What is the best thing that I love about my work? Being able to create worlds – not in a sci-fi way (not yet anyway), but settings for my characters to move around in. I love developing a story, the thrill of wondering how it’s going to turn out, and getting to know my cast of characters along the way. Writing fiction means I can set my own rules, write what entertains me and hope it also entertains someone else.
What is my idea of perfect happiness? Being in good health, with someone I love, at least one cat, plenty of books to read and ideas to get down on paper – oh, and champagne. There must be champagne!
What is my greatest fear? Becoming unable to look after myself through ill health or decrepitude, or both.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? Impatience.
Which living persons in my profession do I most admire? Ramsey Campbell – who I have had the pleasure of meeting on a number of occasions. Legendary horror writer with a wicked sense of humour. Adam Nevill, an excellent horror writer who again I have been privileged to meet. Stephen King – not met him yet, but I hope to one day. What a role model. Hunter Shea weaves some amazing tales. I could go on. I mustn’t!
What is my greatest extravagance? Did I mention champagne?
On what occasion would I lie? I try never to lie, but if to tell the full, unvarnished truth would only result in someone being badly hurt, I might well find a way to avoid telling it.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? That a day consists of .only twenty four hours and other stuff has to be done as well as writing and reading.
When and where was I the happiest, in my work? Right here, right now.
If I could, what would I change about myself? My tendency to worry about things I can do nothing about.
What is my greatest achievement in work? Achieving my first proper publishing contract was a major highlight – and every contract since has felt pretty stellar.
Where would I most like to live? Vienna, Austria. I wish…!
What is my most treasured possession? My laptop. It’s my window to the wider world, my workhorse, my research library…I’d be lost without it.
What is my most marked characteristic? Probably my love of cats. It borders on obsession. I am an unashamed cat slave who is currently owned by a sleek little black cat called Serafina
What is my most inspirational location, in my city? I actually live in two cities – one is very small, in North Wales – St Asaph. The River Elwy runs through it and a walk along the riverbank is both relaxing and inspirational. This is a river that can change from a pretty babbling brook in the summertime to a raging, flooding torrent after heavy winter rain. My other city is Liverpool and there are many inspirational places here, from the typical, friendly pubs through to the architectural beauty of the famed Three Graces (The Liver Building, the Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building) at the Pier Head.
What is my favourite place to eat and drink, in my city? Spoiled for choice here, but a few miles outside St Asaph, up in the mountains, is the tiny hamlet of Dwygyfylchi and the atmospheric Austrian Restaurant. Delicious, hearty Austrian fare cooked by an Austrian chef in a mountain setting that makes you feel you are in the heart of the Tyrol.
What books influenced my life and how? Wuthering Heights influenced my adolescent years. I grew up not far from Haworth, in Halifax and the moors there are similar. Curlews calling, wind whipping through the heather and whistling across the heath. It inspired me to write. Wuthering Heights awakened a love of the gothic in me that has never left me.
Out of my own genre, Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series are books I could read again and again. The author has such a deceptive lightness of touch, and showed me the importance of strong characterisation. I felt I knew his main characters as personal friends and was sad when Maupin published the last ever book featuring Mary Ann Singleton, Anna Madrigal, Mona et al.
Who are my favorite writers? Ramsey Campbell, Adam Nevill, Oscar Wilde, Stephen King, Susan Hill, Armistead Maupin, Hunter Shea, Shehanne Moore, Susan Roebuck, Shirley Jackson, Jonathan Janz – the list keeps growing.
You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? Cousteaux, Richard Hawley, Goldfrapp, Chris Rea, Gerry Rafferty (Baker Street is my favourite ever song), Falco
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones takes some beating!
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? Bob Geldof, Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela, Martina Navratilova, Rosa Parks. There are many more.
Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime? Murder by Death – for the sheer hell of it. Great fun and a stellar cast. I mean any film with Peter Sellers, Maggie Smith, David Niven, Peter Falk, Truman Capote, John Gielgud, Elsa Lanchester and a host more stars has to be a winner, doesn’t it?
What role plays art in my life and work? Gustav Klimt and his work feature in my Nemesis of the Gods trilogy – especially in Wrath of the Ancients and Damned by the Ancients (the third in the trilogy, this one will be published in October 2018). I am particularly drawn to the work of the Austrian Secessionists, the Art Nouveau
In all my usual places:
My books are all available on Amazon. Here’s the link to my Amazon page where you will find them all:
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? Write until you drop! I could never see myself without an idea in my head screaming to get out onto paper.
Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story?
Susan Roebuck ( https://www.facebook.com/SuRoebuck)
Christina Bergling (https://www.facebook.com/chrstnabergling),
Somer Canon
https://www.facebook.com/somer.canon
How can you contact me?
Here follows a message of Peter de Kuster, founder of The Heroine’s Journey
Spring Journey
Wednesday 14th March – Sunday 18th March
The best of The Heroine’s Journey condensed into a single, unforgettable week.
The Heroine’s Journey is a global organisation dedicated to teaching skills not covered by the regular education system – skills that develop storytelling intelligence and encourage psychological well-being for creative professionals. The Spring Journey brings together the very best in our storytelling.
We will cover such themes as how to make money doing what you love, how to promote your business, which is you, how to choose our partners more wisely, how to make relationships last, how to find and create your dreamjob by meeting your rolemodels and making testdrives, how to manage your time and organize yourself creativitely, how to focus on our creative goals, how to have the financial freedom to create and how to more regularly experience creative flow and happiness.
You’ll embark on a rich and enlightening voyage, discovering how to make lasting, meaningful change across every aspect of your creative life. By working within a fixed group led by Peter de Kuster over the week, you’ll dive deeper than would be possible in any single daytrip. You’ll be challenged to think deeply about the issues that matter most, and provided with a space to share your thoughts, ideas and experiences.
The Journey is ideal for those seeking a more meaningful, transformative vacation; for attendees of our daytrips who now wish to take a structured journey through our expertly curated material; and for those wishing to save time in the long run by working through the dilemmas of creative life, business, passion, and your own story in a single, high intensity week.
Blending tuition, exercises, meeting with stories of rolemodels, and discussion in journeys in a world city, each day of the Spring Journey will equip you with tools and strategies to help you find answers for your creative life’s big questions.
Join us for a truly transformational vacation for the mind in Rome
Ticket costs Euro 1250 excluding VAT per person, includes all teaching, materials, light refreshments & additional activities.
You can reach Peter for a skype meeting about questions you have by mailing him at peterdekuster@hotmail.nl
DAILY TIMETABLE
09.40 Tea & Coffee on arrival
10.00 Morning Session
13.00 Lunch Break
14.00 Afternoon Session
17.00 Drinks
Read on for a detailed breakdown of the Spring Journey itinerary.
“You are the Storyteller of Your Own Creative Life. You can Create Your Own Legend – Or Not” – Peter de Kuster
Spring Journey Itinerary
Day One: The first day of the Spring Journey is designed to equip us with the core skills of The Heroine’s Journey and Storytelling. We will learn the power of the story we tell ourselves, why our minds have a hard time understanding themselves, how to map and understand our passions, and how and why we characteristically respond to them.
Day Two: The second day of the Spring Journey takes us on a structured journey around the power of your story as creative professional. Creative flow is always in essence a mental phenomenon, it is a result of ideas- and a story you tell yourself therefore relies on having to hand a raft of enriching stories about your business, your money management, your self promotion and your time management that can be called upon in moments of truth. The day begins with a Heroine’s Journey Breakfast – considering what three of the greatest creative heroines of all time have as story about the art of creative living wisely and well.
Day Three: The third day of the Spring Journey teaches us how to choose our clients and business partners wisely and make our relationships last. One of the gravest errors we make around business relationships is to imagine that they aren’t things we can get wiser or better at. On this day we will learn to practise and rehearse our skills at working with the people who can help you further your creative business (clients and business partners like agents, publishers, marketing professionals etcera). In the evening, we will attend a Storytelling Dinner in a local restaurant – learning to overturn small talk and master the art of opening up our deepest stories.
Day Four: The fourth day of the Spring Journey teaches us how to achieve our creative career potential. We will employ storytelling tools to be better able to understand our creative talents and to move forward using the opportunities that are open to us.
Day Five: The final day of the Spring Journey explores new business opportunities and markets for you to as creative professional. Many of the challenges we encounter in modern life require us to develop creative solutions to complex problems. And even when we’re not tackling big problems, continuously improving the way we live using invention and imaginative strategy is deeply important.
You can reach Peter for a skype meeting about questions you have by mailing him at peterdekuster@hotmail.nl
The Heroine's Journey 