Today is the last day to enter the drawing for a free copy of Into the Land of Snows. Go to http://www.bethfehlbaumya.com/apps/blog/show/14981692-ya-writer-wednesdays-welcomes-ellis-nelson-author-of-into-the-land-of-snows
Author Archives: ellisnelson
SUMMER READING LIST FOR TEEN BOYS 2012
I’ve been searching for some great and promising titles that could really excite bored teenagers to read. Of course, I hope my own Into the Land of Snows winds up on a lot of guys’ reading lists. What you’ll find below are mainly new releases for this summer so dig in and get excited because there are some really great books here.
Son of Neptune- Rick Riordan
More ancient myths in a modern world.
172 Hours on the Moon- Johan Hapstad
Three teenagers win a lottery to be the first young people on the moon. Danger and adventure await.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children- Ransom Riggs
Jacob is sent to a Welsh orphanage with strange children. Creepy fantasy with vintage photos.
Railsea- China Mieville
Join the moletrain to hunt the moldywarp in this fantasy adventure.
Drowned Cities- Paolo Bacigalupi
In a dystopian future, two refugees escape and try to survive in a story of adventure and friendship.
Buried in the Sky- Peter Zuckerman
The story of two Sherpa climbers who survived the tragic 2008 season on K2 where eleven climbers died.
Vindico- Wesley King
A group of super villains kidnaps teenagers to train them to be their replacements.
The Haunting of Nathaniel Wolfe- Brian Keaney
In 1862, Nathaniel watches his father take the stage and contact the dead. Soon Nathaniel is involved in a chilling mystery.
The Ghost of Spirit Bear- Ben Mikaelsen
Cole returns home after a year of exile on a remote Alaskan island. Now he faces the challenges of high school in a tale of urban survival and personal growth.
Venture Untamed- RH Russell-
Follow Venture as he becomes the best fighter in the world in this martial arts’ novel.
Filed under Book List
Win A Free Book- Into the Land of Snows
Today I’m being interviewed by author Beth Fehlbaum. Stop by and leave a comment to be entered to win a free copy of INTO THE LAND OF SNOWS. Generally, not many people comment so your odds of winning are probably better than anything else you’ve ever entered. Give it a try. http://www.bethfehlbaumya.com/apps/blog/show/14981692-ya-writer-wednesdays-welcomes-ellis-nelson-author-of-into-the-land-of-snows–
Filed under Blog Interview
A Traveler’s Prayer
Surrounded by Light
Surrounded by Love
Never abandoned
Never alone
Each soul precious unto itself.
Filed under Spiritual/Mysticism
BUDDHAFEST 2012
Held in Arlington, VA, Buddhafest (June 14-17) is billed as a festival of heart and mind. Activities will include the screening of movies, discussions, meditations, and music. Reading through the descriptions of the movies was both exciting (there are some great and unique offerings here) and sad (because I’m not going to be there).
So what will you see if you’re able to go?
The festival opens with Connected. In this age of the internet, what does it mean to be connected? How does it affect us? Is it a good or bad thing? It seems to ask the cutting edge questions we’re all pondering and wondering about. It sounds like this film would make a great jumping off point for discussion with friends and family.
In Buddha’s Lost Children, we journey to Thailand and follow a dedicated monk in his quest to help neglected boys become novices.
The Sufi word for “breath of life” is Baraka. This movie is described as a cinematic guided meditation and may best be experienced rather than written about.
When the Iron Bird Flies follows the path of Tibetan Buddhism from its secluded origins into mainstream western culture and asks if those ancient teachings can help us find happiness in a modern world.
The life and journey of His Holiness 17th Gyalwa Karmapa is outlined in Bodhisattva. The Karmapa is an important Tibetan Buddhist leader who is viewed as the most likely interim successor to the Dalai Lama.
The movie Ram Dass- Fierce Guru is a tribute to the noted spiritual teacher and author of the influential book Be Here Now. The movie follows Ram Dass’ journey after a massive stroke.
Filed under Event
MT. EVEREST 2012- END OF SEASON
I continue to read reports coming from the Everest region. There have been approximately 316 summits so far and ten confirmed deaths. News stories over last weekend were grim and surely upsetting to anyone on the mountain. The majority of teams have completed their climbs, but some of the most experienced teams will make their bids soon.
The weather appears to be cooperating and another summit opportunity has opened up. With the jet stream parallel to the mountains and with moisture holding to the south, conditions are favorable to climb. The remaining teams on the south, are at high camps and today and tomorrow will push for the summit. Traffic will be lighter than over the weekend and no bottlenecks are expected. Winds are expected to increase on Sunday.
On May 19th, Ngim Chhamji Sherpa (age 16) became the youngest female to summit. She was accompanied by her father, a three time summiter and others on her team.
Filed under Event
MT. EVEREST CLIMBING SEASON 2012- Race to Summit
I’ve been reading reports coming from Mt. Everest especially those from the south side. There is a summit window this weekend (May 19-20), and if the weather holds, many of the teams may try for the top.
The main problem right now is that the lines at the summit have not been fixed. Sherpas from several of the teams will combine their energies to get this done hopefully by May 17-18th. Fixed lines aid safety, but climbers can proceed without them.
A Chilean team seems to be moving aggressively to summit without the lines in place. One long term weather forecast indicates that this weekend may be the only feasible summit window. Some climbers may feel this is their only chance to summit this season and go for it. If the weather holds, some estimate 300 climbers may summit from the north and south.
Last season (2011), 525 climbers summited Everest bringing the total number of climbers to get to the top to 3425. Most will recall that it was Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay who were credited as the first to summit Everest back in 1953.
Filed under Event
MT. EVEREST 2012 CLIMBING SEASON
This year’s climbing season is well under way and I thought the connection of Base Camp in Into the Land of Snows was more than enough for an excursion into what’s currently happening on the mountain.
Ever wonder what it might cost to sign on to one of these teams to summit Everest? A quick search revealed that for around $50,000 you too could take up this challenge. That’s a bit much for most of us, but there’s no reason we can’t live vicariously.
There are three routes from which teams will try to reach the top of the world. They are the South Col, NE Ridge, and West Ridge. By far, the South Col is the most commercial and most popular. From the south, two teams have called it quits, but most of the remaining 30 international teams on the mountain have reached Camp 3 and await the summit push. The 300 climbers (and about 400 Sherpas) are waiting for a five day weather window to allow them the summit push. With the weather being so unpredictable, it is often the case that climbers will get the go ahead and start the push, only to be called back again. This can be a frustrating and anxious time. In the meantime, the teams are resting and a summit push may be possible around May 21. Ropes have been fixed in the South Col and winds are expected to remain calm until the weekend.
This is such an exciting time on the mountain and I think we’ll check back in a few weeks to see how things are going. An internet search will help you to find blogs and websites that carry daily updates though.
Filed under Event
THE LINE BETWEEN FACT & FICTION
Since the release of INTO THE LAND OF SNOWS, there have been some questions concerning what’s real and not real in the book. From the perspective of this being a book whose main theme concerns defining that very line, it’s a somewhat amusing question. I concern myself with it because I’ve heard some people dismiss the book as fantasy. But that’s not the whole story.
The book is set in the magical Himalayas surrounded by a rich cultural tradition. In such a place, my job as author was relatively easy. I chose concepts and ideas already present there to create a story around an American teenager. I made up very little.
Now as to the facts.
- Locations– The map at the beginning of the book accurately depicts the placement of real locations Blake would visit along his route, had Blake actually gone there. But the careful reader will notice that about half way through the book Blake continues his journey, but the map stops. This is because Blake has left the material reality of our world. An alternate reality opens up for him to fully experience the magic and potential for enlightenment.
- Mallory& Irvine– The story of these climbers disappearing into legend while on the Third Step is true. The camera Mallory carried that day is still missing. We don’t know (for sure) who summited Everest first, although Hillary is officially credited with it.
- Yetis– These animals/beings remain a mystery. Sherpa culture recognizes different kinds of yetis. I took great liberty with the Tantric yidam concept.
- Baian-Kara-Ula Mountains- There are legends of star people and an origination story. As late as the 1950s, stories of the Chinese gathering evidence in the region exist.
- Chakra points- There are many different systems. Tibetans usually depict 5 while Indian schools generally have 7. Research by Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama revealed the heart chakra produced a measurable physical light.
- Singing Bowls- Are used for healing.
- Lung-gom-pa/Tumo/Yidam- Are Tantric practices.
- Birds- The sneaky placement of rare birds in the region was my invention and homage to His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, who loved birds.
Filed under Story behind ITLS
MONKS’ BRAINS ARE DIFFERENT
With the Mind & Life Institute kicking off its international symposia in Denver today, I thought it might be interesting to look back on some of the work this group and others who study contemplative traditions have found. A member of one of my yahoo groups recently posted an article from the Wall Street Journal (How Thinking Can Change the Brain, Jan. 2007) which helped remind me of some of the discoveries in the last few decades dealing with the emerging field of neuroscience called neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is the godsend that allows the brain to change its structure and function in response to experience including thinking. Nowadays we take this as a given. But once upon a time, not very long ago, the Dalai Lama asked a bunch of scientists if the mind might be able to affect the brain (the actual material entity). A brain surgeon told His Holiness that was impossible. Such downward causation from the mental to the physical was not possible. Don’t you just love science! So wrong- but this would take a series of experiments to knock the surgeon on his butt. You can find those and read about them, but my real interest is in the monks and what they can tell us. So let’s fast forward.
Since the 1990s Tibetan monks have been studied to see if their contemplative practice or mental training produces lasting changes in the brain. The monks were wired to record brain wave activity while entering a state of contemplation focusing on compassion and loving kindness. Gamma signals began rising and kept rising. Even between sessions, the monks’ gamma waves remained high. The more hours of meditation training achieved, the stronger and more lasting the gamma signal. It supplied Prof. Davidson at UCSF with the evidence he’d been seeking. Mental training can produce enduring brain traits. So the conclusion for me, is that we should try to keep an open mind about things and not jump to conclusions about what we think the world is or how we think it should behave. We know far less than we think we do, and arrogance and close mindedness will not be allies in the quest for truth (or Truth, if you like).
Filed under Buddhism
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