As a writer, I get asked lots of questions, mostly about my books, characters, or writing in general. But there are some questions that surprise me for whatever reason. So today, I thought I would talk about some of the more unusual questions that I frequently get asked. Here goes:

Question: Are the Elemental Assassin books like the movie Fried Green Tomatoes?

Answer: You wouldn’t believe how many people have asked me this one, and it’s something that I never even thought about while I was writing Spider’s Bite and the other books in the series. But when folks hear that I write books about an assassin who runs a barbecue restaurant, lots of them ask me this question.

But the answer is no. The Elemental Assassin books are not like Fried Green Tomatoes. Gin just kills people — she does not serve them up at the Pork Pit. That would be icky … and cannibalistic.

Question: Why do you use the word “toboggan” in your books for a winter hat? Isn’t a toboggan a sled?

Answer: It seems like I get asked this question especially in relation to my Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series. Again, it’s something that never occurred to me when I was writing Touch of Frost and the other books in the series.

Yes, a toboggan is a sled.

However, in the South where I’m from and where many of my books are set, including the Mythos Academy series, the word “toboggan” also means a winter hat. Apparently, it is just a difference in regional words/meanings, according to Merriam-Webster.

I grew up saying “toboggan” when I was talking about a winter hat. If I told my mom that I was putting my toboggan on, she would know that I was putting a hat on. If I was talking about a sled, I would say the word “sled” — not toboggan.

You can check out this blog post that I did about regional words. I thought the comments were interesting about the various words that folks use in different parts of the country.

Question: How do you pronounce your last name, Estep?

Answer: This one surprises me because I think that my name is pretty simple. You pronounce it just like it looks — Eee-step. However, lots of folks say Ess-tep instead. I’m sure some people with the last name say it that way, but in my neck of the woods, it is Eee-step.

Question: My last name is Estep too. Do you think we are related?

Answer: Probably not. Most of my family lives in one area in the South, so if you are from another part of the country, odds are that we are not related. Also, Estep is a fairly common name where I live, and there are lots of different spellings of it — Estep, Estepp, Eastep, and Eastepp.

What about you writers out there? What’s a funny or unusual question that you get asked? Readers, what questions do you like to ask writers? Share in the comments.