Where do you get your positive attitude from? You always seem to be cheerful and in a good mood.
How does that work?
I'm one of those people whose glass is always at least half full. I fight against bad moods and low spirits as best I can, which isn't always easy, but I usually manage pretty well.
There's so much shit happening on our beautiful planet at the moment, so I just try to pass on a bit of positive energy ...
You've already experienced a lot in your life. You were born in Cologne, became an educator, then moved to Spain, then back to Germany, have been a hotel owner in Bodenmais for 15 years and have been an author for a few years now. Have you now arrived with your hotel and your life as an author? And do all these experiences help you with your stories?
When I read that, it seems I've really experienced a lot.
On the whole, I've really enjoyed every stage of my life. I loved my work as an educator, I lived the wild times in Cologne to the full and my years in
Spain were so extraordinary that I even wrote a book about them ;-)
I've now passed the age of 50 and am totally satisfied with my life as a hotel manager and author. This combination is anything but unfavorable, because I experience quite a few things every day, some of which I can incorporate into my books.
So, to answer your question, I would say that I have arrived.
How did you come to immortalize your two dogs Phoebe and Layla in books?
Anyone who knows Phoebe and Layla knows that someone had to write a book about these two extraordinary dog girls. Phoebe in particular is a very special
dog. She is intelligent, fun-loving and gets up to all sorts of nonsense all day long. Considering the origins of my two strays, it's just
wonderful to see what has become of these traumatized creatures.
Originally I only wanted to record a few particularly funny incidents in writing, but as soon as I started, the words just started pouring out of me. That's how my
first novel "Phoebe - Eine Straßenhündin checkt ein" came about, with two more volumes to follow.
How do you manage to juggle everything? Hotel, husband, two dogs and being an author?
I'm very lucky that my husband Oliver is 100% behind me and my "second" life as an author and has my back when I need it.
Working as a hotelier is of course my main job, but I love writing and immersing myself in other worlds. The readings for which I am now regularly booked
are also incredibly enjoyable.
Together we have found a very good way to balance my two jobs. Of course, our two strays Phoebe and Layla don't miss out
either, because I could never forgive myself for that.
You have a very large and active online community. How did you build it up? Do you have a secret?
My online community is indeed quite active and growing, which fills me with a lot of pride.
How I was able to build this community is no big secret. I consider it an absolute privilege that my books now have so many fans and I'm happy
about every message and every comment I get to read.
I reply to every message personally and I'm very active on Facebook and Instagram to maintain contact with my community.
In my eyes, this has something to do with appreciation and is also a lot of fun. Of course, it all takes up a lot of time, but as I said, I have a
partner at my side who always has my back when I need it.
After three dog novels and an animal children's book, my next book is a somewhat naughty cookbook called "Faggot Toast". What can we expect?
My latest book tells the chaotic story of two men who opened a somewhat different kind of hotel in sunny Spain without any money or sense and had to experience the
most incredible things there.
You've probably already guessed that I was one of them ;-)
On top of that, there's a recipe for every experience that I've tried out myself and that even the last kitchen idiot (strange ... there's no female form ... or is it
Trottelini?) should be able to make.
After my Phoebe series of novels and the children's novel about the brave fire bug Rosalie, "Faggot Toast" is certainly not what my readers were expecting next.
But I'm always good for a surprise.
In recent years, there has been some movement in the book industry and authors are increasingly daring to give their stories protagonists from the LGBTQI+ scene. How do you feel about this movement? You keep hearing that this doesn't always go down well with publishers.
The very fact that you have to ask me this question makes me very thoughtful and shows me that we haven't yet arrived where we should be
.
I keep hearing and reading about publishers and even booksellers who would prefer to ignore the LGBTQ issue completely, but fortunately this is more of an exception
(at least I hope so). As I said, I'm a bit older (how could that happen?), so I've already experienced slightly different times in my life:
The first gay kiss on TV - yuck, bah, ugh! A report on the CSD in Cologne - is that really necessary?
A lesbian presenter openly showing her partner - an unbelievable scandal! Fortunately, times have changed a lot and I'm optimistic that
one day even the last person will understand that we're not doing anything wrong.
I'm very grateful that I'm allowed to publish my "Tunten-Toast" with Kampenwand-Verlag. As soon as I presented my basic idea, the publishing team at
was already on fire - that's anything but a matter of course.
Will we get to read more books by Phoebe and Layla?
I know that many Phoebe & Layla fans are eagerly awaiting the continuation of my novel series, and there will certainly be a fourth volume at some point.
Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?), I am a person who writes from the heart, not the mind. There are so many stories floating around in my head,
that want to be written down, and I just have to trust my gut feeling.
Sure, I could continue my Phoebe series on the spot for purely commercial reasons, but my readers would definitely be able to read this motivation between the lines of
.
For me, writing a book means diving deep into a story full of motivation, investing countless feelings and reaching people on
different emotional levels with the result ... and that just doesn't work for me on command.
However, there is one small consolation:
My next book, which will be published in the first quarter of 2023, will once again star a
little dog ;-)
Want to find out more about Uwe Krause? Click on the following link to find out his secret tips for a successful round of readers on "Lovelybooks": Tips for a successful reading round on "Lovelybooks"
