Guest Spotlight: Ellis Shuman – Author of Rakiya – Stories of Bulgaria – Published June 17, 2024

By The Sassy Redhead Book Reviews on June 22, 2024

Ellis Shuman

Author of Rakiya – Stories of Bulgaria, (GenZ Publishing, June 2024)

In the twelve stories of Rakiya, you'll meet a mother pickpocketing tourists in order to support her daughter. An elderly war veteran ashamed of his actions during the Holocaust. Two brothers hunting a killer bear. A Syrian refugee working in a Sofia bakery. A femme fatale disappearing at an international writers' conference. And two neighbors competing to see who makes the best alcoholic drink.

My first book – The Virtual Kibbutz (2003)

My first book is set in Israel, which has been my home ever since my family and I left Sioux City, Iowa, and moved to Jerusalem when I was a teenager. I finished high school in Jerusalem, served 3 years in the Israeli army, and along with my wife, became a founding member of a kibbutz —a collective agricultural community—in Israel's southern desert. My experiences on the kibbutz driving a tractor, harvesting tomatoes and onions, and milking cows were inspiration for the book.

Fast forward thirty years. My wife and I are living in a small community outside Jerusalem and our three children have grown into adults with lives of their own. One day, my boss at an online marketing firm in Tel Aviv informed me that my job is being relocated to Sofia, Bulgaria. My wife and I made an impulsive decision and went to live in Sofia for two years.

During our stay in Bulgaria, we fell in love with the country. We traveled extensively and learned about Bulgaria's rich history and fascinating traditions. We made new friends but ultimately failed to learn Bulgarian.

Upon our return to Israel, I couldn't stop thinking about Bulgaria. I quickly realized I could return to the country every single day, with my creative writing. My two suspense novels, Valley of Thracians (2013), The Burgas Affair (2015) are set in Bulgaria, and my new book is a collection of short stories told in the voices of native-born Bulgarians and foreigners visiting the country for the first time.

Why do you write so much about Bulgaria?

Most people know nothing about Bulgaria and would struggle to place it on a map. Since falling in love with the country, I've taken on a mission of introducing people to Bulgaria through my writing. In my stories, readers will hike to the top of the tallest mountain in the Balkans, travel on a tram through the streets of Sofia, hunt for a killer bear in the Rhodope Mountains, and get a virtual sip of Bulgaria's signature alcoholic drink—rakiya.

How did you start writing? Who inspired you to write?

As a child, I looked up to my father, who was an editor at the local newspaper. Following in his footsteps, I launched a summertime newspaper in my neighborhood and along with my sister as co-editor, I knocked at neighbors' doors and asked them if they had any news to share. Afterwards I would sell my mimeographed one-page newspaper for ten cents a copy.

In school my favorite subject was creative writing and whenever I had a chance I would write. Nothing from those childhood efforts have survived, nor has anything remained from my first attempt at writing a novel in my twenties. Other manuscripts have been lost over the years, either printed copies that were thrown out in the trash, or documents on old computers that will never see the light of day.

In addition to the novels I published and the Bulgaria short story collection, I have written many other short stories which have been published in a long list of literary magazines. One of my short stories was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. I also write travel articles and book reviews.

Tell me a bit about yourself and your writing style:

I am a very early riser. After I take my dog for a walk in the dark, I drive 20 minutes to a train station and catch the first train to Tel Aviv. I usually read on the train but sometimes I'll take out my laptop to write. When I arrive in Tel Aviv, I don't report directly to my office. Instead, I sit down with a cup of cappuccino at a coffee shop for another hour of writing. By the time I report to my office at about eight in the morning, I've already put in over an hour of writing.

I am most creative in the early morning hours. When I return home at the end of my workday, I am too tired to do anything creative. I nearly fall asleep in front of the television, take the dog for one late night walk, and that's it for me.

My bio:

Ellis Shuman is an American-born Israeli author, travel writer, and book reviewer. His writing has appeared in The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, and The Huffington Post. His short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and has appeared in Isele Magazine, Vagabond, The Write Launch, Esoterica, Jewish Literary Journal, San Antonio Review, and other literary publications. He is the author of The Virtual Kibbutz, Valley of Thracians, The Burgas Affair, and Rakiya – Stories of Bulgaria.

How can readers interact with you, follow you?

Rakiya – Stories of Bulgaria

Find me online at