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.

You are an author, but is it your day job? I wish I was a full-time author but I have a full-time job as a content manager at an international online marketing company. That said, I try to devote some time every day to my writing. I commute to my office by train and I take out my laptop on the journey and have about 35 minutes for writing. But, that’s not all! When the train arrives at the station, I sit down at a coffee shop for another 40-minute writing session, while drinking a cup of cappuccino. Only after that do I report to the office. I didn’t mention that I’m a very early riser and when I sit down at my desk, it’s not yet eight in the morning, and I’ve already accomplished so much.

Did you always want to be an author? Absolutely! 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.

As part of my service in the Israeli army, I was a founding member of a kibbutz in Israel’s southern desert. On this collective community, I worked primarily in agriculture – driving a tractor, harvesting crops of tomatoes and onions, and even milking cows. Those experiences would be related in my first collection of short stories, The Virtual Kibbutz, which I self-published in 2003.

What is your most recent book and what inspired you to write it? My new book is Rakiya – Stories of Bulgaria. It will be released on June 17, 2024 by GenZ Publishing. The book is actually my third with a Bulgarian setting. Here is how that came about.

In 2009, my job was relocated for two years from Tel Aviv to Sofia, Bulgaria. I was 52-years-old, a bit hesitant to take on a career challenge at that age, but my wife and I made an impulsive decision to go along with the relocation. While work kept us busy five days a week, we spent our weekends exploring the country. We fell in love with Bulgaria’s stunning nature, its rich history and fascinating culture and traditions. We enjoyed Bulgarian cuisine and made many friends but we failed at mastering the Bulgarian language.

After my return to Tel Aviv, I couldn’t stop thinking about Bulgaria. I suddenly realized I could return to Bulgaria every day – in my writing. I wrote travel articles about Bulgaria and short stories with a Bulgarian setting. My first novel, Valley of Thracians, is the tale of a Peace Corps volunteer who goes missing in Bulgaria and of his grandfather, who makes it his mission to find him. The book has a tie-in to the Thracians, an ancient tribal people who ruled the region four thousand years ago, and whose tombs are all over Bulgaria.

My second novel, The Burgas Affair, is a fictitious account of the aftermath of a very real terrorist attack at the airport in Burgas, Bulgaria. In the suicide bombing, which took place in 2012, five Israelis and their Bulgarian bus driver lost their lives. This book was actually published first in Bulgarian in 2015, by Bulgaria’s leading publishing house, and only after that in English.

How do you hope your book uplifts those who read it? My wife and I were both born in the United States and moved to Israel as children. We served in the Israeli army, were founding members of a kibbutz, and raised three children (and have now become grandparents). It’s been such a wonderful, full life, but the two years we lived abroad in Bulgaria were definitely very uplifting for us. As a couple, my wife and I had never lived in an apartment, or in a city, or anywhere in Europe. Our exposure to Bulgaria and its unique culture made us stronger as a couple, more fulfilled as adults, and made our lives back in Israel, when we returned home, more complete.

During the two years we lived in Sofia, we not only traveled all over Bulgaria, but to many places in eastern Europe. We visited Romania, Serbia, and Macedonia; took trips to Italy, Czech Republic, and Hungary; and we have also traveled to Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Bosnia. We have been exposed to so many different ways of life and it’s been a fascinating learning experience.

In my book, Rakiya – Stories of Bulgaria, I hope to give readers unfamiliar with Bulgaria a chance to learn about the country, read about its beauty, and understand why it can be such a wonderful experience to live there, even if it’s only for a short time. In the stories of the book, readers will hear the voices of native-born Bulgarians but also of those visiting the country for the first time. Readers will experience Bulgaria’s unique rich history and traditions and explore the country’s picturesque villages and stunning nature. And finally, readers will not only get a virtual taste of Bulgarian cuisine but also a virtual sip of the country’s signature alcoholic drink – rakiya.

It is possible to travel round the world by reading, and I believe readers will not only enjoy the stories on my book, but also learn why Bulgara is such a special place.

Connect with Ellis Shuman and learn more about his story and his books via his website.