GOING TO HONG KONG: Guest Post by Tori Eldridge

TORI ELDRIDGE:  GOING TO HONG KONG

Readers know Lily Wong as a badass ninja who uses her martial arts skills for good, but in The Ninja Betrayed, Lily show’s her softer side with more food, more family, and—OMG—so much more of Daniel Kwok. With all the swoon-worthy dates, Michelin-star restaurants, ritzy bay-view homes, and the local-eye view of exotic Hong Kong, Lily would be on a dream vacation, if only she weren’t up to her eyeballs in riots, intrigue, and triads. 

Yeah, yeah… danger-smanger… tell us more about love, food, and Hong Kong! 

Ever since I began this series, I knew I would eventually take Lily back to Ma’s hometown and the city where Lily’s meddlesome grandparents still live. After visiting in person with my Hongkonger daughter-in-law and family, I knew that time was now. 

Even readers who have not yet read The Ninja Daughter or The Ninja’s Blade will fall right into Lily’s family, her dreamy new boyfriend, and the exciting prospect of dating him in one of the most exciting cities in the world. Writing The Ninja Betrayed also gave me a chance to share my first-hand impressions and relive my own experiences.

I visited Hong Kong at the end of 2018 to celebrate our eldest son’s engagement to his Hongkonger bride. Coincidence or fate? He started dating her after I had begun writing my debut novel and establishing that Lily’s connection to Hong Kong! 

They met in Shanghai during my son’s business trip then fell in love in Portland, Oregon after she moved there to work at Nike headquarters. When he took a position in Shanghai, she followed nine months later and took a position in Beijing. After another year of long-distance romance and bi-monthly getaways in China, they married in Hawaii and got stuck in Tokyo months later at the start of the pandemic. It turned out to be a blessing because Nike allowed them to work virtually, together, from Tokyo. Now, they’re married and living in Shanghai with their darling eight-month-old daughter (my first grandchild). How’s that for a romance? 

When my husband, my youngest son, and I visited Hong Kong, we were able to hang with my daughter-in-law’s family and “meet” the city through a local perspective. The experiences we had and the places we visited infused my writing with added color, texture, and (what I hope to be) keen cultural and political understanding regarding the pro-democracy struggle. 

We even bonded over dumpling making—apropos since Lily’s nickname is Dumpling! 

We hung out with family at the public barbecue and played mahjong in their tiny fortieth-floor home in one of the ubiquitous apartment-block clusters. 

“This is Hong Kong, don’t forget, the most vertical city in the world.” (The Ninja Betrayed) 

We wandered through Mong Kok, the busiest, most crowded section of Hong Kong with a mixture of old and new tenements, first-floor retail shops, and tented kiosks that sprout up at dawn and vanish later in the night. 

Once out of the grungy tenement, I headed for the Mong Kok MTR station, down busy one-way streets. People flowed through Crowded Corner with skilled precision, disrupted only by the abrupt actions of tourists who didn’t understand the rules. 

Don’t stop. Don’t block. Don’t crowd.

Locals didn’t squeeze into tiny shops without purpose, nor did they add to the noise pollution with boisterous conversation. They waited outside and kept their voices low so there would be room for others to shop and think. In a city this congested, no matter how independently-minded its citizens, Hongkongers acted in the best interest of their community. (The Ninja Betrayed)

We perused the street markets, shopping for produce and the deliciously sweet and greasy lap cheong sausage (hanging along the top) that Lily loves to eat in the sticky-rice dumplings known as zóngzi. 

Ducks hung beside slabs of meat over fish on ice or live seafood in tanks. Chickens clucked at one stall while shoppers scrutinized bok choy and pomelo at another. The scent of fragrant produce mingled with the musk of ceremonial incense, stacked high in red-wrapped tubes, boxes, and packages. Dried strings of sweet lap cheong sausage hung above bins of dried abalone, fungus, and beans. (The Ninja Betrayed)

We took the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island in the day and watched the boats chug by at night, just as Lily does on her own and with Daniel Kwok. 

I folded my arms on the railing as the ferry pulled away from the dock. Daniel rested his chin on my shoulder. Together we watched the skyline appear, steel and glass ablaze in reflected gold and red. The breeze off the water nipped at my face and made me glad to have worn my light leather jacket. I leaned into his chest. Daniel’s assurances had lightened my mood. Would I feel the same if I shared more secrets with him? (The Ninja Betrayed) 

We took a double-decker bus to the top of The Peak, where we hiked around the scenic walkway and down jungle paths not nearly as steep as the ones Lily encounters on her treacherous run. 

“I sprinted to the Watford trailhead and stared at the steps. I hadn’t counted them on the way down, but dreaded every one of them for the charge back up. Train to live. Live to train. Sensei’s slogan reminded me that every challenge presented an opportunity to grow and improve. My adventures in Hong Kong had already shown me the importance of staying in shape. This three-quarter-mile sprint up a mountain would do me good.” (The Ninja Betrayed) 

Although we didn’t eat quite so well as Lily at the Ritz and Ta Vie, we did eat home-cooked papaya soup, jook (rice porridge), and crispy-broiled pork belly at my in-laws’ home. We also filled our bellies with delicious food from street vendors, cha chaan teng tea restaurants, and a Cantonese-style dim sum banquet with our daughter-in-law’s grandmother, aunts, uncles, parents, and brother’s family who gather together every Sunday. 

The banquet lasted for four hours with seemingly endless steamers and plates of Hong Kong delicacies, including my favorite sticky rice, bean curd rolls, and black bean chicken feet. I struggled with the fast-paced Cantonese, made everyone laugh by mixing it up with Mandarin, and ended up relying on Ma for translations. (The Ninja Betrayed) 

My trip to Hong Kong was magical for so many reasons. What a joy it was to relive and draw from my many visceral experiences as I explored Lily’s softer side with her challenging romance and complicated family. But never fear, the new book is loaded with trademark ninja action, intrigue, and mouth-watering food.

To get in the mood for The Ninja Betrayed, try this recipe for the classic yuen yeung Hong Kong coffee milk tea, named for the opposites-attract pairing of Mandarin ducks, a symbol of conjugal love in Chinese culture. Yuen yeung has a complex ratio of three parts coffee and seven parts Hong Kong style milk tea. This recipe makes it a little simpler to make at home. 

• Simmer 2 cups water with 3 tsp black tea for 3 minutes. 

• Add 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk and simmer for 3 more minutes 

• Brew 1 cup of black coffee. 

• Strain milk tea and mix with coffee. 

Note: You can also use evaporated milk sweetened with sugar to taste. Or try my low-carb, no-sugar version below. 

Right now, I’m drinking a blend of Assam and Darjeeling black teas brewed in a cup of hot unsweetened almond milk with a splash of half-n-half mixed with a long shot of decaf espresso. 

What inventive coffee or tea combinations do you like to drink? 

***

Tori Eldridge is the Anthony, Lefty, and Macavity Awards-nominated author of the Lily Wong mystery thrillers—The Ninja Daughter, The Ninja’s Blade, The Ninja Betrayed—and the upcoming dark Brazilian fantasy, Dance Among the Flames (out May 2022). Follow Tori on Instagram, and learn more about her at ToriEldridge.com.

COVER REVEAL: THE NINJA BETRAYED by Tori Eldridge: Sneak Peek into the Symbolic Cover Art for Lily Wong Series, Book 3

TORI ELDRIDGE: 

Cover Reveal for THE NINJA BETRAYED

Check out that cover! I’m overjoyed with the results and thrilled to share it with you. What better place for a Lily Wong mystery cover reveal than on the fabulous Mystery Readers Blog, Mystery Fanfare? 

As with the other two books in the series, this cover has layers of symbolism in all of its elements. The color, the icons, even the grid, have meaning—sometimes, more than one. The cover makes an initial impact then offers new discoveries as you read the book. 

First, the color. 

Every book in the Lily Wong Series features a bold solid color steeped in symbolism. The yellow cover for The Ninja Daughter and red cover for The Ninja’s Blade spoke to Lily’s (and my) Chinese heritage—firecrackers, red envelopes, yellow gold. The ninja element was represented by the ninja black and gray icons. What color would be right for The Ninja Betrayed? 

In the third book, Lily and Ma travel to Hong Kong for a surprise board meeting for her grandfather Gung-Gung’s international finance company. When Ma’s L.A. director position is threatened, Lily digs for the truth behind friendly façades of partners, directors, and family. Her Hong Kong vacation quickly devolves into a scorpion’s nest of trouble and shady deals. 

We needed a color that symbolized Lily’s mother, risk, and finance. Lucky jade green fit the bill. 

Like yellow and red, green is a bold color that evokes strong emotions. It’s associated with wealth, luck, danger, and—as the third color in a stop light—action. Although Hong Kong money comes in a variety of colors, green is the color of money in the U.S. 

The shade of green was equally important. Anyone who’s read either of the previous books, knows that Violet Wong wears signature imperial jade jewelry. When I picture Ma, I always see her jade and diamond earrings, ring, and Sì Xiàng bracelet. 

I was so appreciative that the design team at Agora Books were willing to work with me to find the perfect shade of jade. 

Not only did my editor, Chantelle Aimée Osman, ask me for ideas about color and icons, she asked for feedback at every stage of development. I can’t begin to tell you how rare and wonderful this is. Most authors have limited involvement at best. 

“Lily is a duality herself, she is at once a proud product of her heritage, but also an embodiment of the modern evolution of it, and we wanted the covers to embody both of those qualities.” 

My good fortune is not only reflected in lucky colors but lucky numbers, as well. 

The number eight, featured in the grid on all of the Lily Wong covers, is the most auspicious number in China. The Mandarin word for eight is Bā, which sounds similar to the word Fā, the character on the mahjong tile in the upper left quadrant of The Ninja Betrayed. Fā is the first half of the saying, fā cái, which translates to “get rich.” The ink on this mahjong tile is always green to symbolize wealth. In The Ninja’s Blade, the second book in the series, two of those panels are dominated by an awesome Chinese tiger. 

In The Ninja Betrayed, two of the grids are taken over by a line of protesters to signify the pro-democracy struggle in Hong Kong, a major theme in the story. 

In addition to protecting Ma and investigating Gung-Gung’s international finance company, Lily befriends and protects a teenage activist during the height of the 2019 protests. Things get volatile as peaceful demonstrations erupt into violence. 

There’s also a strong romantic component to the story that the cover needed to reflect. As Lily copes with riots, triads, and family strife, her budding romance with Daniel Kwok—there on business—flourishes into the possibility of true love. Chantelle came up with the perfect icon. 

“When Tori pointed out, quite rightly, that we were missing a symbol for the romantic element of the plot—which is stronger in this book than the others, readers can look forward—we immediately landed on the lily. Not only is it, obviously, the name of our protagonist, and a symbol of romance, but it also symbolizes Lily’s finally coming into her own and accepting herself for who she is.” 

The lily flower also symbolizes purity and fertility, fresh life and rebirth. There’s a lot of nuanced meaning to unpack in the presence of that flower and all the other icons on The Ninja Betrayed cover. The only way to discover them is to read the book! 

The Ninja Betrayed releases September 14, 2021 from Agora Books. Pre-Order links can be found at https://torieldridge.com/links

Tori's Chinese Comfort Soup: Guest Post and Recipe by Tori Eldridge

Tori Eldridge:
Tori’s Chinese Comfort Soup 

Everyone who’s read The Ninja Daughter or the upcoming The Ninja’s Blade (out September 1st) are instantly hit by two things: the fast-paced action and Lily Wong’s obsession with food. This ninja heroine has a foodie’s palate and a sumo wrestler’s appetite that will have you dreaming of sizzling garlic shrimp, barbecued pork tamales, and Gruyère-potato beignets. And if you think your stomach growls through these books as a reader, imagine what it’s like for me as the author, writing about my favorite Chinese comfort foods like chow fun, congee, and crispy-skin roasted duck.

In books one and two, I sent Lily to foodie paradises in Los Angeles like République, Tokyo Fried Chicken, and my fictitious Pacos Tacos for the best tamales in the city. Now that I’m writing book three, I can salivate over comfort foods I ate in the cha chaan teng (tea restaurants) in Hong Kong and five-star restaurants I wish I had visited.

Just writing this article has me craving the xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and Kurobuta pork sticky rice wraps from my favorite dim sum haunt in Glendale that I haven’t been able to visit since the social distancing began.

Are you getting hungry? Because I am.

So, after whetting your appetite, I figured the least I could do is share my easy-to-make Tori’s Chinese Comfort Soup. It features boneless chicken thighs, sweet green cabbage, and loads of fresh ginger and garlic. Sometimes, as in the photo below, I even add cubes of butternut squash.

I make this soup a couple times a month and eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. To me, a good Asian-style soup is an anytime food, especially when it’s homemade, low in sodium, and gluten free.

Why so health conscious? Because unlike my ninja heroine—who burns thousands of calories zipping around town on her racing bike, sprinting across rooftops, or fighting members of the Varrio Norwalk 66 gang—I actually have to monitor my sugars, fats, and calories. Go figure!

I hope you enjoy this healthy and delicious soup. And because I rarely follow a recipe without adding my own embellishments, I’ve included a couple of variations. Please feel free to add and delete as you please. The measurements are estimates, so mince and pour as you will.

Tori’s Chicken Cabbage Soup (with variations) 

2 frozen boneless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon (or as needed)100% pure Asian-style sesame oil
1/2 cup sliced sweet onion
2-3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2-3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 1/3 cup sake
1 32-oz box low-sodium or unsalted beef or chicken broth
1/3 green cabbage shredded

Option: 2 cups cubed pre-cooked butternut squash
Option: 2 eggs swirled with broccoli and sliced mushrooms
Option: pre-cooked wonton dumplings
Option: low-sodium soy sauce and chopped scallions

1. Coat a pan in sesame oil and brown one side of the chicken.
2. Turn the chicken over and add onions, garlic, and ginger. (If using mushrooms, sauté here.)
3. Add sake to deglaze pan and chop chicken with metal spatula or knife.
4. When sake evaporates, add beef or chicken broth and bring to boil.
5. Add cabbage and simmer.
6. Add optional squash or pre-cooked wontons with extra water if desired. 7. Serve with low-sodium soy sauce and freshly chopped scallions.

Tori Eldridge is a Honolulu-born writer, a 5th degree black belt ninja, and a former actress, dancer, singer on Broadway, television, and film. She writes action-packed, culturally-rich thrillers and mystically intriguing suspense, empowering non-fiction, and has taught ninjutsu and empowerment across the country. She is the author of Ninja Daughter and The Ninja's Blade (coming in September)

WRITING ATHLETICISM: Guest Post by Tori Eldridge

Tori Eldridge:
Writing Athleticism

On my fiftieth birthday, I stopped training and teaching the ninja martial arts to pursue a career as a fiction writer. Talk about a dramatic change in lifestyle! I had expected it would involve major shifts, but I never imagined how much physical stamina a sedentary career would require.

I began planning this move for six months prior to my half-centennial birthday, ever since I picked up an old manuscript I had written thirteen years earlier. Back then, my sons were very young and my time was divided between parenting and martial arts. Although I truly enjoyed writing that first full-length manuscript and the screenplays that preceded it, I wasn’t willing to devote the attention necessary to pursue writing as a career.

For me, it’s always been all or nothing.

That’s how I landed roles in theater, film, and television and how I earned a fifth degree black belt in To-Shin Do ninjutsu. It’s how I still work as the debut author of The Ninja Daughter with the second Lily Wong book awaiting editorial review and a third unrelated novel halfway to completion. I immerse myself completely and commit my time, resources, and energy to a goal.

It took me less than a year in New York City to land my first Broadway show.

It took me eight years before my first novel was published.

I caught the fiction writing bug for the second time in the Fall of 2010, after I had already published a non-fiction book on empowerment, blogged on mindful living, and ran an online clothing store and website. The business of writing didn’t feel as intimidating as it had before. And since I’d accomplished what I had wanted with the martial arts, the time felt right for a major shift.

Sword Cutter

Being almost half Chinese, I pay attention to auspicious dates and significant events. So the idea of changing my life’s course on the very day I began the second half century of my life felt symbolically powerful. It was also very ninja.

As with all my previous careers, I made the switch cold turkey but allowed myself time to adjust. I’d been an athlete all my life and everything I’d done to that point had been physically demanding. I expected challenges with mental focus, but I had no idea how hard it would be on my body to write eight hours a day. My back cramped. My legs ached. I grew more fatigued than I had ever felt rehearsing for or performing in the original first national tour of Cats. Even the aches and pains of martial arts didn’t cause this sort of physical fatigue. The sitting was killing me.

Cats!

Developing the mental stamina to write all day was comparatively easy because my excitement about the manuscript I was rewriting pushed me onward. I didn’t know at the time that editing would become my favorite part about the writing process.

How Dancers Write

I had to get creative about my writing practice in order to hold still long enough to create.

Writing in Hawaii

My solution was to change positions and locations throughout the day. I perched my laptop on a rack on my kitchen counter and wrote standing up until noon. Since the story I was writing at that time was set in Brazil, I’d often play and dance to samba music. Needless to say, this led to many typos I later had to fix.

Writing on the way to Bali

Next, I’d move to a table where I’d either bounce on a yoga ball or sit with my legs sprawled in some dancer position. I’d been known to do this in restaurants, on the floor at home, or even in airport terminals.

I’m also fond of writing at cafes, lounging on my lanai, pedaling on my exercise bike, or dictating on a hike. What I find the most challenging is sitting in a chair with my feet on the floor.

Dictating on the Trail

Fortunately, from what I’ve learned in the last eight and a half years of pursuing this new career, is that there is no one way to write. We are all fabulously unique and quirky in our creative methods. Please remember this and think kindly of me when you see me standing on my head.

***

Tori Eldridge is a Honolulu-born thriller writer and author of The Ninja Daughter (Lefty Award nominee for Best Debut Mystery Novel), about a Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja in Los Angeles. Her second book in the Lily Wong series releases September 1, 2020. Learn more about her on her website https://torieldridge.com.