💥 BOOM! 💥
I didn’t want to bury the lead. LOL!
Soooo… What do you think?
THE NINJA’S OATH (out 9/12/23) will be the first hardback release in my Lily Wong series, and my publisher (Agora Books/Polis Books) pulled out the stops for a fresh and exciting look.
I love the vibrant colors and the scorpion over the neon overpass intersection in Shanghai. All of these elements feature strongly in Lily’s emotional and action-packed adventure.
Please think of me and my Lily Wong series as we enter the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month of May!
#aapiheritagemonth
What’s it about?
International action adventure ensues when Lily Wong—a Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja—travels from Shanghai to Japan to help family friend and former triad enforcer, Lee Chang, locate and rescue his kidnapped twelve-year-old niece while, back home in Los Angeles, her father’s health wanes.
Their mission is aided and complicated by an enigmatic assassin with a discomforting fascination for Lily. When the hunt for the niece leads to another missing relative, the trio of dangerous heroes—ninja, triad, and assassin—are pitted against an even greater foe. Meanwhile, Chang’s family must be moved from the shikumen house in Old Shanghai before the government tears it down. This would be simpler if not for the feud between brothers and the old resentments and intrigues entwined with the stunning history of the city itself.
Lily is pushed to her limits as she faces potentially insurmountable odds and worries about her father’s undiagnosed disease. At the same time, she is shocked by the true identity of her ninja teacher—known only Sensei—and the truth behind why he left Japan.
“Tori Eldridge had me at ninja warrior, but this wonderful series offers so much more than propulsive action. Eldridge’s Lily Wong avenger is pure hustle and all heart, a character you'll not soon forget. Love this series. It offers all the feels.”
– Tracy Clark
Two-time Sue Grafton Memorial Award-winning author of the Cass Raines series and HIDE
THE NINJA’S OATH can be read as a standalone. Or catch up on the series before the September 12th release!
Pre-Order THE NINJA'S OATH from your favorite booksellers or mine!
Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Tori’s Favorite Bookstores
Shanghai/Osaka tea combination to try:
While coming home from Shanghai, I picked up boxes of osmanthus oolong tea to remind me of my trip and to giveaway as gifts. It then became one of my favorite tea combinations. I even had Lily Wong order a Bird’s Nest Cheese Cream Osmanthus Oolong Tea with Gold Leaf in THE NINJA’S BLADE (book 2).
I’ve long since run out, but I’ve found a new combination I think is perfect for THE NINJA’S OATH. It takes the osmanthus from Shanghai and sencha tea from Japan for a mildly caffeinated and delightful afternoon tea. Check your neighborhood Asian markets. I shop at 99 Ranch Market.
What’s on my mind today?
After taking a much-needed break from promotional activities to revel in my granddaughter’s desperately-awaited arrival from Shanghai (and struggling to recapture the deep focus I needed to write), I’m racing to catch up and remember how to launch a new book.
Why am I feeling so challenged by this energy shift? If you’ve done any self-promotion in your line of work, you know.
Book promotion directs an author’s focus outward and drains energy in a prolonged extroverted burst. Regaining the deep focus to create can be hard.
I felt something similar after taking off three months from writing to live in Oregon and care for my granddaughter as her parents settled back into the the states after working for years in Shanghai. During that time, I focused entirely on them and only wrote in tiny bits in the wee hours before everyone woke. It took months to reenter my working life back in L.A.
Creating something out of nothing requires deep, undistracted focus.
Pausing for email, social media, or an adorable two-year-old rips me out of the zone. Revealing a book cover to the world derailed my entire week. I’ve spent hours on graphics, posts, and outreach each day. Yet still, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m scrambling from behind—case in point: posting this muse-letter today.
May author events:
After an exciting day of book signing at the LA Times Festival of Books, my Angeleno friends can find me at LitFest in the Dena for the Not-Quite-Silenced Voices panel on Saturday, May 6th at 2pm.
If you’re reading from out of town and would like a signed copy of one of my books, give Vroman’s Bookstore or Mysterious Galaxy a call.
Audiobooks and anthology to enjoy:
FORGOTTEN WAR (Matt Drake series, book 4) by Don Bentley and narrated by Scott Brick. Don also pens the New York Times bestselling Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Jr. series and has soared to the top of my action thriller author list.
TREAD OF ANGELS by Rebecca Roanhorse, narrated by Dion Graham—a speculative historical fantasy novella.
HOW TO STOP TIME by Matt Haig, narrated by Mark Meadows. If you’re up for a philosophical time travel literary fiction, I highly recommend this.
For short reads while exercising or lounging on the couch, I’ve been enjoying BLACK SWAN, WHITE RAVEN anthology of contemporary retellings of traditional fairy tales, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.
Shows I’m watching:
My hubby and I gobbled up THE DIPLOMAT on Netflix then screamed at the end of the last episode when I didn’t realize I was near the season’s end. I’ll be a very unhappy ninja if Netflix doesn’t renew.
Before that, we tore through all the episodes of BEEF. Super original with shocking twists. I kept picking my jaw off the table as we watched.
Fortunately, we can dive back into SHADOW AND BONE.
Enter to win!
This month, I’m giving away two books in one: CHASING VEGA and CHASING THE CAPTAIN by my dear friend Terry Shepherd in THE PORTABLE JESSICA RAMIREZ paperback edition.
Follow Detective Jess Ramirez and her sidekick, Ali, in two fast-paced thrillers from their homes in Paloma, Illinois to the Grand Canyon, the subways of New York, Nashville, London, and ultimately Moscow. All under one cover so you won’t miss a beat.
Two ways to share for a chance to win this double-header book!
Share this Cover Reveal for THE NINJA’S OATH
OR
Boost any of my cover reveal Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram post
THEN
Email me by Friday, May 5, 2023 so I know.
Good luck to all, and a big ninja thanks from me!
That’s all for now. Enjoy the beautiful month of May. And be sure to read and promote your favorite #aapibooks!
Mahalo nui loa,
Tori 🌺
Very cool cover! And you're right, the colors are awesome.
Can’t wait for this!!