Murder for breakfast and other delectable literary delights
Canungra author Dieter Luske is a late starter in the fiction stakes, but he’s on a roll and has lots of advice for budding authors.
Dieter Luske’s latest novel opens with a murder and wastes little time drawing readers into its unsettling world.
Blending an expanding conspiracy with dark humour, The Breakfast Murder is a thriller that makes another turn in a writing life that has taken Luske from self-help books to speculative fiction. It also reflects a decision he made early in his publishing journey – to take full control of the process.
“I like to do everything,” he says. “Self-publishing gives me the freedom to choose who I work with, so I can keep creative control and decide how my books reach readers.”
We’re sitting in the Canungra home Luske shares with his wife, Giselle, in the Gold Coast hinterland, a world away from the machinery of the publishing industry.
Surrounded by space and greenery, the house invites you to slow down and settle in. It feels a fitting setting for a couple who have forged their own paths, with creative pursuits that span photography, art, websites and books. Giselle’s artwork is on display all around us and at Gallery Giselle, which they run from their home.
When the couple arrived in Australia from Germany in 1974, they were travelling, not planning a permanent relocation. But the country soon worked its spell. After returning briefly to Germany, they married in 1977 and came back to Australia, determined to find a place of their own.
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“We wanted to buy a house with a piece of land,” Luske says. They found what they were looking for in a property that might have deterred less adventurous buyers – an old, rundown house without a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. “We bought it on the spot.”
Luske’s writing career began with Do You Believe in You? (1993), a self-help book drawn from 11 years of consulting and facilitating mind-management seminars. He practises medical hypnosis, neuro-linguistic programming, naturopathy, homeopathy, medical herbalism and clinical nutrition.
“At the time, I didn’t know much about the publishing industry,” Luske says. “So, I started researching and talking to some writing groups. I found out how hard it can be to get a traditional publishing deal, and hybrid and vanity publishing weren’t what I was looking for, so I decided to learn the process myself.”
Luske uses platforms Amazon and IngramSpark, with each serving different purposes. While Amazon allows authors to sell directly to readers, IngramSpark is a print-on-demand and distribution service that makes books available to bookshops and libraries.
“There’s a lot more to self-publishing than the creative side,” Luske says. Producing the book is one thing but getting it into readers’ hands is another.”
He has sold hundreds of copies of his earlier work, including through local bookshops, and continues to make sales online. He is candid about the challenges of marketing in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
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“People might pick up a book because they like the cover, but then the title, the blurb and the keywords all have to do their bit to make them want to read it,” Luske explains.
His move into fiction has brought a different kind of freedom. In Certified Human and latest novel The Breakfast Murder, he explores a world in which technological deception and a shadowy figure known as The Zookeeper raise questions about control, complacency and the future of humanity. The books can be read independently, although they share a protagonist and a wider fictional universe.
“I’m a pantser,” says Luske. ‘I discover the story as I go, and sometimes I can get to page 30 or 40 without even knowing who the murderer is. I don’t plot everything out in advance. I like to see where the story takes me. I love the writing. There is no stress behind it.”
That attitude is perhaps the clearest explanation for his publishing choices. Luske is not trying to turn writing into a high-pressure business, nor does he measure success solely by sales. He wants to make books, learn new skills and follow an idea wherever it leads.
For writers considering self-publishing, his journey offers both encouragement and a reality check. Independence requires patience, research and a willingness to master unfamiliar systems. It also demands a thick skin and the ability to distinguish useful advice from the flood of unsolicited marketing offers that target authors.
Luske has built his own road, one book at a time. In the hinterland home he and Giselle chose decades ago, the principle seems entirely consistent with the life they have made – follow your curiosity, learn as you go and do not be afraid to do things differently.
The Breakfast Murder by Dieter Luske, $29.95.
This article was written as part of The Critical Writing Program, run in partnership with Queensland Writers Centre and InReview Queensland, supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Education.
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