Arash, Vol. 1
Shadow Hunt
By
Elke Shuster
UNIQUE RELEASE INTRODUCES A NEW PLAYER IN THE WORLD OF
FANTASY CREATURES…
ONE THAT APPEALS TO BOTH TEENS AND WOMEN
“You may have met one without even noticing. You may have kissed one and been disappointed that he or she never called you. They may have been Arash.”
Arash, Vol. 1, Shadow Hunt
Author Elke Schuster is addicted to creating new worlds and settings. When she woke one morning with a particular fantasy story in mind, she knew she needed some special creatures to go along with it. Fairies? No. Vampires? Overdone. When a writer friend suggested that angels were the ‘new’ vampires she mulled it over but 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, Schuster made them the “stars” of her newest release Arash, Vol. 1, Shadow Hunt, the first in a four-book series.
“The Arash books started out as a story for young adults but I soon realized my adult test readers couldn’t put them down either. Many of them could identify with the heroine, Livia, and lost themselves in her love affair as well as her incredible adventures,” says Schuster. “That’s what reading is about for me: having fun, enjoying yourself, entering new worlds, and basically making you feel good.”
Livia is the black sheep of her family, self-conscious and underachieving. That is, until she meets her new friends: the exuberant Natalie, her brother Rupert, the sculptor, intelligent librarian Will, stunning interior designer Ruth, and arrogant horse breeder Cassius. The group of mismatched friends makes Livia feel as if she may fit in somewhere for the first time in her life. Then she begins to suspect that her so-called friends are not who they claim to be. They hold a secret that could change Livia’s life forever.
Will her great love for one of them survive the challenges of becoming an immortal Arash? Will Livia herself manage to survive?
“Everyone, especially young people, have too much pressure to fit in,” adds Schuster. “I wanted Shadow Hunt to show that if you try to be open-minded you might be surprised. The alien and unknown may be a good thing. The more faith you have in yourself, the stronger you become. The choices in life are ultimately yours.”
Elke Schuster studied Romance philology and English and American Studies in Salzburg, Venice, and London, culminating in her dissertation on ‘Machiavelli under the Perspective of Greek and Latin Historiography.’
She 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. She diversified into marketing and joined Sony DADC Austria. Schuster worked as managing director of the music and theatre festival ‘Festwochen in Gmunden.’ She now owns a successful translation business (www.ict-translations.at), working with customers all over the world.
Pending series includes:
Arash Vol. 2: Raytara – Judgement of the Stars
Arash Vol. 3: Tasagalt – Cross of the South
Arash Vol. 4: Jhanmar – World Travellers
Review copies available
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