Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Interview & Giveaway: Jennifer Estep

UFI welcomes Jennifer Estep Author of Mythos Academy, Elemental Assassin and Bigtime. Thanks for Joining us!!

What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking onyour bio or reading in another interview?

JE: Well, I’m a total geek. I love mythology, fairy tales, superhero stories, spy thrillers, and more, and I like playing Dungeons & Dragons and other games. Football is my favorite sport. I love the James Bond books and movies, watch way too much TV, and wish that I had more time to read. Some of my favorite musicians include Jimmy Buffett and The Killers. I also like to make people laugh, whether they are reading my books or talking to me in real life.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

JE: I love to read, watch TV/movies, spend time with family and friends, and just relax.

What is your favorite part of writing?

JE: Finishing the latest book I’m working on. LOL. It always gives me a sense of accomplishment (and relief!) when I can type “The End” on a manuscript. I let myself enjoy the feeling for a few days before moving on and starting work on my next project.

Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?

JE: I have a system that works for me. I’m a panster so I don’t really do detailed outlines, character sketches, or anything like that. Instead, I just think about my main heroine, her magic, and how she can defeat the bad guys with it, then I sit down and start writing.

I try to write about 2,000 to 3,000 words a day until I have a rough draft of about 50,000 words or so. That takes a couple of weeks. Then, I let the draft sit for a few weeks before going back to it and seeing if the story, characters, etc. hold together and what changes I might need to make. Then, I start working on my second draft, adding in more description, dialogue, action, etc. I do that a couple of times until the book is the best that I can make it and about 95,000 words or so (or about 90,000 words if I’m writing a young adult book).

I also need quiet to write, and I don’t listen to music or anything like that when I’m working on a book.

What are some of your favorite books or authors in the urban fantasy/paranormal genres?

JE: There are so many great books for adults and young adults in the urban fantasy and paranormal genres. It’s a great time to be a fan of the genres right now.

Some of my favorite young adult books are Graceling by Kristin Cashore; The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins; Beastly by Alex Flinn; and Beauty by Robin McKinley.

As far as adult urban fantasy/paranormal authors and series go, I like the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole. I also like fantasy authors like Alex Bledsoe, David Eddings, Scott Lynch, and many, many others.

How would you pitch The Mythos Academy series to someone who has not heard of it before?

JE: I would say that the Mythos Academy series features myths, magic, monsters, and mean girls.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that the series is set in?


JE: The series focuses on Gwen Frost, a 17-year-old Gypsy girl who has the gift of psychometry, or the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it. After a serious freak-out with her magic, Gwen is shipped off to Mythos Academy, a school for the descendants of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, and more.

So the world is mythology-based, and the two main gods featured are Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, and Loki, the Norse trickster god. Nike, Loki, and their followers have been locked in battle for centuries, and Gwen soon finds herself in the thick of things.

Do you have a favorite scene in KISS OF FROST?

JE: I really like the scenes with Gwen, my heroine, and Logan Quinn, the cute Spartan guy that she has a crush on. Logan knows how Gwen feels about him, and he seems to care about her too, but he’s dating another girl in Kiss of Frost. There’s one scene where Gwen and Logan argue about their feelings for each other that I like a lot and hope that readers will too. I also really like the big fight scene between Gwen and the Reaper bad guy near the end of the book.

Which character was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?


JE: I enjoyed writing Vic, Gwen’s talking sword, who is really bloodthirsty and determined to kill Reapers of Chaos, the bad guys. Vic says some outrageous things, and he’s full of opinions and attitude. He was a lot of fun for me to write.

I would say the hardest character to write was Nickamedes, the head librarian at the Library of Antiquities. Nickamedes is a character who’s a stickler for following the rules. He’s not a villain per se, but he and Gwen don’t really get along. Sometimes, I think it’s harder writing a character your heroine dislikes rather than a villain who’s out to destroy her.

What other projects can we look forward to reading from you?

JE: Dark Frost, the third book in the Mythos Academy series, will be out in June 2012. Crimson Frost, the fourth book, is tentatively scheduled to be published in January 2013. Right now, I’m under contract for six books in the series.

Visit www.jenniferestep.com for free short stories, excerpts, and more. Happy reading, everyone! ;-)

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Jennifer Estep writes the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series for Kensington. The books focus on Gwen Frost, a 17-year-old Gypsy girl who has the gift of psychometry, or the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it. After a serious freak-out with her magic, Gwen is shipped off to Mythos Academy, a school for the descendants of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, and more. 

Touch of Frost, the first book in the series, was published today, July 26. First Frost, a prequel e-story to the series, is available now as a 99-cent download. Kiss of Frost, the second book, will hit shelves on Nov. 29. Visit www.jenniferestep.com for excerpts and more information.
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Find Jennifer and her books
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Kiss of Frost
Mythos Academy #2
November 29, 2011
Logan Quinn was try­ing to kill me. My Spar­tan class­mate relent­lessly pur­sued me, swing­ing his sword at me over and over again, the shin­ing sil­ver blade inch­ing closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes prac­ti­cally glowed with the thrill of battle...

I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Acad­emy, and I have no idea how I’m going to sur­vive the rest of the semes­ter. One day, I’m get­ting schooled in sword­play by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gor­geous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invis­i­ble archer in the Library of Antiq­ui­ties decides to use me for tar­get prac­tice. And now, I find out that some­one at the acad­emy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword...
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37 comments:

  1. Great interview! I can't wait to read this series and meet all of the interesting characters, particularly Vic. :)

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  2. As a big fan of books dealing with Mythology, I would love a chance toread Kiss of Frost. I loved the interview and this book sounds awesome. Thanks for the giveaway!

    LadyVampire2u AT gmail DOT com

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  3. Great Interview! By the sound of things we are going to get more Vic. I really like that talking sword. Plus I am really looking forward to the interactions between Gwen and Logan. Can't wait to read this book.
    I do hope there are 6 books in this series, I am totally in love with the mythology in these books.

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  4. Lieder -- Thanks! Glad you liked the interview.

    Ladyvampire -- Thanks! Hope you get a chance to check out the book.

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  5. Nicole -- Thanks! I appreciate all the nice words about the books. And yes, Vic is back in KISS OF FROST.

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  6. I can't wait to read this one:) I love your books, there the kind you just dont want to put down :)
    elliott2668(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  7. Congratulations on getting some nice series contracts, 4 for this series and now up to 7 for the elemental assassin series. I know past sales have something to do with this, but why do you think you've been successful in getting contracts for series (and more than just trilogies)?

    Speaking of trilogies, they were really big for a few years there, but now it seems to me publishers are going for longer series, or is that just because I've been "falling into" these longer UF/PR series?

    Anne
    acm05atjuno.com

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  8. Congrats on the new release, Jennifer! Can't wait to read Kiss of Frost.
    I enjoy the confrontation scenes and the buildup tension to those moments. I can't wait to read the scene where Gwen and Logan argue about their feelings for each other!

    angeldream3[AT]gmail[DOT]com

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  9. I love your writing! Keep up the good work. I read Spider's Bite and decided I needed another fix of J. Estep :)

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  10. I love your stories Jennifer. I have read Gin's books but have yet to start your Frost books. Thanks for the post and giveaway. Looking forward to reading about Gwen.

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  11. Great Interview. Can't wait to read this one!

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  12. i have not read this book but cant wait to start the series it sounds really good.

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  13. Loretta -- Thanks! I appreciate all the nice words about my books. Hope you enjoy KISS OF FROST too.

    Anne -- Thanks! A big part of it is sales, and I've been lucky that readers seem to be enjoying my Elemental Assassin and Mythos Academy series so far.

    I don't know. I like trilogies, but I'm always a little sad when they end. If I really enjoy a book/characters, then I want to spend more time with them.

    Amy -- Thanks! Hope you enjoy the book and the Gwen/Logan scenes.

    Anonymous -- Thanks! I appreciate that. Hope you get a chance to check out more of my books.

    Rain Maiden -- Thanks! I appreciate that. Hope you get a chance to check out the Mythos Academy series.

    Katherine -- Thanks! Glad you liked the interview.

    Terii -- Thanks! Hope you get a chance to check out the book.

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  14. I love books that use mythology in their stories. Thanks for the giveaway!

    shadowhunters_jace_clary@hotmail.com

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  15. Great interview! I love all of Jennifer's books! I can't wait to read Kiss of Frost, I'm sure its going to be amazing.

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  16. I love finding new to me authors this way! I now have Jennifer on my TBR list - can't wait to get into this series!
    Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

    Gena Robertson
    robertsongena@hotmail.com

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  17. Christina -- Thanks! Hope you get a chance to check out the book.

    Ereader -- Thanks! I appreciate that, and I hope you enjoy KISS OF FROST too.

    Gena -- Thanks! Hope you get a chance to check out the books.

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  18. Love this new YA series- I love your adult series as well!
    great giveaway
    follow via gfc
    drakebdog@gmail.com

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  19. Ohh what a great interview! I'm a total sucker for mythology and even though I love all kinds of Paranormal I definitely enjoy greek mythology and I adore Nike for the most part :P Hope you don't make her all evil in this book rofl! ;) I had a chance to review this book but I had limited amounts of books I could chose and I didn't have the "first" book to read first which I wanted before trying it out lol :) One of my admins on my Paranormal Addicts FB page posted this earlier so I thought I'd try to because its a beautiful cover and after that awesome excerpt I'm anxious to try this series! So many books, not enough time! :) I also posted your prequel that's free till the 5th I believe? for the facebook fans :) Thanks so much for an awesome interview! I always see writers post about music they listen to and I think to myself "how do they write while listening to music?" I myself find it distracting and it ruins my concentration so its kind of cool to see an author who needs absolute quiet to work ;) Mines more like college papers LOL but I get it :) There are so many characters that look like they'd be so much fun. I'm a HUGE fan of Kresley Coles books too! I'm a newbie to your books but I hope to add them to my review pile very soon! :) And thanks for interacting with fans too.. I think that's the coolest thing an author can ever do is interact and talk with her fans (Dianna Love did that and its just amazing to me) It always humbles me with authors take the time to talk with the readers :) I can't wait to try your adult and young adult series :) *squish*

    paranormaladdicts at yahoo dot com

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  20. Samantha -- Thanks! I appreciate that. Glad you are enjoying my books.

    Chelsea -- Thanks! Hope you get a chance to check out my books. I like Kresley Cole's books a lot too. I'm looking forward to LOTHAIRE in January. I actually don't listen to music when I write. I just need some peace and quiet to concentrate.

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  21. I loved Touch of Frost and I can't wait to read Kiss of Frost. I love that cover, it gives me chills every time I see it. :D

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  22. Jennifer, oh I definitely will get a chance to check them out! I stalk paranormal authors! Granted it gets busy sometimes with Reviews for authors/publishers but I've been eyeing yours for awhile so I definitely will be reading them :) I'm really looking forward to Lothaire too.. did you see the 500 signed copies thing? :o Really reasonably priced to.. a fan showed me the link and I'm totally getting one lol :) And that makes sense :) I can't even do TV or background noise when doing papers.. I just need the thoughts in my head :)

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  23. Can't wait to read Kiss of Frost; I love the cover. Thanks for the giveaway.

    My question for Jennifer is, do you have everything planned out for the series, or do you just have a general idea about the big stuff and work everything else out book by book?

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  24. I cannot wait for this next installment. The covers are definitely some of my favorite! How many books are planned in this series? Do you plan on writing any novellas or more short stories for this series?

    Vivien
    deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

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  25. Congrats on the release! Looking forward to reading it, love your books.

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  26. Wonderful interview! Makes me even more excited to read this series!!

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  27. Barbara -- Thanks! Glad you liked TOUCH OF FROST, and I hope you enjoy KISS OF FROST too.

    Chelsea -- I hadn't heard about the autographed copies of LOTHAIRE. I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the tip.

    Cheryl -- Thanks! I like the cover a lot too. I know a lot of the events that are going to happen in the books, especially when it comes to the bigger story arcs, but sometimes things come up that I hadn't planned. So it's a little bit of both -- planning/plotting and just seeing where the story/characters take me.

    Vivien -- Thanks! Glad you are enjoying the series. There will be at least six books in the series. I'm also hoping to write some more short stories/novellas, but it just depends on my writing schedule.

    Michelle -- Thanks! Hope you get a chance to check out the book.

    Donna -- Thanks! I appreciate all the nice words about my books, and I hope you enjoy KISS OF FROST too.

    Joella -- Thanks! Glad you liked the interview.

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  28. loved the interview and this series sounds great. Can't wait to read and share with my son.

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  29. I love it how this series is mythology based with a few other things thrown in. I also love the fact that it doesn't focus on only one mythology but again it has a good mix. Thanks for the interview and giveaway!

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  30. Pam -- Thanks! Hope you get a chance to check out the book.

    Whitewolf -- Thanks! Glad you like the world building and the mythology in the books.

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  31. i'm really looking forward to reading this thanks for the giveaway

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  32. What a great interview thank you for the great giveaway and thanks for the chance!

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  33. Jennifer yep, if you need the site just drop me an email :) I'm so excited for an autographed copy :D I'm a sucker for personal autographs! ;)

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  34. Book Flame -- Thanks! Hope you get a chance to check out the book.

    Latishajean -- Thanks! Hope you get a chance to check out the book.

    Chelsea -- Thanks! I think I found the site.

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  35. Awesome Jennifer! ;) I think its premier something for 25 ;) I know what I'm asking for Christmas ;) hehe!

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  36. Great interview! I've always been an avid reader, but just recently started looking into more YA lit. This series looks fantastic and has been added to my ever-growing TBR pile (why does it always grow faster than it shrinks! lol). Thanks so much for the giveaway!

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Thanks for stopping by =)