Tell us what The World of Karov is about.
My book is about identical twin boys, one good and one very, very bad. A real good versus evil type of tale…

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.

What genre is it?
Dark Fantasy… this is not a princess fairy tale by far.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
It will appeal to readers who like to explore relationships and all their complications, but also those readers who enjoy the escape that fantasy brings. The novel has a rich history, lots of magic, dimension hopping and a good versus evil overriding theme.

How long did it take to write?
I started this book four years ago as a NANOWRIMO project. I had actually already written its sequel and needed to get this first story finally put on paper.

Sequel? Tell us about it.
The sequel is written, and I’m editing it now. It’s called THE RUBY AMULET and is book #2 in the series. The story takes place 400 years after THE WORLD OF KAROV. It’s about two college aged friends who, while on a hiking trip, find a strange gem in the woods. With one touch they are transported to the land of Karov, a dimension now ruled by an evil king. The king keeps the inhabitants of Karov enslaved and with the help of the remaining free villagers and wizards, the boys wage a war against the kingdom and its quest to find a fabled four pound ruby. For whoever finds this gem, will become the most power person in the universe.

What was the most challenging part of your creative process?
Linking up all the rules to the worlds and the logistics of the dimension hopping/flipping. I needed to make sure everything lined up properly and that all the rules worked. With fantasy you can take some liberties, but if the author isn’t diligent and completely sure of the “logic” of the world they’ve created, it can explode on you! I also grappled with the end of the book and really thought about how far I wanted to take the characters. Finally I made a decision and went with it and I’ll tell you, I’ve gotten quite a lot of conversation going about it, which is both exhilarating and terrifying!

Tell us about yourself.
I’m a sales rep for a magazine by day, but after work I throw that hat away and I’m a bit of everything! I’m a married mom of twins, I take Tae Kwon Do (finally got my Black Belt), I’m a wannabe chef with a food blog, am in the Gastronaut club (which is where we eat CRAZY food), a wannabee gardener (my kids will tell you my gardening skills leave a lot to be desired) and I write novels and short stories because I must find a way to get these ideas out of my head, so I have no choice but to put them to paper. At this time I’ve also published a YA thriller called FLYING TO THE LIGHT with a small press company called Cool Well Press. It’s about a young deaf boy who can see the afterlife and now people are after him for the answer.

How can we keep up with you on the internet?
www.elysesalpeter.wordpress.com
Twitter: @ElyseSalpeter.

What’s next?
My novel FLYING TO THE FIRE is coming out in March 2013, by Cool Well Press. It’s the second book in the FLYING series. The sequel to THE WORLD OF KAROV is scheduled to be released, by me, in December 2013.