#AADSAV The AWESOME Jennifer Estep stops by

Jennifer Estep is the author of the Elemental Assassin and Mytho Academy series and has quickly become one of my favorite Urban Fantasy authors. 

Welcome to The Book Nympho today!

Thanks for hosting me on your blog. I appreciate it.

• I’m currently consuming the Elemental Assassin series on audio and loving it. Lauren Fortgang does a great job with Gin’s voice; it’s sweet when it needs to be, gritty at the right moments and when Gin has dirty thoughts, she can make her sound like a 1-900 sex line worker. Did you have a hand in picking the narrator?

No, I didn’t have a hand in picking the narrator, but Lauren e-mailed me about some things in the book, so we connected that way, and I’ve enjoyed talking to her. I’ve gotten a lot of nice comments about her narration. Lauren was also nice enough to do a guest post for my blog a few months ago talking about audiobooks, and it was really interesting to learn more about the process and everything that goes into the narration, etc.

• Gin often counts down the seconds…10…20…45…Is there anything special about the number 45? Cuz I’m having a Lost flashback to where I was obsessed with the numbers and their meaning.

No, there’s nothing special about the numbers. 45 seconds just seemed like a place to mention in between 30 and 60 seconds. LOL.

• Another thing that sticks out as I’m enjoying the Elemental Assassin series that Gin always refers eye color. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where eye color is written in such detail. Do you have an eye fetish? LOL

No, I don’t have an eye fetish. LOL. But I do like describing characters so folks can picture them in their minds, so I generally do hair and eye color for the main and secondary characters in the books, along with other things, like hobbies, quirks, mannerisms, etc. Plus, there is the old saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and I think that folks can express a lot of emotions by the way they look at each other – love, anger, hurt, disappointment, etc. So that’s probably one of the reasons why I write about eyes so much.

• Most people hear Urban Fantasy and think all action and no sexy. NOT TRUE for your Elemental Assassins series and BRAVO! Gin can be a dirty girl in more that one way. Is that something that just happened or did you decided that your heroine can be sexy as well as deadly?

I like books with a little bit of everything in them – action, magic, danger, adventure, and romance. Those are the type of books that I like to read, and those are the type of books that I like to write. So the romance is an important part of the books to me. Plus, romantic entanglements can make for great drama for characters.

• Gin often talks about the many classes she taken at the community college in Ashland and how literature and cooking are her favorite subjects. Is this part of your personality peaking through Gin?

Maybe a little bit. I don’t take classes at a community college, although I might if I had more free time. But I do enjoy cooking and reading just like Gin does. Those are things that I like writing about so that’s one of the reasons that I decided to have those be some of her hobbies. Plus, you always want your characters to be relatable, and I think cooking and reading are things that a lot of folks are interested in or like reading about.

• Ok let’s talk about your YA series, Mythos Academy. Is it hard for you to tone down the darkness in the series vs the adult series?

It’s not too hard for me. My Mythos Academy books have a lot of the same elements as my other books do – a strong, sassy heroine, magic/world building, and lots of action. I would say that the Mythos Academy books are still dark in places – characters die, there are battle scenes, etc. – but they are lighter on the sex, violence, and bad language than my adult books.

But it’s been a lot of fun to write a young adult series and tell more of a coming-of-age story with a heroine who is still figuring out what she wants her place in the world to be.

• I had such fun at Authors After Dark last August and I can’t wait to go to it this August. What are you most looking forward to at AADSAV? Do you plan on doing any of the local tours while in Savannah? (I need to make my stalking plan now, LOL)

I’ve been to Savannah a couple of times, and it’s a really pretty city. I’m looking forward to getting out and just walking around and exploring.

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times bestselling author, prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer has worked as a features writer and page designer for a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper and has more than 10 years of journalism experience. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and other writing groups.

Jennifer’s books have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Southern Living, and a variety of other publications. You can follow her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter.

The Elemental Assassin series (for adults)

Books in the series are Spider’s Bite, Web of Lies, Venom, Tangled Threads, Spider’s Revenge, By a Thread, and Widow’s Web. Thread of Death, an e-novella, is also available.

Deadly Sting, the eighth book, is set to be published on March 26, 2013, with the ninth book (untitled) tentatively due out in September 2013.

The Mythos Academy series (for young adults)

Books in the series are Touch of Frost, Kiss of Frost, and Dark Frost. Crimson Frost, the fourth book, is set to be published on Dec. 24, 2012. Midnight Frost, the fifth book, is tentatively set to be released in August 2013.

The Bigtime series (for adults)

Books in the series are Karma Girl, Hot Mama, Jinx, and Nightingale. A Karma Girl Christmas, an e-story, is available.

You can stalk follow Jennifer at:

Twitter - Goodreads - Website

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