104 ratings | 18 reviews | avg rating:4.33

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Chris

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Elisabeth Elo

Goodreads Author

Born

Los Angeles, The United States

Website

http://www.elisabethelo.com

Twitter

ElisabethElo1

Genre

Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

Member Since

September 2013

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Elisabeth Elo is the author of NORTH OF BOSTON, chosen by Booklist as a Best Crime Novel Debut of the Year. Published in six countries, it was also an Indie Next selection and a Book of the Month / Literary Guild Selection. Elisabeth’s second suspense novel, FINDING KATARINA M., is forthcoming in March 2019.

Elisabeth grew up in Boston, attended Brown University, and earned a PhD in American Literature at Brandeis. She worked as a children's magazine editor, a high-tech product manager, and a halfway house counselor before starting to write fiction. To learn more, visit www.elisabethelo.com. ...more

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Elisabeth Elo I've thought about this a lot, and I'd say there are five things that a writer needs to succeed: knowledge, talent, hard work, persistence, luck.

First…moreI've thought about this a lot, and I'd say there are five things that a writer needs to succeed: knowledge, talent, hard work, persistence, luck.

First, you’ve got to read enough to know what a novel is and how it works. It helps to find a book you really like and take it apart to see how it's made, sort of the way a mechanic would take an engine apart to see how the parts fit together. I know that doesn't sound very romantic or artsy, but if you love novels, it's actually sort of fun. You ask yourself, "How did the author DO that? How did they make that transition? How did they create that impression or effect?"

Second, you’ve got to have some basic talent. Talent is different in every person. You may be a wordsmith, or a fantasist, or especially perceptive about other people, or especially observant, or maybe you just have natural storytelling ability. Whatever your innate talent is, you start there. In other words, build on your strengths, and with any luck you'll end up bringing something that’s distinctly your own to life.

Third is hard work. No need to explain this: I don’t know a single person who’s good at what they do who doesn’t work hard.

Fourth is persistence through all the rejections from agents and editors that will probably come your way. (A word of caution: Don’t put yourself out there too soon. Wait until your book is the very best it can be before you start trying to sell it because once it’s been turned down someplace you can’t go back.) I have a long list of failures and near-misses I could share with you, but you probably don't have enough time to hear them all!

Finally, luck—otherwise know as being in the right place at the right time. You can’t control this. When you've got it, it's exhilarating. When you don't, it's heartbreaking. But the more you focus on steps 1 through 4, the greater the chance that things will break your way.

Oh, I forgot one thing: The whole reason we do this is because we love it, right? That's the heart and soul of the thing. Don't let yourself lose the fun of it, ever. Love this crazy art!(less)

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Does the fact that used the name Kasparov, and that Pirio's father was teaching Noah to play, suggest that you are an avid chess player?

Elisabeth Elo I'm not a chess player, and the connection between the name Kasparov and Pirio's father's hobby didn't even occur to me until you mentioned it! But I …moreI'm not a chess player, and the connection between the name Kasparov and Pirio's father's hobby didn't even occur to me until you mentioned it! But I was aware, of course, that Garry Kasparov is a former World Chess Champion and a leader of the pro-democracy movement in Russia. I figured the name had very good associations, and I also liked the sound of it. Someday I would like to learn to play chess. (I already know how to smoke cigars.) (less)

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Elisabeth Elo’s books

Average rating: 3.61 · 2,327 ratings · 495 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	North of Boston 3.57 avg rating — 2,023 ratings — published 2014 — 27 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Finding Katarina M. 3.91 avg rating — 276 ratings — published 2019 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Taste of Power 3.50 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Elisabeth is Currently Reading

Elisabeth Elo is currently reading

Hold Me Down

by Clea Simon (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 28, 2021 04:44PM

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Journey Into Fear

by Eric Ambler

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Oct 01, 2020 11:13AM

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Elisabeth Elo entered a giveaway Close to Death (Hawthorne & Horowitz, #5) by Anthony Horowitz (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 08, 2024 11:48AM · like · see giveaway · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz
Elisabeth Elo and 63 other people liked Jennifer's review of Bright Young Women: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Dec 03, 2023 07:45AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Elisabeth Elo rated a book it was amazing Paper Ghosts: A Fenn Cooper Novel by Jesse Kalfel	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Paper Ghosts delivers on every level. Kalfel has a confident robust voice and a sharp eye for humanity’s humor and pathos. The plot deftly brings together unsolved murders, long-buried dangerous secrets, and hired assassins. And the characters are en ...more
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Elisabeth Elo wants to read A Taste for Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them by Neil Bradbury (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Elisabeth Elo rated a book it was amazing Tenkill by Shannon Kirk (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Shannon Kirk, an e-discovery expert herself, takes readers on a thrill ride of 21st-century lawyering that left me breathless all the way until the explosive end. The novel is a thriller, yes, but it’s textured with gothic and lyrical elements that n ...more
Oct 25, 2022 10:52AM · 4 likes · like · see review
Elisabeth Elo finished reading Gone for Good (Detective Annalisa Vega, #1) by Joanna Schaffhausen (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by Elisabeth Elo (?)

“But a bond is a bond. And when you’re young and haven’t yet learned to live in your own solitude, even a destructive bond can seem better than none.”
― Elisabeth Elo, North of Boston

tags: fiction, mystery

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“Your weakness - the weakness of your soft American life - is you think that all people are like you, that reason can explain everything in this world. You expect two plus two to equal four. But it doesn't. It equals whatever the powerful say it does. If they say it equals a hundred and eight, the mathematicians will prove it's so. --- (Milosa Kasparov)”
― Elisabeth Elo, North of Boston

tags: orwellian

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“All across the world, people are loyal to their tribe. --- (Pirio)”
― Elisabeth Elo, North of Boston

tags: family, loyalty

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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The Seasonal Read...: 25.12 - Janet F's Task: A Trivial Challenge	41	82	Jul 30, 2014 08:25AM
The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks: Do Not Delete Posts	2673	594	Aug 31, 2014 08:59PM
Black Coffee: 2014 New to You! Challenge	37	109	Dec 19, 2014 03:08PM
Aussie Readers: Recently purchased/acquired book/s	11519	1442	Mar 07, 2016 06:20PM
Aussie Readers: * What Are You Currently Reading? (doesn't have to be an Aussie book)	15620	2518	Mar 07, 2016 06:26PM
2024 Reading Chal...: Yvonne's reading corner & challenges	38	68	Mar 09, 2016 12:25PM

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“Surely all art is the result of one's having been in danger, of having gone through an experience all the way to the end, where no one can go any further.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters on Cézanne

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