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    The Spider is coming …

    14 Comments
    Book #10
    Book #10

    Now that Heart of Venom has been released, I’m already getting questions about my next Elemental Assassin book.

    The Spider, book #10, will be released on Dec. 24. Here is the book page that features all the information that I have about the book so far, including the first chapter excerpt. And here is the book description. As always, please be mindful of spoilers:

    For the first time, the full origin story of Gin Blanco’s transformation into the fearsome assassin known as the Spider—book ten in the red-hot Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series.

    How did I end up in a career where I always have blood on my hands?

    Well, let me tell you a story about an assassin who thought she could do no wrong …

    Ten years ago. A blistering hot August night. I remember like it was yesterday. The night I, Gin Blanco, truly became the Spider. Killing people is what I do best, especially now that I’ve honed my Ice and Stone magic. But back then, I had yet to learn one very important rule: arrogance will get you, every single time.

    This particular job seemed simple: murder a crooked building contractor with ties to ruthless Fire elemental Mab Monroe. My mentor, Fletcher Lane, had some misgivings, but I was certain that I had the situation under control … right up until I exposed my weaknesses to a merciless opponent who exploited every single one of them. There’s a reason assassins aren’t supposed to feel anything. Luckily, a knife to the heart can fix that problem, especially when I’m the one wielding it …

    This book is a little different from the others in the series in that it is an origin story of how Gin truly became the Spider. So this book is set 10 years before the events of the first book in the series, Spider’s Bite. The book will feature a look at Gin’s relationship with Fletcher, and readers will get to see how she first met some of the other characters in the series.

    The Spider will be available in print, e-book, and audio book formats. It is up for pre-order at the following sites:

    Amazon

    Barnes & Noble

    Books-A-Million

    iTunes

    The book should be up for pre-order at other sites, including Audible and Kobo, soon.

    I had a lot of fun writing this book, and I hope that everyone enjoys this look back at Gin’s past.

  • Website updates …

    8 Comments

    As you can see, there have been some changes here at Casa Estep over the last few days.

    First of all, a big thanks goes out to the awesome John of Atomic Cherry Design Studio for updating my website. Thanks so much, John!

    So what’s changed? Well, I have so many books/short stories/e-novellas out now that the old site was getting a bit crowded. So John went through and made everything much more streamlined and easier to find.

    The best place to start is with the Book Gallery, which features my book covers arranged by series. Click on any cover, and you can go to a page that features all the info about that particular book – genre, release date, cover, description, number in the series, etc. Scroll down the page and click on the tabs, and you can see extra features. For example, if you go to the Spider’s Bite page and scroll down, you can read an excerpt from the book. Information on my 2014 and other upcoming books will be added as it becomes available.

    Purchase links specific to each book are also on the right sidebars on each book page. A Buy My Books box with even more links/places to get my books is on the right sidebar of the main pages of the site, like the Home page, Bio page, etc.

    And something really cool and new is that there are audio clip excerpts for the books in my Elemental Assassin and Mythos Academy series, which are available as audio books. A big thanks to Jessica and the folks at Audible for providing the excerpts. For example, if you go back to the Spider’s Bite page, scroll down, and click where it says Audio Clip, a widget will pop up that will let you listen to Lauren Fortgang, the excellent narrator for the Elemental Assassin series.

    I’m hoping that I will be able to add audio clips for new and upcoming books in both series (like Heart of Venom, The Spider, and Killer Frost), as they become available.

    I am still going through and making sure that all the links work, etc., so please be patient with me. In the meantime, I hope that everyone enjoys the new look for the site. Happy reading, everyone!

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    Heart of Venom released …

    Heart of VenomHeart of Venom, the ninth book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, has been released. Huzzah! I hope that everyone enjoys Gin’s latest adventure.

    As always, I’m excited that the book is finally out there for folks to read and hopefully enjoy.

    Here is the book description, but please be mindful of spoilers for previous books in the series:

    When I say you’re a dead man, take that literally.

    To me, killing people is like a day at the salon: cut and dry. Well, more like rinse and repeat when you moonlight as the assassin the Spider. But my last spa day ended redder than my freshly painted nails after a twisted Fire elemental and his goons kidnapped my close friend Sophia Deveraux and nearly killed her sister Jo-Jo in the process.

    Up Ashland’s most dangerous mountains, and deep into the heart of its blackest woods — I’ll track these thugs no matter where they take Sophia. It doesn’t matter what kind of elemental magic they try to throw at me, my Ice and Stone powers can take the heat and then some. I will get Sophia back, over their dead bodies.

    Because anybody that hurts Gin Blanco’s family becomes a body.

    You can read the first chapter of the book here.

    WHERE TO GET THE BOOK

    Heart of Venom is available in print, audio book, and e-book formats from all the usual online retailers, including the following:

    Amazon

    Barnes & Noble

    Books-A-Million

    iTunes

    Kobo

    Audible (audio books)

    A NOTE ABOUT THE PRINT BOOKS

    If you go to your local bookstore, and they don’t have any print copies of Heart of Venom, you can always ask the store to order it for you. Plus, if they order it for you, you don’t have to keep going back to the store looking for it, or go from store to store searching for the book.

    I mention this because not every bookstore carries my books (and no, I have no way of knowing and no control over who carries my books and who doesn’t). However, most stores will be happy to order the books for you.

    Of course, you can always order the print books online too, through some of the sites that I have listed above.

    KISS OF VENOM ALSO AVAILABLE

    Kiss of VenomKiss of Venom, the e-novella from Owen Grayson’s point of view, is also available.

    The e-novella is #8.5 in my Elemental Assassin series. It takes place in between the events of Deadly Sting (book #8) and Heart of Venom (book #9).

    You don’t necessarily have to read Kiss of Venom to enjoy Heart of Venom, but I’ve gotten so many requests for an Owen story, and this seemed like a good time and place in the series to write something from his point of view.

    Kiss of Venom is about 19,000 words long. It is available for $1.99 as an e-book only — not in any print or audio formats. You can read a short excerpt here.

    You can download the e-novella at online booksellers, including the following:

    Amazon

    Barnes & Noble

    Books-A-Million

    iTunes

    Kobo

    Here is the Kiss of Venom description. As always, please be mindful of spoilers:

    The New York Times bestselling Elemental Assassin series continues with a new e-novella — from the hero’s point of view! Owen Grayson is bound and determined to get Gin back … if her enemies don’t get her first.

    When you have a history of dating an assassin, a night out on the town can turn deadly — fast. Owen Grayson is still wracked with guilt over the end of his love affair with Gin Blanco, and there aren’t enough gin and tonics in all of Ashland to ease his heartache. But when Gin happens to show up at the same nightclub, he isn’t the only one hoping to get her alone. Some shadowy figures will do anything to take down the Spider, Gin’s assassin alter ego, and Owen will do anything to protect her. This could be the way to win her back, or at least give her a night off from fighting for her life — if Owen can survive …
     
    I hope that everyone enjoys the e-novella and seeing things from Owen’s point of view. Happy reading!