About Books

  • · ·

    Frequently asked questions page …

    Back in December, I started a new feature called Monday Morning Mailbag that I post on my Facebook page every Monday morning. The feature is just a way for me to answer frequently asked questions that I get from readers.

    I have compiled some of the questions/answers here on my website on the Frequently Asked Questions page. So if you’ve missed some of the questions on my Facebook page, or just want to see what questions I’ve answered so far, you can check out the page here on my website. Here are a couple of sample questions:

    Question: How do you pronounce your last name?

    Answer: It is pronounced Eee-step — not Essstep.

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

    Answer: I get this question a lot — probably more than any other question, which I think is a bit strange. Who knew folks were so interested in regional word choices? ?

    In the South, where I am from and where many of my books are set, a “toboggan” refers to a winter hat — not a sled. A sled is just a sled in the South. We do not call those “toboggans”.

    Many folks have also asked why I don’t use the word “toque” when talking about a winter hat. That’s a Northern/Canadian word. The Southern characters in my books would never use that word, so it’s just a difference in regional word choices. Here’s a blog post that I did about the subject several years ago: https://www.jenniferestep.com/you-say-tomato/#.V-h9AySpn2A

    To see more, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page. I’ll try to update it with new questions/answers every few months or so.

  • · ·

    Snared, Elemental Assassin #16, to be released on April 25 …

    2 Comments

    Book #16 Snared, book #16 in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, will be released on April 25, 2017. Woot!

    As always, the cover was created by Tony Mauro, and the cover model is Alexa Martino. I love all the little details on this one, like the bloody spider runes on Gin’s hands and the spider rune in the title.

    You can pre-order Snared at all the usual book retailers:

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon paperback / Barnes & Noble e-book / Barnes & Noble print book / Books-A-Million / Google Play / iBooks / IndieBound / Kobo

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon, and the awesome Lauren Fortgang will once again be the narrator. The pre-order links for the audiobooks should be online sometime in March. I’ll share those links here on my blog and on my social media sites when they go online.

    Here is the description for Snared. Note: This contains some spoilers from previous books in the series, starting with Bitter Bite, book #14. So if you haven’t read that far in the series yet, you may want to avoid reading the description below:

    The sixteenth book in the New York Times bestselling Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series that RT Book Reviews calls, “An extraordinary series…[containing] one of the most intriguing heroines in the genre.”

    If you don’t know Gin “the Spider” Blanco, you don’t know dangerous female heroines.

    Irony 101—The Spider herself snared in someone else’s web …

    Another week, another few clues trickling in about the Circle, the mysterious group that supposedly runs the city’s underworld. Gathering intel on my hidden enemies is a painstaking process, but a more immediate mystery has popped up on my radar: a missing girl.

    My search for the girl begins on the mean streets of Ashland, but with all the killers and crooks in this city, I’m not holding out much hope that she’s still alive.

    A series of clues leads me down an increasingly dark, dangerous path, and I realize that the missing girl is really just the first thread in this web of evil. As an assassin, I’m used to facing down the worst of the worst, but nothing prepares me for this new, terrifying enemy—one who strikes from the shadows and is determined to make me the next victim.

    You can read the first chapter of Snared by going here. Scroll down, and click on the Read Excerpt tab.

    I hope that everyone enjoys Snared when it is released.

  • The weather might be frightful, but winter reads are quite delightful …

    4 Comments

    The holidays are a distant memory, and we are well into winter now. That means cold temperatures and snow for many of us.

    Me? I love the cold weather, and I hope that we get buckets of snow this year. 🙂

    But I also find that the cold weather affects my reading habits. In the warmer months, I often find myself reading shorter books with lighter themes — things like contemporary romance or comics/graphic novels. Books that I can usually read in a night or two, in between all my other work and commitments.

    crooked-kingdomBut in the winter, I like to read longer, more involved books — things like epic fantasy and large collections of comics that often take me several nights to read. All the books that I never seem to have time to read during the rest of the year, like Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo.

    So why is that? I think a large part of it is the weather. The cold temperatures, the short days, the long nights — it all makes me want to stay inside where it is warm and toasty. Plus, once I sit down on the couch with my book, a microfleece blanket, and perhaps a mug of hot chocolate, I want to stay there for a while.

    Also, the winter months, especially January, always seem to feel a little less hectic, especially after all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. It just seems like a good time to slow down, rest, recharge, and read a book.

    Here are some more books on my TBR this winter:

    The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

    The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst

    Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

    What about you guys? Do you find yourself reading different kinds of books at different times of the year? Why or why not?

  • Winter reads …

    The holidays are over for another year, so let’s talk about the fun stuff — books. 🙂

    What books did you guys get for Christmas? Here are some of the books that I got for the holidays that I’m looking forward to reading this winter. Note that the descriptions are from Amazon:

    Black WidowBlack Widow Vol. 1: S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Most Wanted by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee

    They wowed you with Daredevil, now the Eisner Award-winning team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee take Black Widow to new heights -by forcing her to go on the lam! Natasha has a lifetime of secrets, and when some of the darkest ones are made public, nobody is safe. As S.H.I.E.L.D. turns on its once greatest asset, she seeks out her own answers in a knockdown drag-out tale of action and espionage! But will the Widow’s hunt for the Weeping Lion send her back to the one place she never wanted to go? And, when a S.H.I.E.L.D. funeral makes the assembled top brass an attractive target, it’s lucky for them that the Black Widow is still on their side, even if they aren’t on hers.

    COLLECTING: BLACK WIDOW 1-6

    My thoughts: I’m always up for a Black Widow story, and I’ve heard good things about this series.

    dc-comics-bombshellsDC Comics: Bombshells Vol. 1: Enlisted by Marguerite Bennett and Marguerite Sauvage

    The incredibly popular DC Collectibles line is brought to life in these stories that reimagine the course of history!

    As Word War II rages across Europe, the Allied forces issue a call to arms for the greatest heroines the world has ever known: THE BOMBSHELLS!

    KATE KANE, the all-American Batwoman; DIANA OF THEMYSCIRA, warrior Princess of the Amazons; KARA STARIKOV and KORTNI DUGINOVNA, defenders of Mother Russia; and MERA, royal daughter of the legendary Atlantis! With aid from their allies at home and abroad, these mighty women will turn the tide of war and defend those inviolable rights of Truth, Justice and Freedom.

    From writer Marguerite Bennett (BATGIRL, EARTH 2: WORLD’S END) and featuring artists including Marguerite Sauvage (HINTERKIND), Laura Braga (Witchblade), Bilquis Evely (Doc Savage), Mirka Andolfo (Chaos) and Ming Doyle (CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER) comes DC COMICS: BOMBSHELLS VOL. 1: ENLISTED. Collects DC COMICS: BOMBSHELLS #1-6.

    My thoughts: This looks like an interesting and different take on Wonder Woman and other classic comic book heroines.

    the-demon-kingThe Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

    One day Han Alister catches three young wizard setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet away from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won’t use it against him. The amulet once belonged to the Demon King, who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece so powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

    Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna has her own battle to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of riding and hunting with her father’s family. Raia aspires to be like Hanalea, the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems that her mother has other plans for her-plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

    The Seven Realms will tremble when the lives of Han and Raisa collide in this stunning page-turner from best-selling author Cinda Williams Chima.

    My thoughts: I’ve heard a lot of good things about this series, and I’ve been wanting to try it for a long time.

    What about you guys? What books are you looking forward to reading this winter?

  • · · ·

    Nice Guys Bite, Silvio’s e-novella, released today …

    4 Comments

    E-Novella #15.5Nice Guys Bite, Elemental Assassin #15.5, has been released today, Dec. 12. Woot!

    This is an e-novella that takes place after the events of Unraveled, book #15. It is told from the point of view of Silvio Sanchez, Gin’s personal assistant. It is about 20,000 words — around 70 pages — and is available as an e-novella. There will not be a print version at this time. The e-novella is priced at $1.99.

    Nice Guys Bite is available at the following sites:

    Amazon Kindle / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / Google Play / iBooks / Kobo

    Here is the description. As always, if you do not want to be spoiled, you might want to skip reading the description:

    New York Times bestseller Jennifer Estep (Mythos Academy) continues her Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series with an e-novella starring Silvio Sanchez, the vampire assistant of Gin Blanco, as he goes on a holiday date that turns out to be more deadly than romantic.

    Working for Gin Blanco (aka the Spider, the assassin who runs the Ashland underworld) doesn’t leave much time for romance, especially with Gin’s holiday party planning in full swing. But when he catches the eye of a charming gentleman, Silvio finds himself going out for coffee.

    All’s fair in love and war, though. Just as Silvio is starting to enjoy himself, he realizes he’s being watched. His nice-guy date doesn’t sense the danger, and Silvio wants to keep it that way (and, well, keep the guy alive) so Silvio ends the date early—only to be abducted by some villainous giants.

    Will Silvio survive the night and make it back to the Pork Pit in time for Gin’s holiday party? Only if he decks the hall with bodies …

    You can read a brief excerpt of the e-novella by going to this page. Scroll down, and click on the Read Excerpt tab. I had a lot of fun writing Silvio’s e-novella, and I hope that everyone enjoys Nice Guys Bite. Happy reading! 🙂

    NOTE ABOUT THE UPCOMING AUDIO VERSION

    Some folks have been asking about an audio version of Nice Guys Bite. I’m happy to report that there will be an audiobook. However, it won’t be out today, Dec. 12, the same day as the e-book. So if you want to read Silvio’s story ASAP, you will have to download the e-book.

    Due to Audible’s production schedule, there just wasn’t time for a same-day release. I don’t have a firm release date for the audiobook, but I’m hoping that it’s available before Christmas.

    Also, Lauren Fortgang will not be the narrator for this. She is the voice of Gin, and this is from Silvio’s point of view, so Audible has decided to use David Marantz, a male narrator, for Silvio’s voice.

    I’ll post more info on the audiobook as soon as I get it, so stay tuned for more. In the meantime, I hope that everyone enjoys the e-book of Nice Guys Bite.