Third thriller

Salzburg author delighted with accolade

Rebecca Russ has already published her third thriller, "Die Influencerin", with Aufbau Verlagsgruppe, and for the first time the plot of the book is set in her native Austria.

(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

Rebecca Russ continues her successful run with "The Influencer". Following the publication of her third thriller, the 33-year-old Salzburg native gave the "Krone" an insight into her life as a writer and revealed what her commission looks like.

Rebecca Russ is no longer a blank slate in the literary scene: with "Die Influencerin", the Salzburg native has already published her third thriller with Aufbau Verlagsgruppe (Berlin). Her two previous works have each sold over 10,000 copies.

 "It's quite an accolade that 'Die Influencerin' is set in my home country of Austria despite being published in Germany. Namely in Vienna," says Russ happily.

A lifestyle woman with a great figure has over 100,000 followers on social media. But the online world blames her for the death of a follower. What influence do influencers have on us - and vice versa? It's all about this psychological interplay

Rebecca Russ, Autorin

Russ once started writing during chemistry lessons at secondary school in Salzburg. While she first looked up to J. K. Rowling and tried her hand at the fantasy genre, the young author now deals with current, thoroughly socio-critical topics.

"Die Influencerin" by Salzburg-based Rebecca Russ was published by Rütten & Loening, a subsidiary of the large Berlin-based Aufbau publishing group. Other Russ titles include "Die erste Frau" and "Mutterliebe".

(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

So too in "Die Influencerin. "A lifestyle woman with a great figure has over 100,000 followers on social media. But the online world blames her for the death of a follower. What influence do influencers have on us - and vice versa? It's about this psychological interplay," says Russ, describing her book over an espresso in her husband Karlheinz's Fräulein Anna café in Alpenstraße.

Russ can now make a good living from her work. She receives 50 percent as an advance, the second half when a new book is published. "I also get 20 to 25 percent for an e-book and around six percent in royalties for a paperback." At the moment, Russ can often be found hiking around Salzburg. "That's where I like to create situations for new books."