishing connections in the book community? (any tips / suggestions)

Well I started by doing book reviews on my instagram account. This then led to a nice little following which I used to vault myself into the spotlight. From there it was all about networking. Can be as simple as dropping a comment on an author’s post, sharing their books, reading and reviewing their books, annoying them until they respond to you… It can be a whole range of things really! But most of all just be a nice person online, and be as active as possible. Readers are your friends! Authors are your friends!

4. Do you have a favourite character to write? And conversely are there any of your characters that are the more of a struggle ?

The three main characters of my main series are all siblings, so this was both fun to write and also difficult as I had to make them their own people with their own hopes and dreams. At the moment I am trying to write an autistic character, a drunk mage, and an unstable assassin… I really want to challenge myself and see what I am capable of producing, and I am finding this both extremely fun and also extremely challenging at times.

5. So aliens finally reveal themselves to us and your work is presented to them as example of what humanity has to offer, what do you hope they will take away from this intergalactic exchange?

Don’t mess with us or the sun will burn you to a crisp…

6. Tell us something about yourself that not many people know?

I played amateur AFL football for 20 years and support the mighty Magpies!! (AFL – Australian Football League)

7. What would you say is the best thing about being an author and the worst?

Best thing: The people! (readers and authors) Worst thing: Bloody formatting and all the little technical things involved with book production

8. Any other Aussie / Kiwi creatives you’d like to give a shout out for? (lets spread the love)

The two closest Aussie Author friends I have would probably be Mark Timmony (author of Blood of the Spear) and a new author and friend in Stuart Putt (author of Kindlayer) Go check them out!

9. What’s your favourite quote or passage from one of your books?

“If their world was broken, why not fill the hole with another broken piece?”

10. What can you say about your current project or what you are planning next?

I mentioned this before, but I have an autistic kid who’s affinity for patterns could be what saves the world, I have a drunk mage who accidentally becomes the most powerful person in the world, and I have a mentally unstable badass female assassin.

Bonus Question: Lastly Vegemite* yes or no?

Yes

(* for the rest of the world, Vegemite is a salty spread that is very popular on toast in Australia)

Author Bio:

Luke is a fantasy addict born in Melbourne, Australia. He discovered a passion for fantasy at a young age which developed into a love for the imaginary and a desire to write.

Despite an early passion for storytelling, Luke obtained a teaching degree before beginning a career as a primary school teacher.

When he is not reading and writing, Luke enjoys spending time with his Golden Retriever named Gem, gaming, and surfing.

A King’s Radiance is Luke’s debut novel, though he is always coming up with ideas for his next project, as well as working towards a sequel.