Crown of Shards series

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    Tear Down the Throne is NOT a YA book . . .

    Question: Is Tear Down the Throne a YA book? What about the other books in your Gargoyle Queen and Crown of Shards series?

    Answer: No. No, no, no, no, no. My epic fantasy books are NOT YA books.

    I feel like I have been shouting this from the social media rooftops for years now, ever since Kill the Queen, Crown of Shards #1, came out in 2018, but I will say it again:

    MY EPIC FANTASY BOOKS ARE NOT YA BOOKS!!!

    I don’t know how I can make this any clearer, and yet I still see lots of reviews/comments labeling Capture the Crown, Gargoyle Queen #1, and the three books in my Crown of Shards series as YA books. Once again, these are NOT YA books. They are adult books that contain violence, cursing, romantic scenes, and other adult themes.

    In Capture the Crown, Gemma Ripley is 29 – she is most definitely an adult. In my Crown of Shards series, Everleigh Blair is 27 – she too is most definitely an adult.

    So why the confusion? I’ve seen some comments saying that Gemma’s and Evie’s voices sound/read like YA voices. Maybe that’s how folks are reading it, but that’s not how I’m writing the characters. To me, both Gemma and Evie have a little more of a grandiose epic fantasy voice than Gin Blanco from my Elemental Assassin series with her gritty, modern, Southern drawl – but it is NOT a YA voice.

    I’ve seen other fantasy authors having the same problem – readers are labeling their adult books as YA books and then complaining about the language and romantic scenes in those books. So why the trend? An author friend suggested that many people just assume that if a female author is writing fantasy books, then they must be YA books. I think there might be some truth to this, and it makes me really angry, frustrated, and sad.

    Every once in a while, I will get a rude/mean/nasty email saying that I need to take out the cursing and romantic scenes because they aren’t appropriate for YA books. Please don’t do that to me or any other author. Just because you pick up a book thinking it’s one genre or kind of story doesn’t mean that the book is actually that genre or kind of story.

    I also find it extremely ironic that I never – NEVER! – get any complaints about the violence in the books, even from folks who think they are YA books. For example, there are pages – PAGES! – of violence/massacre in Kill the Queen, and yet, I never get any complaints about those scenes.

    So long story short, Tear Down the Throne is not a YA book. The characters are adults, and they do adult things. If you ever have a question about what to label a book, check out the author’s website and see what they say about it.

    I hope everyone enjoys Tear Down the Throne when it is released. Thank you for reading.

    Other authors — do you have this problem with your adult fantasy books?

    Tear Down the Throne will be released May 3 at all the usual retailers, and the book is available to pre-order.

    PRE-ORDER THE EBOOK:

    Amazon Kindle Barnes & Noble Apple Books Google Play Kobo

    PRE-ORDER THE PRINT BOOK:

    Amazon print Barnes & NobleBooks-A-Million IndieBound

    PRE-ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK:

    Amazon Audible Apple Books Google Play Kobo Libro.fm

    Amazon CDs

    TEAR DOWN THE THRONE DESCRIPTION:

    Bestselling author Jennifer Estep continues her Gargoyle Queen epic fantasy series where magic reigns, alliances are tested, and a dangerous attraction could tear down a throne. . .

    Crown princess. Clever spy. Powerful mind magier. Gemma Ripley of Andvari is all those things—and determined to stop an enemy from using magical tearstone weapons to conquer her kingdom.

    Gemma’s quest for answers leads her to a trade Summit between the various kingdoms. Among the other royals in attendance is Queen Maeven Morricone of Morta and her son, Prince Leonidas—Gemma’s charming and dangerous nemesis.

    Gemma knows that Maeven always has a long game in motion, and sure enough, the cunning queen invokes an arcane tradition that threatens the fragile truce between Andvari and the other kingdoms. Despite her best intentions, Gemma once again finds herself thrown together with Leo and battling her growing feelings for the enemy prince.

    When a series of deadly attacks shatters the Summit’s peaceful negotiations, Gemma realizes that someone wants to tear the royals down from their thrones—and that this enemy just might succeed.

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    Cover art revealed for Tear Down the Throne, Gargoyle Queen #2, May 3 …

    Here is a look at the cover art for Tear Down the Throne, book #2 in my Gargoyle Queen epic fantasy series. Woot!

    I love the colors, the bloody sword, and how Gemma looks like she means business — and has already been in a battle (or two). 😎 

    You all know that I love writing fight scenes, so I think the title is very appropriate for the book/storyline.

    Tear Down the Throne will be released May 3 at all the usual retailers, and the book is available to pre-order.

    PRE-ORDER THE EBOOK:

    Amazon Kindle Barnes & Noble Apple Books Google Play Kobo

    PRE-ORDER THE PRINT BOOK:

    Amazon print Barnes & NobleBooks-A-Million IndieBound

    PRE-ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK:

    Amazon Audible Apple Books Google Play Kobo Libro.fm

    TEAR DOWN THE THRONE DESCRIPTION:

    Bestselling author Jennifer Estep continues her Gargoyle Queen epic fantasy series where magic reigns, alliances are tested, and a dangerous attraction could tear down a throne. . .

    Crown princess. Clever spy. Powerful mind magier. Gemma Ripley of Andvari is all those things—and determined to stop an enemy from using magical tearstone weapons to conquer her kingdom.

    Gemma’s quest for answers leads her to a trade Summit between the various kingdoms. Among the other royals in attendance is Queen Maeven Morricone of Morta and her son, Prince Leonidas—Gemma’s charming and dangerous nemesis.

    Gemma knows that Maeven always has a long game in motion, and sure enough, the cunning queen invokes an arcane tradition that threatens the fragile truce between Andvari and the other kingdoms. Despite her best intentions, Gemma once again finds herself thrown together with Leo and battling her growing feelings for the enemy prince.

    When a series of deadly attacks shatters the Summit’s peaceful negotiations, Gemma realizes that someone wants to tear the royals down from their thrones—and that this enemy just might succeed.

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    Write Your Own Cake essay available now …

    Write Your Own Cake, my essay about writing and worldbuilding, has been released today, Feb. 8. Woot! 

    In the essay, I talk about writing and some of the things I thought about when I was creating Kill the Queen and my Crown of Shards epic fantasy world. So if you are interested in writing and worldbuilding, you might enjoy it. Also, please note that Write Your Own Cake is only be available as an ebook. Thanks!

    WRITE YOUR OWN CAKE EBOOK:

    Amazon Kindle Barnes & Noble Apple Books Google Play Kobo Smashwords

    WRITE YOUR OWN CAKE DESCRIPTION:

    When it comes to writing, worldbuilding is like making a cake. Why a cake? Because every author starts with the same general ingredients of characters, plot, and setting, but it’s how each author combines and adds to those ingredients that makes a book an author’s own unique creation.

    This essay offers a few tips and poses some questions for figuring out the things you enjoy and do best as an author, so that you can write your own cake, whether it’s a big, bold epic fantasy adventure, a subtle, nuanced mystery, an emotion-packed romance, or something else.

    Note: Write Your Own Cake is a 2,000-word essay about writing and worldbuilding. It first appeared as part of the Scribbler subscription box in November 2018.

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    Write Your Own Cake essay set for Feb. 8 …

    On Feb. 8, I will be releasing Write Your Own Cake. This is a worldbuilding essay I wrote a few years ago as part of a subscription box.

    In the essay, I talk about writing and some of the things I thought about when I was creating Kill the Queen and my Crown of Shards epic fantasy world. So if you are interested in writing and worldbuilding, you might enjoy it. Also, please note that Write Your Own Cake will only be available as an ebook. Thanks!

    WRITE YOUR OWN CAKE EBOOK:

    Amazon Kindle Barnes & Noble Apple Books Google Play Kobo Smashwords

    WRITE YOUR OWN CAKE DESCRIPTION:

    When it comes to writing, worldbuilding is like making a cake. Why a cake? Because every author starts with the same general ingredients of characters, plot, and setting, but it’s how each author combines and adds to those ingredients that makes a book an author’s own unique creation.

    This essay offers a few tips and poses some questions for figuring out the things you enjoy and do best as an author, so that you can write your own cake, whether it’s a big, bold epic fantasy adventure, a subtle, nuanced mystery, an emotion-packed romance, or something else.

    Note: Write Your Own Cake is a 2,000-word essay about writing and worldbuilding. It first appeared as part of the Scribbler subscription box in November 2018.

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    Kill the Queen on sale for $1.99 …

    Kill the Queen, book #1 in my Crown of Shards epic fantasy series, is on sale for $1.99. Woot! 😎 

    I believe this deal is U.S./Canada only, but you can check with your favorite retailer to see if it’s available in your country.

    GET THE EBOOK:

    Amazon Kindle B&N Nook Google Play Apple Books Kobo

    Many times, if you buy the ebook, then Amazon will let you get the audiobook for a few dollars more. Again, you might want to check and see if that sort of deal is available in your country:

    GET THE AUDIOBOOK:

    Amazon audiobook Audible audiobook Google Play Kobo LibroAmazon MP3 CD

    GET THE PRINT BOOK:

    Amazon print B&N print Books-A-Million IndieBoundWalmart

    Fun fact: Lauren Fortgang, who narrates the audiobooks for my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, is the narrator for Kill the Queen. You can listen to a clip of Lauren’s narration by clicking on the SoundCloud excerpt box below:

    KILL THE QUEEN DESCRIPTION:

    The thrilling first novel of the Crown of Shards epic fantasy series combines magic, murder, and adventure when a member of the royal family becomes a contender in a clash for the crown… 

    In a realm where one’s magical power determines one’s worth, Lady Everleigh’s lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.

    But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family. Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.

    Forced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. Though they use their talents to entertain and amuse the masses, the gladiators are actually highly trained warriors skilled in the art of war, especially Lucas Sullivan, a powerful magier with secrets of his own. Uncertain of her future—or if she even has one—Evie begins training with the troupe until she can decide her next move.

    But as the bloodthirsty Vasilia exerts her power, pushing Bellona to the brink of war, Evie’s fate becomes clear: she must become a fearsome gladiator herself . . . and kill the queen.