On Writing

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    Pre-order Spartan Heart, Mythos Academy spinoff #1, Dec. 5 …

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    Mythos Academy is back! I’m so excited to be writing a spinoff series and returning to the Mythos Academy world. Here are all the details on my new book:

    Title: Spartan Heart

    Series: Mythos Academy spinoff #1

    Release date: Dec. 5, 2017

    Available in: E-book and print book

    Price: The e-book will be $4.99 and available at all the usual e-book retailers.

    The print book price will probably be around $14.99, and the print book will be available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The print book will NOT be stocked in your local bookstore, so you will have to order it online.

    Audiobook info coming soon: I should have more info to share on the audiobook soon. However, as of right now, the audiobook will NOT be released on Dec. 5.

    Cover art: The cover was done by the awesome Jenny Zemanek from Seedlings Design Studio. I love the cover, and I hope that you guys do too. And once you read the book, you will realize exactly what the cover is, so be on the lookout for that little Easter egg in the book.

    Pre-order links: You can pre-order Spartan Heart at the following sites:

    Amazon Kindle / Barnes & Noble Nook / Google Play / iBooks / Kobo / Smashwords

    Book description: And here is the book description:

    New school year, same old problems . . . 

    At Mythos Academy, everyone knows exactly who I am: Rory Forseti, Spartan girl and the daughter of Reapers.  

    Even though I fought alongside my cousin Gwen Frost to save the mythological world from Loki and his evil Reapers of Chaos, I’m still the most hated girl at the academy because of all the horrible things my parents did. I had hoped that this school year would be different, but the other kids just won’t let me forget about my parents.   

    But something strange is going on at the Colorado academy. First, I run into a Viking guy who dislikes me more than most. Then I notice some odd artifacts in the Library of Antiquities. And worst of all, I start hearing rumors about a new group of Reapers who can summon mythological monsters. 

    I might be the most hated girl at Mythos Academy, but I’m also the only one who can save it . . .

    Note: This is a spinoff series, and the new books will star Rory Forseti, Gwen’s cousin from Midnight Frost and Killer Frost, books #5 and #6 in the original Mythos Academy series. Gwen is NOT the heroine in these books, although she and some of the other characters from the original series will make cameo appearances in the spinoff books.

    You can read the first chapter of Spartan Heart here. Scroll down, and click on the Read Excerpt tab. The first few chapters in the book are sort of my homage to Gwen and Touch of Frost, book #1 in the original Mythos Academy series. As of right now, there will be three books in the spinoff series.

    I hope that everyone enjoys the book when it comes out. I had a lot of fun revisiting the Mythos Academy world, and I hope you guys enjoy Rory’s story as much as you did Gwen’s. Cheers!

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    Fall library events …

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    I will be doing a couple of library events this fall. Here is the schedule, as of right now:

    Sept. 23 — Johnson City Public Library, Johnson City, Tenn.

    I will be signing books from 12:30-1:30 p.m., and then doing a Q&A from 1:30-2:15 p.m. at the Johnson City Public Library. This event is part of the library’s annual Lib Con, which runs all day on Sept. 23. I will be one of several authors and artists appearing, and there will be a costume contest, vendors, and more.

    Oct. 14 — Washington County Public Library, Abingdon, Va.

    I will be doing a Q&A and signing books at the Washington County Public Library. This event starts at 2 p.m. and is part of the library’s NEA Big Read programming. The library will be hosting several events throughout October and November as part of the Big Read.

    Note: I will be signing and selling books at both events. I’ll probably have the first and the latest book in my various series — Elemental Assassin, Mythos Academy, Black Blade, and Bigtime. So if you plan to attend one of the events, and there is a specific book you want, you can contact me through Facebook, and I’ll try to bring a copy of that book.

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    Kill the Queen epic fantasy series …

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    I’m thrilled to announce that I will be writing an epic fantasy series. Woot! Woot!

    The first book in the series is called Kill the Queen, and I believe that the series name will also be Kill the Queen.

    As of right now, there will be three books in the series, which will be published by HarperVoyager. Kill the Queen is tentatively scheduled to be published in September 2018, but that is subject to change.

    Here’s my pitch for Kill the Queen — Gladiator meets Game of Thrones with a kick-ass heroine.

    Kill the Queen will be similar in some ways to my Elemental Assassin and other series. The books will be written in first-person from the heroine’s point of view. There will also be lots of action, magic, and fight scenes. The first book will also have some flashback scenes. But everything will be on a bit of a grander scale, since, you know, it’s epic fantasy.

    I’m really excited about the new series. I’ve always loved reading epic fantasy, and the very first book that I ever wrote was an epic fantasy. So writing an epic fantasy series myself is a dream come true for me. 🙂

    I’ve set up a Kill the Queen page for the series on my website, and I’ll share more information — cover art, blurbs, excerpts, etc. — as it becomes available.

    So this means that I am currently juggling three series — Kill the Queen, Elemental Assassin, and Mythos Academy spinoff. Three series is a lot to keep track of and work on, so you guys might have to wait a little longer in between books, depending on which series you like/follow. I will not be writing any more Bigtime books in the foreseeable future. I just have too many other books/series to work on. I’ll be sharing release dates, cover art, and more for these three series as well, as they become available.

    So be patient. I am writing/working on all three series as fast as I can. Thanks!

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    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.

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    Nice Guys Bite audiobook to be released on Dec. 20 …

    E-Novella #15.5I have an update on the audiobook for Nice Guys Bite, Elemental Assassin #15.5. The audiobook will be released on Tuesday, Dec. 20. You can pre-order the audiobook here:

    Audible / Amazon

    Note that the narrator will be David Marantz — NOT Lauren Fortgang. Since this is from Silvio’s point of view, Audible decided to use a male narrator, since Lauren is the voice of Gin.

    Also, I have been told that if you are an Audible member, then you can potentially listen to the audiobook for free through the Audible Channels service. But I’m not 100% sure how that works, so you might want to check your membership about that.

    Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoys the audiobook. Happy listening!

    And of course you can still get the e-book through all the usual retailers:

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

    Nice Guys Bite 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.

    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! 🙂