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| Author2AuthorBC |
Welcoming Author,
Elyse Salpeter to the second edition to the new years’ Author2Author
Blog Chat. An all new show as well!
You are officially the third Author to appear on
the Author2Author Blog Chat.
You will be coming back to see us again soon and you’ll be appearing on our
Author2Author Blog Chat, ‘New Guest’ and join ‘the
Class of 2014’.
Ellie
Please make yourself at home again Elyse, and we’ll
begin as soon as you’re ready hun.
First of all I think we’ll tell them a bit about you and
then go on to the A2ABC questioning. And the your books of course! Which is the
second most interesting things about you. I can’t wait for you to come on the
show again because I can’t wait to get more in depth with each one. But that’s
the awesome thing about this, we get to go back and forth, left to right and
the around so that we get the whole you.
Right then Elyse, kick it off hun…
Elyse
My name is Elyse Salpeter, I am 46 (but I feel
like I’m 25). Year of birth 1967, I am a Cancer. I live in the Bronx NY! (Before
it was tough…. ah it was tough then too)
Elyse
I am Married. I have 12 Year old twins. It was
tough, I moved 15X before I was 15. I’d love to say I was an army brat, but I
was an advertising brat. Actually, my parents rented houses a lot. Dad would
see one he liked in the paper and rent it – his motto was “if you can’t buy
your dream house… well, rent it!”
Ellie
That’s good philosophy, deffo one I’ll keep in
mind
Elyse
My family would think my work is
interesting – not many of them have read my stuff, to be honest. And I have a
hard time balancing work and writing and a family. Finding the time to write,
without the guilt of taking it away from other people is very tough.
Ellie
I can imagine hun. My son was servilely
disabled and needed 24 hour care, 7 days a week. Before I moved back home with
my parents I took care of him all on my own; my parents were a God sent, I had
no time to myself let alone to write my books. My parents would send me away so
I could go do my thing! I felt terribly guilty the more time I spent on my
work, even if it was for an hour or two or three, and I was in the other room
like, I’d still feel terrible about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elyse
College – I was goin6g to be a doctor and
ended up in advertising sales. Go figure! Gaduated…
Elyse
Pre-Med, then business, then liberal arts
Elyse
A Liberal Arts degree has a joke – you
know enough about everything to think you know everything, but not enough about
anything to get a job.
I’m Jewish but lean towards more spiritual
Ellie
So do you have an
opinion about the after-life then or is that not your thing?
Elyse
I do –
every single one of my books seems to tackle this question in some capacity. My
newest book THE HUNT FOR XANADU has a huge Buddhist spiritual theme about
reincarnation and the afterlife.
Ellie
I love the
concept. It’s probably one of the most things I hope for; especially when
someone close to you dies.
Ellie
Another question
about passing and I’m sorry for this but, for whatever reason, if you had only 2
minutes to live; What would be your last words and to whom? “
Elyse
I love you, and I’m so proud of you,” to my kids.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
What came first; the
chicken or the egg?
Elyse
The Egg –
only because you can integrate eggs into so many different meals and recipes. It’s
quite versatile. Chicken though can just be BBQ’d or cut up or sautéed. Boring.
Since this question is too hard to answer, I’ll make it more gastric in nature!
Ellie
Are you into
Astrology?
Elyse
Not
really, more for fun, like “Oh, he’s such a Sagittarius! Who’d have thought?”
Ellie
Do you believe in
Fate & Destiny?
Elyse
I believe
in Kharma and the universe – that what you put out there will come back to you
at some point.
Ellie
A bit of a science
question now but do you believe we’ll be able to accomplish ‘Time-Travel’ one
day?
Elyse
NO – not really
Ellie
But what if you
could go back? You know back to visit yourself when you were 18 years old or
something. What advice would you give yourself?
Elyse
Wow, good
one.
Make
better choices.
Ellie
Okay enough about
that then. Let’s move onto the better stuff…
What is your favourite
music?
Elyse
Yeah, all Indie musicians
Ellie
And what about Movies
Elyse
The Princess Bride
Ellie
TV
Elyse
The Big Bang Theory and Top Chef
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
So Elyse, what inspired you to be a writer?
Elyse
I’ve been writing for 20 years. I have so
many stories in my head and I just have to get them out. I have loved books by
Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child and I hoped to
write a smart book that even they would like to read.
Ellie
That’s a pretty good ambition. Stephen King is also one
of my idols, he would be one for me also since Shakespeare isn’t around
Ellie
And are there any other relatives who have been bitten by
the literary wand?
Elyse
Yes
Ellie
Oh my god, really? Cool. Do tell…
Elyse
I have a few cousins who are artists and they
have done some lovely work with painting, coffee table photo books, etc.
Ellie
Cool, cool, would love to see some of that. And
do you have any other talents other than writing?
Elyse
I can cook really well. Well, at least I think
I do. I can also wiggle my ears.
£llie
Wiggle your ears
Ellie
That is hard!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
So how dear is your writing to you?
Elyse
Honestly, I need it to breathe. I am not
wedded to my words, but if too much time goes by without writing, I get upset
and restless.
Ellie
So you’ll continue to write for the rest of your
life then?
Elyse
I hope so.
Ellie
What about ideas. Do you ever run dry?
Elyse
Sometimes and I just take a break.
Ellie
How would you feel if one day, you suddenly just
couldn’t write anymore? Would it affect your life?
Elyse
I’m sure I’d pick up another hobby – I’m
way to goal oriented not to be doing something.
Ellie
Awesome! And do you write anything
else like; Poetry/
Music/Songs/Scripts etc…?
Elyse
Nah, maybe some short stories or flash
fiction.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
What are your other hobbies?
Elyse
Cooking, gardening, going to gastronaut events – these are
events where we eat really weird, crazy shock food, like brains, or intestines
– you know, the gross stuff no one else will put in their mouths.
Ellie
Oh my god I just looked it up! All I can say is
….. cool
Ellie
So you said earlier you did schooling for advertising,
and you had your job as well as writing. So writing isn’t your main career then?
Elyse
No. I’m an advertising sales rep for a national
magazine.
Ellie
Well shit that’s great! Excuse the language
just a little excited for ya!
Ellie
So with all this the next questions pretty good
for you. Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
Elyse
I hope all this effort pays off so that I can
possibly do this writing dream full time. We’ll see. It’s a hard writing world
out there. You can’t make a lot of money off a 99 cent ebook. At least not
enough to pay a mortgage.
Ellie
You’re
gunna do just fine hun. I reckon at some point things will seem a little slow,
and I heard it happens to allot. But things will suddenly shoot off and you’ll
be like; “Whoa!”
Ellie
Can you write on demand or under pressure?
Elyse
NO, I hate to write on demand. I’ve had to, but
man that is tough. I mean can you say UGH? But, I did get a sequel done that
way.
Ellie
Well, can I put you to the test?
Elyse
I’ll give it a go
Ellie
Awesome! Okay so complete this story…
*I’d been a work all day, the last working day of the year. Never have I
missed a day at work all year round. And seeing as this was a fact, I decided
to take a detour on the way home and catch up with some old buddies of mine at
our local bar, ‘Daggers’.
“Jeez, is that the time!” I jumped from my seat. I had been here for almost
three hours; Marcy would almost certainly be worried about me.
I hurried to my truck but I was unable to drive, I drank way too much, and
I’d be stupid too. So I walked to the bus-stop and who should I see, one of my
son’s friend Jimmy’s Mom; she was waving at me.
She pulled to the curb “You going my way, Stranger?” She joked, I laughed
along with her.
She lived in my street; of course I was going her way. I jumped in her car
and we headed off onto the highway home. She looked at me from the side, taking
me in, she talked away about nothing’s going on, expecting me to be all knowing
when suddenly there was a light in the sky, brighter than anything I’d seen
before. Tracee pulled the car over on the shoulder and we both leapt from the
car to get a better view. Many had had our idea and had also stop and got out of
their cars.
“What the heck…?” Tracee gleamed, she didn’t seem scared one bit.
We stood in silence as we watched the light turn into what looked like a
shooting star across the sky, heading straight for our town.
“It’s a meteor!” Some guys shouted from the way as he run off for shelter.
It couldn’t be, we’d know about it? But then again I’ve been in the pub,
maybe they had announced it and I just didn’t see it.
“Was there anything on the news?” I asked Tracee.
“Not that I saw” Tracee answered without taking her eyes from the sky.
Everyone covered their ears like one big Mexican wave. The sound that
bellowed through the airwaves pierced the drums and caused dramatic static;
deafening to all…*
Elyse
It was dark when I finally opened my eyes. The smell of sulfur and fuel assaulted
my senses. I was lying on my back and the ground was hot under me. I glanced
up, trying to see the stars, but they were covered from billowing clouds of black
smoke.
I coughed and tried to rise, but the pounding in my skull stopped me. With
inhuman effort, I raised my head to stare in the direction of my town. Fear and
dread coursed through my being. The entire city was covered in a gigantic
fireball. Smoke billowed from the town and spread like a tentacle to cover the
field and night sky.
I rose, hobbling towards the city, but tripped over something in my path. I
tried to kick away the branch I’d stumbled over and when it wouldn’t move, I
leaned over and grabbed it. It was heavy and sticky. In horror I realized I was
holding onto a leg—or a piece of a bloody leg. The black open toed heels were
still on the feet and I could see the blood red nail polish on the toes. Tracee
had been wearing these very shoes when she picked me up.
In horror, I threw the leg aside, staggered to my feet and just ran. Ran
past the dead bodies littering the field, ran past the chunks of charred metal
of hulking husks of destroyed vehicles. I ran towards the city of fire,
screaming for my wife and children. I could not imagine what had happened to
cause this much devastation.
A sound like pealing thunder made me glance up towards the sky, and I
wished I hadn’t. Three more meteors barreled towards the earth, directly at me.
Within seconds more explosions rocked the night and I fell down again, my
face pushed into the dirt from the force. That’s the last thing I remembered
before the world disappeared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
What is your favourite genre to read?
Elyse
I like thrillers, mixed with science and
fantasy.
Ellie
And what about favorite genre to write?
Elyse
Fantasy thrillers with a mix of suspense also.
Ellie
Are you reading anything at the moment?
Elyse
Right now I’ve got three books in my Kindle I’m
flipping back and forth through – a mix of mafia fiction (for a friend), a YA
fantasy book and a memoir (again, for a friend)
Ellie
I do allot of that. I get asked often by
friends and I do a readathon, pick about 10 books n read, review and promote.
It’s fun and it’s nice to get out of my head for a while.
Ellie
So do you have a list of books you wanna read.
No better question, what’s next on your list of things to read?
Elyse
I’d really like to read the new Stephen King
book out and the Markhat series Frank Tuttle has written. That’s on my next
short list.
Ellie
And who are some of your favourite Authors?
Elyse
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Ellie
Books?
Elyse
The Secret Garden
Ellie
Aww I loved that book as well.
Okay now Food. You got any favourites?
Elyse
Sushi, Lobster and Skyline Chili
Ellie
Oh eww what is it with you American’s and Sushi
Ellie
It’s becoming a bog thing here in the UK as
well and it’s like….Why!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
You said you love to
cook. What’s your favourite foods to cook?
Elyse
Soups and stews
Ellie
Anything you’d like to cool but haven’t yet?
Elyse
A really decadent 10 course tasting menu… how
fun!
Ellie
Oh I know. I’d love to host a dinner party like
that but I don’t think I got the capability though. So you said earlier that
you go to those gastronaut
events; are there any other places/ cuisines you like to eat?
Elyse
Japanese
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
Now we’re moving on to more about your work hun I hope
you’re ready to move on
Elyse
Sure
Ellie
Excellent. Right okay. Elyse,
hun. Tell us what Book we’re here today to talk about?
Elyse
We’re here to talk about my contemporary
fantasy thriller THE HUNT FOR XANADU
Ellie
And are you self-published/ published, etc?
Elyse
I’m a hybrid. I have a YA Series that had been
with a publishing company that folded and is now with an agent, and then I self
pubbed three books.
Ellie
And what was it like for you? To publish your first book
and what was it like?
Elyse
The first book was FLYING TO THE LIGHT and it
was so exhilarating seeing it in print.
Ellie
What inspired you to write your first book?
To go out and just do it?
Elyse
My first book was THE RUBY AMULET and I started
it in my 20’s. I just wanted to get this idea out I had. I didn’t know a thing
about writing or editing, but I figured, “who cares?” I just started writing
and then spent the last 20 years working with an editor and learning the craft.
I believe this latest book THE HUNT FOR XANADU is me at my most mature.
Ellie
That’s one of the things I wanna do, work with an editor,
learn the trade. I’m alright but I would love to have that perfected skill.
Could go into as part time editor for peeople and help them out like. Sounds
like a good idea. Thanks for the share hun
Ellie
Okay and how would you describe your books and the nature
in which you’ve written them?
Elyse
I write real
life adventures mixed with the fantastic.
Ellie
And what genre is your work
mainly ventured in? Do you tend to stay in the same vein or are you hoping to
explore new ventures?
Elyse
Fantasy thrillers/suspense and no, I stay in
the same fantasy venue, but the genres change between YA fantasy fiction, dark
fantasy or thriller fantasy.
Ellie
Do you find yourself a struggling writer?
Elyse
Yes, all the time with social media. On paper,
it looks like I’m doing everything right, but sales show that so much more
could be done.
Ellie
It’s a strange business we arrived in isn’t it
hun. I think that’s why we all need to stick together and help each other out
like. I thrive on helping others and hope that one day soon they might help me.
If they don’t….meh…at least I feel like I did something great, even if I’m not
known for it. I think success is measured in different ways by different
people. You’re a success regardless of booksales I think hun. You’re and
Author, you write, you have readers, you have followers. You make a difference
in someone’s life. That’s success to me hun
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
Is it hard to come up with ideas and plots?
Elyse
No, I always have ideas. The hard part is when
I’m deep in a story and have to figure out a way to tie everything together. Those
ideas are the ones that sometimes elude me.
Ellie
Same! My ABP series was written backwards! I
wrote them and then decided that the first book I wrote was in fact book 3 and
then wrote book two and one. In that order!
Ellie
Nuts!
So do you ever get random moments when you suddenly get
ideas flying at you in all directs?
Elyse
Sure, they’re not always good ideas, but I have
ideas all the time. I might write them down in the
book or on a sheet of paper, but most of the time they’re sitting in the back
of my head, just stewing.
Ellie
Without giving anything away from your books too much!
What is/are your favourite scene(s) in one of your books?
Elyse
I love the fantasy scenes when Kelsey is
meditating… I also love the scenes where she’s interacting with Desmond, a man
she has feelings for but can’t act on.
Ellie
Do you have anyone who beta reads your work before you
publish?
Elyse
I had 6 beta readers for THE HUNT FOR XANADU, plus
my editor Denise Vitola.
Ellie
And have you ever trashed a piece or complete piece of
work before someone read it? Feeling it wasn’t good enough?
Elyse
No
Ellie
After someone’s read it?
Elyse
I have questioned what I’ve written – and then
reworked it – but never trashed. Even chapters my editor has had me delete live
in a deleted files folder. I’m going to bring out those deleted chapters one
day and offer them out on my website to readers for promotional periods of
time.
Ellie
There I knew we had something else in common
Ellie
I got boxes of pieces of paper, full of deleted
stuff/ ideas etc... you name it it’s probably in there like. Haha! That’s
great.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
Do you have a ritual before writing?
Elyse
No, I just need quiet. I’m one of those people
that wants to tuck themselves away with no responsibilities and just write.
That happens very seldom these days though.
Ellie
Do you have a special place or time to write?
Elyse
Preferably on my laptop on my bed in my
bedroom.
Ellie
Writers often spend their time researching.
Do you visit specific locations on the web or places?
Elyse
All the time. I’m constantly writing about
things I know nothing about – I joke that it’s a very bad habit. So I am
constantly researching.
Ellie
How long does it take you to complete a book?
Elyse
It takes me 4 months to 2 years. All depends.
Ellie
How much down-time do you have in between projects?
Elyse
That depends, when I’m not in the midst of a
novel, I might be writing flash fiction, my blog or short stories.
Ellie
What actors/actresses would you have to play your
characters?
Elyse
Serinda Swan would be Kelsey Porter (but they
better do it soon so she doesn’t get too old!)
Ellie
And which book would you like that to happen too and why?
Elyse
THE HUNT FOR XANADU – I believe it is the most
marketable of my books and will be part of The Kelsey Porter series.
Ellie
So what’s up next for you hun?
Elyse
I’ve been working on the sequel to THE HUNT FOR
XANADU. It is tentatively called THE QUEST OF THE EMPTY TOMB.
Ellie
Of all the books/ stories you have written, which is your
favourite?
Elyse
THE HUNT FOR XANADU – it’s my most mature and I
absolutely love my protagonist, Kelsey Porter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elyse
Dear Readers, I hope you enjoy this novel. I
wanted to write a book that was smart and interesting and made you really
question things about yourselves and who you are and where you’re going in this
world. I hope you enjoy it. - Elyse
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Hunt for Xanadu (The Kelsey Porter Series) (3
Dec 2013)
Blurb:
Twenty-two year old Kelsey Porter has dedicated her life to
avenging the death of her parents, murdered in their quest to find the mystical
land of Xanadu. Before she can locate the murderers, she has to discover their
motives for the brutal crime and finds herself at the epicenter of a Buddhist
mystery as old as time. With the help of her companion, Detective Desmond
Gisborne, she hunts the killers across the globe and discovers a darkness in
her spiritual past that tests the very limits of her soul. Soon she realizes
that it is not she who is doing the hunting, but the one being hunted. Kelsey
must find a way to survive, while ancient demons attempt to destroy her.
The World of Karov (The Children of Demilee) (15
Dec 2012)
Blurb:
Adam and Alec look like identical twins, but their
personalities are as different as possible. Adam is gentle and kind, whereas
Alec is the essence of nightmares. Always jealous of his twin, Alec does
everything he can to destroy his brother’s happiness, including kidnapping
Adam’s fiancée on their wedding day and disappearing with her deep into the
Canadian mountains. Adam searches for them for months, but he never finds them.
Just when Adam is at his most grief-stricken point, a stranger appears and
offers him a chance for a new life in a land filled with magic, gems, and
powers unimaginable; a world mysteriously led by a special tribe of children
who have hidden themselves away from a great evil that is seeking to destroy
them. Adam takes the chance and goes with the stranger, but his past is never
far from his mind. Eventually, reality comes back to haunt Adam, resulting in a
final showdown with his brother…. and this time, only one will win.
A dark fantasy that will appeal to teens and adults alike. It's a novel about magical worlds, identical twins and a pervading evil that's spreading through the universe.
A dark fantasy that will appeal to teens and adults alike. It's a novel about magical worlds, identical twins and a pervading evil that's spreading through the universe.
The Ruby Amulet (The Children of Demilee) (5 Nov
2013)
Blurb:
In this suspenseful sequel to The
World of Karov, a ruby discovered in a mountain stream transports Joshua, and
his best friend Sean, to the war-torn world of Karov. They are immediately
caught up in a violent struggle between the people and their treacherous king,
who is determined to find the legendary four-pound ruby hidden deep in the
emerald caverns. But time is running out. The king is closing in on Joshua and
the gem, and the boys must help the Karovites find it before the king does. For
if the king gets to it first, he will become the most powerful being in the
universe and the Karovites will be enslaved… forever.
Flying to the Light (13 Nov 2011)
Blurb:
How far can you run, until you just can’t run anymore?
Seventeen year old Michael Anderson and his kid brother, Danny, find themselves
in mortal danger after their parents are kidnapped. Michael discovers Danny has
a special gift—he knows what happens after a person dies—and now others want to
know too. The brothers must outwit and outrun Samuel Herrington, a lethal
biophysicist, the FBI, and even fellow Americans in a harrowing cross-country
chase, because whoever gets to Danny first will have the power to rule the
world.
The Sun and the Star (11 Nov 2013)
- Borrow for free from your Kindle device Join Amazon Prime
Blurb:
A short story about a tragic young love. THE SUN AND THE
STAR is a science fiction tale about how far someone will go to protect the one
they love... even if it's across the galaxy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you enjoyed
it as much as I have and I am looking forward to you coming on the ‘revisitedshow’. I would love to catch up with you again sometime down the year and see
if you’ve accomplished your goal with all your releases in the pipeline.
Happy 4th
of Fantastical Reads Event!
I wish you all the
luck in the world
All the best
xXx
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