Elyse Salpeter's Blog, page 8

The Surprising Thing People Like on my Pinterest Boards

This is just a sort of funny post this week about what I think is interesting and what others actually think is interesting. I love Pinterest and have 38 different boards. It’s a great place for me to put all my writing efforts, boards for my books and then the multitude of other things that interest me greatly – most of which have to do with food, inspiration, holiday inspired food, clothes, food for my favorite book characters, magical and haunted places, and more food (see a pattern here?)

Ham & Dill Pickle Appetizer Bites

But what has been the single number one pin that has been getting a lot of repins and likes recently? This one appetizer I pinned once. And yes, it has to do with food and no, I haven’t made it yet, but plan to! Easy Ham and Dill Pickle Appetizer Bites. To be honest, at first I wasn’t so sure it would be good. I mean, it’s just ham, cream cheese and a dill pickle. It seemed “too easy” but I’ve read the reviews about it and people seem to love it. What do you think? Would you make it? Here is a link to the pin, which will link you to the recipe if you’d like to try it! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/76139049921284996/

If you’d like to follow me on Pinterest, please come here and check out my boards. https://www.pinterest.com/elysesalpeter/

Do you use Pinterest? And, if so, what do you use it for? I’d love to hear how it works for you.

The Pitfalls of Writing Cross Genre

THE WORLD OF KAROV – New Adult Dark Fantasy series

Someone once told me that I “published wrong.” The first book I ever published was a young adult tale called FLYING TO THE LIGHT about a deaf boy who knows about the afterlife and now people are after him. The second book I published was a fantasy novel, more New Adult in target, the third was the sequel to FLYING TO THE LIGHT, called FLYING TO THE FIRE and the 4th was the sequel to the dark fantasy book.

So, what does that mean? I’m a YA novelist, right? Well, no. I actually define myself as an adult thriller/horror writer, if asked. Those YA books I had mostly written years ago and had the opportunity to publish them first. Since then, the books that I’ve put out are all adult thrillers or horror.

There’s the Kelsey Porter series which are sexy buddhist thrillers, and two horror novels. The pitfalls of writing cross genre is that some of my YA fans have picked up the thrillers and been… well… surprised. The YA books were very clean… albeit a bit violent as I tend to write that way, but they weren’t adult books. As a result, I’ve had to caveat to a lot of people whether or not their children can read any of my other books. Usually I tell them “no.” Not that it’s erotica – it’s not at all, and not that they’re dirty, they’re not, but they have adult themes and are just not what I’d picture a kid could read.

That said, my daughter read my horror novels just fine at the age of thirteen and my fourteen year old son wishes to read THE HUNT FOR XANADU. I think he’s two years too young, but he’s adamant so we discuss it chapter by chapter. Books #2 and #3 in the series are “more tame” to be honest. But there’s a reason I set up Book #1 the way I did. You’d have to read it to find out or it would be a huge spoiler.

FLYING – Young Adult Series

I find I’m getting mostly fans now with my adult books, but then these same people will go back to read my YA books and I wonder if they get confused or upset? They are all so different and you wonder if the pitfalls of writing cross genre means you confuse your readers if they wish to read other works by you, thinking they’ll be similar. That said, I would just advise authors to make sure you’re very clear in the book blurbs what the books are about and what genre it is so there are no surprises.

On my webpage at www.elysesalpeter.com I have headers for all the genres, and hope that makes it more clear for people.

Kelsey Porter thriller series

As to the “publishing wrong” comments? Well, not much I can do about that. I write what I write, when I write it. It’s how my brain works. But I don’t think the cross genre is a bad thing. I actually write in one genre, but across different age groups. All my books have a fantastical element to them. In the FLYING SERIES it was the young boy who knew about the afterlife, in the NA WORLD OF KAROV Dark Fantasy Series, it was an evil spreading across the universe, in the KELSEY PORTER series, they’re adult Buddhist Spiritual Mysteries. I was just lucky enough that a publishing house picked one of them up and it just morphed from there. When you have an arsenal of books in your library waiting to get out to the world, do you just let them sit there because you want to be a specialist in one genre or the other, or do you let them be free? I decided to publish them all and let the chips fall as they may.

Horror Novel – “I beg of you… stay away…”

A collection of creepy horror tales…

Anyone else write cross genre? Do you as a reader find it confusing when an author mixes things up in this fashion or do you like it? Love to hear.

If you’d like to check out all the novels, here’s my amazon author page: http://amzn.to/1NiXfjT

The Quickest Amazon Giveaway on the Planet….

So, Book #3 in the Kelsey Porter series launched. Right before this I decided to try out the new Amazon giveaway for Book #2. I’ll be honest, most times trying to get people to enter giveaways is so hard, that I wonder if it’s even worth it to do them.

I’ve done Goodreads giveaways and gotten possibly 600 people to enter. I’ve done FB, instagram and twitter giveaways and maybe 20 come in. This give-away you can pick how you want it to run. I gave away five books with a one in ten chance. I thought it would take all day for this to go. I put it out on twitter, Facebook, google+ and by the time it hit my newsletter folks, the giveaway was already over!

Yes, over. And here’s what’s weird. Four of the people that won were “A” names, the last name I couldn’t even pronounce, and I knew none of them. You’d think if I were first promoting to my own people, I’d know at least one of the winners, but I didn’t.

Next time I do this I’ll do a 1 in 100 chance to win. (or 1 in 300) As of now, I basically only engaged 50 people in this. Not efficient at all, and I had to pay for five ebooks, full price. (yes, I’ll get the royalties, and yes, it helped in my rankings for a spell, but it was roughly $20 for what seemed like a five minute giveaway and not even one review from it.)

I just thought I’d share my experience. Definitely something I’d do again, but I’d up the amount of people that need to enter to win the books, and play around with how many books to give away. I think the sweet spot is at least 500 entrants. Worst thing that happens is people don’t enter and you have a few books leftover you simply can gift to other people. They’re ebooks, so it’s not like the outlay is that huge.

Have you done one to great success? Love to hear.

Poetry efforts so far…

For the past few weeks, I’ve been attempting to learn poetry. My editor thought it would be a good homework assignment for me, to teach me “how to get emotion in a single line,” and branch out a little more. That’s fine. I’m geeky, I like assignments.

I’m not going to lie. I’ve been struggling with this. Not with writing the poem. That comes pretty quickly. I look at the photo prompt on Peanut Butter and Poetry Jam (the Facebook site I’ve been asked to look at on Saturdays where they put up a new picture prompt to give you some ideas for the week), and then think about it and write whatever comes to mind. I spend a little bit of time on it, but not more than ten minutes. You see, I don’t quite know what makes up a poem. There are so many kinds. Haikus, ones that rhyme, those with rhythm and cadence, some that, to me, make no sense at all, yet are still considered poems.

This is a really cute site because they are so supportive – they just want to spread the love of poetry, so I’ll continue the exercise each week, but at some point I’d like to actually understand what I’m doing.

This week’s photo prompt had a gothic looking woman standing on a ceremonial platform with fire, symbols and all these mystical things around her. Go to the site here and you’ll see it…

So, this is what I came up with:

I dance around the firelight,

And move along the wind.

I’ve heard the names, the uttered cries,

But none can see within.

Sybil, enchantress, witch and shrew

Are names spit out with hate.

Their fear so deep, it stalls their hearts

Against nature’s untainted plate.

But I am of the earthly realm

Mother’s lifeblood seeps through my veins

Her beauty calls and takes me home

And Wicca is my name.

Is this a poem? Is it written correctly? I have no idea. I’m a fiction writer, so to me, I just write a story around the prompt. At some point I’d love some technical advice about the above. If any of you would like to chime in, by all means!

And come over to the site here: https://www.facebook.com/pbandpoetryjam/?fref=ts and like the page. There’s quite a few of us that leave poems each week. On Saturdays they post the prompt, people post their poetry all week, then the admins choose one on Thursdays and Friday discuss it. It’s not a popularity contest, or a win/lose scenario and you can comment on all of them.

I will say, I am seeing the connection with emotion. Some have given me chills, so I know that’s the feeling I need to impart with each poem. A way to create an emotional response.

Do you like poetry? Do you write it? Come on over!

The Launch of Book #3 in the Kelsey Porter Series: The Call of Mount Sumeru

That’s right folks! Kelsey Porter is back with a vengeance and Book #3 has officially launched!

Kelsey Porter returns to NYC with her world turned upside down. Her brother has betrayed her, her boyfriend is missing, and she’s left with a mysterious manuscript no one can decipher. It’s not until she goes searching for the elusive legend of Bigfoot at a Buddhist Monastery in Alaska that she finds herself, yet again, thrust into situations that are seemingly beyond her control. Why are children suddenly missing across the Pacific Northwest? Where is Desmond? Are these mysterious creatures in the woods really Yetis? It’s these questions she pursues and they bring her full circle back to Buddhist spiritual mysteries, and this time it’s not her life that hangs in the balance, but the lives of an entire civilization.

This has been a huge labor of love and so many people have told me how much they’ve enjoyed the novels. Please feel free to grab your copy. I am doing an EARLY BIRD SPECIAL for BOOK #3 for JUST $0.99 for this week, so please enjoy!

Book #1 THE HUNT FOR XANADU

AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1CEvEab

UK Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Cp2awz

Here’s a review for Book #1 from the esteemed author Douglas Preston!

The Hunt for Xanadu by Elyse Salpeter is a remarkable novel, a fascinating and fantastical journey in time and space, and one of the most gripping novels I’ve read in a long time. It flies along at the pace of a thriller, with plenty of murder and mayhem along the way. But behind the thrill-ride is a spiritual story, an archetypal tale of mystery and darkness, riddled with fascinating and esoteric concepts in Tibetan Buddhism. Vivid characters, a truly appealing protagonist, unexpected twists, and crisp writing complete this unforgettable book. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series!

–Douglas Preston, #1 bestselling author and co-creator, with Lincoln Child, of the Pendergast series

Book #2 THE QUEST OF THE EMPTY TOMB

US AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1EvXExO

UK AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1JSRNqT

Book #3 THE CALL OF MOUNT SUMERU

US AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1SUskAv

UK AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1nPF6TO

And if you have read any of these novels, would you be so kind as to leave an honest review? Good or bad. It would be so appreciated. I’d love to hear what you think. Thank you all so much!

Why Fiction Writers Should Write Poetry

I’m going to start by saying that I don’t really consider myself a poet. I’ve never quite understood it, I never caught on to the rhyming and cadence. I just didn’t get it. I thought you were either a good fiction writer or poet, much like people say you’re either a good baker or cook. I’m learning that neither are mutually exclusive.

About two weeks ago, my editor suggested I start writing poetry. Now, you need to understand “her suggestions” are never just light suggestions. They mean something… and it usually means work on my end. She’s not your typical editor. She’s also a teacher and when she sees something in your writing she thinks you could use to improve yourself to become a better writer, well, she tells you. (if you’re interested in this type of editor who teaches as well as edits, check Denise Vitola out here) Anyway, she suggested I go to this new Facebook page called Peanut Butter & Poetry Jam and look at the image prompt they put up on Saturdays. The concept is you write a poem in the comments and then on Thursdays they pick a poem to discuss on Fridays. She said this would be a good exercise for me and “it was suggested” I do this each Saturday. (hmm…suggested, ordered, take your pick).

Created by Beth Ann Ryden

But I did. Strangely, my poem got chosen the first week. I’ll be honest, I didn’t spend a lot of time on it. Nor my entry for the second week. It wasn’t that I didn’t care. Normally I agonize over work that goes public, but I have no real idea of what I’m doing, nor any idea of what I should even agonize about. But, while I’m self-conscious and it feels like my entries are lame, I’m trying. And apparently, they seem to be passable and getting some nice feedback. Come on over and like the page and put in a poem. No cost, no competition, just feedback. Please don’t be fearful. I’ve talked to people who want to do it, but get scared they will be judged. I promise you, this isn’t that kind of place. If I can do it, by all means you can. Here was my entry last week with the gorgeous photo prompt created by Beth Ann Ryden.

My Entry:

“How often does the sea meet the sky, papa?”

“As often as the sun rises and sets, the moon waxes and wanes, and the tides flows in and out. As often as the dolphin breaks the surface to breathe, the fish swim in schools and the earth spins. The sea meets the sky from the moment you wake, to the moment you sleep. Rise up, dear daughter and meet the sky, for wonders will be met and joy will be felt when your face touches the sun.”

So I started thinking… am I a poet? Have I ever been? I was in the attic last night and I actually found this poem I wrote when I was about twelve. I remember thinking back then I still had no idea what I was doing, but you can see the joy in it. The way I circled the “dots above my “i’s,” the little doodle drawings on the margins like kids do.

One of my earlier efforts – might have been 12 yrs old?

Do you write poetry? How do you feel about it? Love to hear!

When A Novel Compels you to Cook…

It’s no surprise to many of my friends how much I love to cook. It goes along nicely with “how much I also love to eat.” Eating is one of my favorite things to do. Not an easy hobby for someone always trying to watch their weight, but the fact is, I love food. I love everything about it. The smells, the textures, the chewing. I’ll eat snails, beef tartare, sushi, kimchi, anything weird or smelly is not off-limits. I’ll be honest, I’m not partial to bugs, but besides that, bring it on!

ingredients listed in the novel to use

That said, I was compelled to make a dish for my family after I read Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s novel, Crimson Shore. There’s this great scene where the main character, Aloysius Pendergast, is really upset about the food choices for dinner in The Chart Room Restaurant. (I don’t blame him – everything is deep-fried) He goes storming back into the kitchen and proceeds to teach the cook how to make a version of Filets de Poisson Bercy aux Champignons, which he calls Filets de Sole Pendergast. It’s this great sole dish with mushrooms and wine and cream and all this good stuff. I put my kindle up and simply made the dish along with Pendergast teaching the cook. There were no measurements for me to use, but I’ve been cooking long enough that I had an idea of how much of each ingredient I needed.

Filets de Sole Pendergast

Result? The family thought it was delicious. The authors unfortunately did not specify any side dishes in the novel for this dish, so I put it over a mix of basmati and wild rice and served buttered broccoli on the side. I felt that this was in line with what the character would enjoy eating. The family ate it all up!

Have you ever been compelled to make a dish you read in a novel? I’d love to hear!

Do You Have a Muse for your Main Hero? How Pinterest can help!

Kelsey Porter

If you’ve written a book, do you have a muse for your main hero? Someone you picture in your mind and they are the vision that pops up every time you write about what your character is doing? I do. I am a visual person and love to “assign” people to my characters. The only problem with doing that is over time, those characters age and if you have publicly posted a celebrity, well, time does go on and they may not always look like the person you envisioned. Still, it helps to have someone concrete in your head so you always stay consistent with the character.

I created a Pinterest page, by book, to capture my characters and various topics in the novels. In The Hunt for Xanadu, I found my muse for Kelsey Porter. It is of a young Serinda Swan (though the photo above is actually Jessica Lowndes, who could be Serinda’s sister, so since it LOOKS like her and the image is so sexy and beautiful, this photo worked). For most other scenarios, Serinda is my “it girl” with her combination of tough/sexy girl, and she is how I imagine Kelsey appears. Only problem with showing a photo is that she may not be what other readers feel my character looks like. When you publicly put your vision out there, it might not jive with other people’s interpretations. Which is probably why people get so upset when casting directors cast characters readers don’t feel “fit the bill.” (I have a YA Series called FLYING TO THE LIGHT and FLYING TO THE FIRE and I showed my daughter my vision of the main character and she BALKED. I thought this boy was adorable and she said that is completely not how she envisioned him. Hmmm… he’s nearly a straight out description from the book, so not sure of the confusion)

On my pinterest pages, I found all the characters for my novels and some are actors and some are models. I’ve been able to locate various pictures of all of them and have been able to use their photos across three different pinterest boards so there is complete consistence.

Here is the Pinterest board for THE HUNT FOR XANADU. Click Here:

This board is so helpful, because in this book I reference many buddhist themes, various ceremonies and some of my own experiences with the foods I discuss in the book. I have a girlfriend who realized I never had butter tea and took me to a great Tibetan Restaurant in Queens and we tried it. I explain my experience here: (now you get to see and hear me in action!) For those who have read book #2 in the series, THE QUEST OF THE EMPTY TOMB, I have a pinterest board here too!

So, do you have a muse? Or do you simply keep an image of the characters in your head? Love to hear.

Sorry for the Absence…

Sorry for the little vacation I took from my blog. This might seem like a bit of a lame excuse, but WordPress changed the layout on me and for months I could not figure out how to create a post without causing me some stress. I wanted the original layout that I had been using. Normally when I get stumped by technology, I set out to conquer the challenge and find the answer. I tweeted wordpress for help, emailed their helpline and nothing, so instead, I took a little break. I had other things to do, nothing was ready to be published or promoted and my day job was keeping me super busy. But today, after playing around, I found the original appearance and so I jumped on it to say hello to everyone.

But, I have not been idle all this time! I have completed Book #3 in the Kelsey Porter Series. I’m so excited and I really think people will enjoy it. (my two beta readers have told me it’s the best in the series!) I was going to release it myself, but I have to wait just a bit more time… you see the first two books in the series are sitting right now at a publishing house with an editor for consideration. If she does pick them up, book #3 will be hers first. I know it’s a huge long shot, but I’ve always had a dream to have a big house represent my novels, so I’m going into this “cautiously optimistic” and if they don’t want the book, then I’ll publish it myself. I’ll know the answer most likely within the next month.

So let me tell you a bit about it and give you a sneak peek at the cover designed by Laura LaRoche!

Book #3 is titled THE CALL OF MOUNT SUMERU

Behind every myth and legend… is a measure of truth.

On the heels of THE QUEST OF THE EMPTY TOMB, Kelsey Porter returns to NYC with her world turned upside down. Her brother has turned on her, her boyfriend is missing, and she’s left with a mysterious manuscript no one can decipher. It’s not until she goes searching for the elusive legend of Bigfoot at a Buddhist Monastery in Alaska that she finds herself, yet again, thrust into situations that seemingly are beyond her control. Why are children suddenly missing across the Pacific Northwest? Where did Desmond disappear to? And, are these mysterious creatures in the woods really Yetis? It’s these questions she pursues and they bring her full circle back to Buddhist spiritual mysteries, and this time it’s not her life that hangs in the balance, but the lives of an entire civilization.

If you’d like to purchase the first two novels in the series, feel free to click here:

THE HUNT FOR XANADU

AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1CEvEab

UK Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Cp2awz

Book #2 THE QUEST OF THE EMPTY TOMB

US AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1EvXExO

UK AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1JSRNqT

How The Aloysius Pendergast Series Influenced a Group of Fans

Updated Cover with Doug’s Review!

It’s no secret that I’m a Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child fan – and to be more specific, a fan of the Aloysius Pendergast series. I’m such a fan, that on Facebook I’m part of a group where I get to discuss the minutia of the series with people I hold in high regard. They’ve proven to be intelligent, insightful… and creative. So creative, that I wanted to showcase some of the work of these amazing people, all who have been influenced, and inspired, by the series.

You see, Douglas and Lincoln influenced my writing of my Kelsey Porter books. Four years ago I decided to write a series of novels that I thought the authors would personally enjoy. I wanted them to be smart, to have required a lot of research, and to be steeped in Buddhist spiritual mysteries. Four years later, Douglas read book #1 and wrote this amazing review:

“The Hunt for Xanadu by Elyse Salpeter is a remarkable novel, a fascinating and fantastical journey in time and space, and one of the most gripping novels I’ve read in a long time. It flies along at the pace of a thriller, with plenty of murder and mayhem along the way. But behind the thrill-ride is a spiritual story, an archetypal tale of mystery and darkness, riddled with fascinating and esoteric concepts in Tibetan Buddhism. Vivid characters, a truly appealing protagonist, unexpected twists, and crisp writing complete this unforgettable book. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series!”

–Douglas Preston, #1 bestselling author and co-creator, with Lincoln Child, of the Pendergast series

Pretty darn great, right? Well, today I’m going to showcase two more Pendergast fans who have also received glowing reviews from the authors for their creative efforts. Tiffany Stafford created an incredible coloring book of the series.  It’s called “The Bad Habit Coloring Book.” She has drawn images directly from the series and it’s a must for anyone who is a fan. There is one of Aloysius in a Hawaiian shirt that I just absolutely adore!

Another fan, Chris Royal, created “Beyond Riverside Drive: A Companion Cookbook, and it’s a compilation of all the foods that are discussed in the series. The authors are huge foodies and Chris left nothing out, from “Dried Beef, Fish Lip Soup, Hare Pate to Track Rabbit.”  Not to mention he is an amazing artist and produced renditions throughout the cookbook. I’ve

already made a few recipes from the cookbook and I feel like I’m “eating along with the main character!”

Both Tiffany and Chris received shout-outs on Douglas Preston and

Lincoln Child’s fan page on Facebook. They are worth checking out if you, or anyone you know, loves the Aloysius Pendergast Series and “needs a little something” until their next novel comes out.

Purchase THE HUNT FOR XANADU here

Purchase THE BAD HABIT COLORING BOOK here

Purchase BEYOND RIVERSIDE DRIVE here

Has an author every influenced you in your creative efforts? Has a book ever inspired you so greatly that you had no choice but to create something from it to share with others? I’d love to hear!