On Writing

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    ARC giveaway for Deadly Sting …

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    Deadly StingMy editor was nice enough to send me three print ARCs (advanced reading copies) of Deadly Sting, the eighth book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series that will be out on March 26.

    I haven’t done a giveaway here on the blog in a while, so I thought that I would offer up the three ARCs for giveaway. To enter, just leave a comment on this post talking about a book that you are looking forward to in 2013.

    The giveaway will run through midnight, EST, Wednesday, February 20, and is open to U.S. residents only. The winners will be randomly selected and announced here on the blog on Friday, Feb. 22. You must be 18 years or older to enter.

    Also, if you do win an ARC, I hope that you will consider reading and reviewing the book for your blog, Goodreads account, etc.

    Here is the description for Deadly Sting. As always, if you don’t want to be spoiled, you may want to avoid reading the description.

    Red is definitely my color. Good thing, because in my line of work, I end up wearing it a lot.

    Most people shy away from blood, but for an assassin like me — Gin Blanco, aka the Spider — it’s just part of the job. Still, it would be nice to get a night off, especially when I’m attending the biggest gala event of the summer at Briartop, Ashland’s fanciest art museum. But it’s just not meant to be. For this exhibition of my late nemesis’ priceless possessions is not only the place to be seen, but the place to be robbed and taken hostage at gunpoint as well. No sooner did I get my champagne than a bunch of the unluckiest thieves ever burst into the museum and started looting the place.

    Unlucky why? Because I brought along a couple of knives in addition to my killer dress. Add these to my Ice and Stone magic, and nothing makes me happier than showing the bad guys why red really is my color.

    Hope everyone enjoys the book when it comes out.

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    My release schedule for 2013 …

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    Crimson FrostToday, I thought I would share my release schedule for 2013. As of right now, I should have a total of four books, a short story, and an e-story out in 2013.

    The release schedule is as follows. Please note that the print and e-books should be available the last Tuesday before the official release month:

    January: Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy #4). Available now.

    April: Deadly Sting (Elemental Assassin #8). On-sale date is March 26.

    July: Spartan Frost (Mythos Academy #4.5). On-sale date is June 25. Note that this will be an e-story only, told from Logan Quinn’s point of view. I’ll be posting more details about this soon.

    August: Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5). On-sale date is July 30.

    August: An Elemental Assassin short story in the Carniepunk urban fantasy anthology. On-sale date is July 23.

    September: Heart of Venom (Elemental Assassin #9). On-sale date is Aug. 27.

    All of my individual books will also be available as audiobooks. The Elemental Assassin audiobooks will be available as digital downloads through Audible, while the Mythos Academy audiobooks will be available as digital downloads through Audible and physical CDs through Brilliance Audio and booksellers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.

    As far as I know, the Carniepunk anthology will not be available as an audiobook. Neither will the Spartan Frost e-story. If that changes, I will let everyone know.

    I also have a couple more projects in the works, but I need to see how things shake out with my writing schedule and whether you guys might see these projects this year or next year.

    More information about each of the books, including excerpts and cover art, will be posted as it becomes available. Hope everyone enjoys the books and stories this year. Happy reading!

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    Conference schedule for 2013 …

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    I’ve been getting some questions about whether or not I have any book signings planned for this year. Really, conferences are the main places that I sign books at, so I thought I would share my conference schedule for 2013:

    May 1-5 — RT Booklovers’ Convention in Kansas City

    I always have a good time at RT, and I hear that Kansas City is a really cool place to visit. One thing that I really like that RT has done this year is the agenda on the conference website. You can put in an author’s name and see the events that she is supposed to be at. Very handy for the authors for figuring out where you’re supposed to be and when, and also an easy way for readers to see all the panels/events that their favorite authors will be part of.

    June 19-23 — Romfest in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

    This is a smaller conference that I went to last year, and it was a lot of fun. As much as I enjoy going to the larger conferences, I like the smaller ones too because it seems like you have more time to chat with folks, and the pace is a little less hectic.

    July 17-20 — RWA in Atlanta

    Another big conference, and another one that I always have a good time at. It’s always fun to meet readers and other authors and see who takes home the annual Golden Heart and Rita awards.

    Aug. 15-18 — Authors After Dark in Savannah, Ga.

    I went to AAD a couple of years ago when it was in Philadelphia, and I really enjoyed all of the different panels, parties, and mixers. Once again this year, it looks like there are tons of fun things to do on the schedule. Plus, Savannah is a great town to visit (although it’s bound to be sweltering in mid-August).

    Note: Please note that this is my intended but tentative schedule. Something could always come up that prevents me from attending a conference — family issues, travel snafus, etc. So just take this schedule with a grain of salt.

    But if you’re planning on attending any of these events, hope to see you there.

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    Unusual frequently asked questions …

    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.