Originally, I met Inka Piegsa-Quischotte several years ago online, when she approached me to review one of her novels, Sweet Revenge. It was so well written with plot and subplots intertwined and resolutions, I was intrigued and delighted by this writer. We since have become good global friends. In fact, I keep another of her books, House Husbands, in my nightstand for light relaxing reading when I need to clear my head. Inka’s view of the world and nomadic spirit has always sparked my interest, so I was delighted when she joined our team of Luxe Beat contributors.

MDH: Inka, can you share some of your background, so our readers will have better insight into your love and understanding of travel and the international community?

IPQ: Born in Germany, I went to boarding school in Switzerland. Next, I studied law and got three degrees in Germany, UK and Spain. Until about six years ago, I had my own international law firm in London, UK, and Marbella, Spain. Then I changed courses and became a novelist and travel writer. I lived in London, Miami, Istanbul, and Marbella, and have now settled on Spain’s Costa Blanca near Alicante. I speak German, English, French and Spanish and very bad Turkish.

MDH: Where did your love for travel come from? 

IPQ: I traveled with my parents at an early age, then in my profession as an international attorney. However, I saw nothing of the places I visited and decided on a drastic change. I do have a nomadic nature, so travel comes naturally as well as living in different countries.

MDH: What is your writing process?

IPQ: Ideas get jotted down in a notebook, which I always carry. Characters for a novel end up next to notes about a museum, a jumble only I can understand and then pour into the right form. I love to paint with words. Making my readers see, feel, smell and even taste through my words is my passion. Photography interests me as an addition or when I manage to capture secret corners.

MDH: When you get the chance to pick your travel destination, where do you go?

IPQ: Warm, exotic and adventure, with a dash of luxury if there is such a thing. My favorite is the Middle East.

MDH: If you had the chance to be someone else, who comes to mind?

IPQ: Living: Jane Fonda, dead (presumably), Amelia Earhart.

MDH: Why do you write about luxury?

IPQ: Luxury is beauty and peace. To find and describe such an oasis in our troubled world is definitely a strong motivator.

MDH: What is one of your favorite experiences while traveling?

IPQ: Finding hidden corners, discovering extraordinary museums and to relax at least one night in the best hotel I can find wherever I happen to be.

MDH: What is your favorite food?

IPQ: Being a vegetarian and on a constant diet so as not to put on weight, eating is not high on my agenda. I love fruit, most of all mango and pineapple.

MDH: How do you spend your free time?

IPQ: Reading, going to the theatre and opera. My hobby is making collages, otherwise, my job is my hobby, and so free time and work time are interlinked.

MDH: What is your view on the luxury market? 

IPQ: Luxury will always be around, if only as a form of comfort or escapism, very necessary to get away from stress and trouble. Call it a kind of painkiller if you like, to be taken when needed.

MDH: If you were stranded on an island, name one person and three items you would bring?

IPQ: I’d bring my writer friend Ruth Kozak and there would never be a dull moment; my favorite blanket (for comfort), my emerald ring (for good luck), and Caleche by Hermes (for a beautiful scent).

MDH: What would you recommend we experience if we visited your hometown? 

IPQ: My home town is Berlin, which I have not visited for 20 years. I´d visit the Museum Island, which is in the former East, stay in the Hotel Adlon, take a boat trip along the river Spree, and go horse riding in the Grunewald.

MDH: What are three necessities you won’t travel without?

IPQ: Perfume, body lotion and coffee.

MDH: What does Luxe Beat Magazine mean to you?

IPQ: A forum where I can tell readers about the above mentioned oasis I discover and be inspired by my fellow writers. With so much emphasis on low budget travel and backpacking (all fine and good), it takes courage to celebrate luxury. I applaud Luxe Beat Magazine for that and am proud to be able to contribute.

You can learn more about Inka by checking out her blog at http://www.glamourgrannytravels.com.