On Writing

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    A few thoughts on Widow’s Web …

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    Widow's Web e-book coverWidow’s Web, the seventh book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, will be out on Aug. 21. I’ve gotten some questions about the book, especially about how the title might or might not relate to Gin and Owen, so I thought I would share a few (vague) thoughts about it.

    Please note that this post does contain some mild spoilers and hints about the book and future books in the series. So if you absolutely don’t want to know anything about the book before you read it, you may want to skip this post.

    Well, I guess the first thing I should say is this: I do something in this book that some folks are probably not going to like. I’m not going to talk about exactly what it is, but you’ll know when you read it.

    So why did I do this thing? Well, I thought it was necessary for the story, and it lets me kick off another story arc that I wanted to explore. After the book has been out for a while and folks have had a chance to read it, I’ll try to do a post talking a little more in-depth about the story and the decisions that I made about it and the characters.

    In the meantime, I’m asking that folks be patient and wait for the story to play out. I know it’s hard, especially since the next book, Deadly Sting, probably won’t be out until April 2013, but I’m still asking. So … pretty please?

    I’m also asking folks to keep in mind that Widow’s Web is not the end of the series. There will be at least three more Elemental Assassin books after this one, and the things that happen in Widow’s Web will continue to play out over the next few books.

    I know this post sounds like a giant tease for the book, but that’s really all I can say about the story, etc. right now. I try to avoid giving out spoilers just so folks who don’t like spoilers don’t accidentally stumble across them. However, I did want to give everyone a heads-up about the story in the book. So this is my way of doing that.

    Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the book when it comes out. Happy reading!

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    Tentative release schedule for 2013 …

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    I can’t believe it’s the end of June already. Where did the first half of the year go? Sigh. Anyway, we may just be getting into the summer season, but I’m already working on books for next year. Today, I thought I would share my release schedule for 2013:

    Crimson Frost — Mythos Academy #4 — January 2013 (it looks like the release date for this one will be Dec. 24, 2012)

    Deadly Sting — Elemental Assassin #8 — April 2013

    Midnight Frost — Mythos Academy #5 — August 2013

    Untitled — Elemental Assassin #9 — September 2013

    Please keep in mind that this is a tentative schedule and subject to change. But if all goes according to plan, I’ll have these four books out in 2013.

    As of right now, there will be at least 10 books total in the Elemental Assassin series and at least 6 books total in the Mythos Academy series. I’ll post the cover art and back cover copy for the books as they become available. So stay tuned for more.

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    Romfest wrap-up …

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    Over the weekend, I attended the first annual Romfest in Gatlinburg, Tenn. I couldn’t attend the entire convention, which ran from Thursday morning until Sunday morning, but I had a good time while I was there, and I thought I’d share some of my highlights from the event:

    THURSDAY

    There was a welcome breakfast and workshops all day on Thursday, but I didn’t get to the convention hotel until mid-afternoon. After that, my mom and I decided to do a little sight-seeing and walked down the main street in Gatlinburg. If you’ve never been to Gatlinburg, it’s definitely a tourist town. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many places to get fudge, ice cream, funnel cakes, and pancakes so close together before. (Not that I’m complaining about that. LOL.) Anyway, we had fun looking in all the candy and food shops, despite the heat and humidity.

    There was a cookout at the hotel Thursday night, and folks gathered under an outdoor pavilion to just eat, hang out, and talk about books and other stuff.

    After the cookout, there was a pajama party hosted by Smoky Mountain Romance Writers. Again, just another chance for folks to mix and mingle, along with some games, food, and prizes. I sat at a table and chatted with Mary Wine, Shannon K. Butcher, and Shannon’s assistant, Sarah.

    FRIDAY

    Sherrilyn Kenyon booksThere were more workshops on Friday, including one by yours truly on how authors can get media coverage for their books. I talked about how to write a press release, common interview questions, etc. I hope folks got some helpful tips out of my workshop.

    After the morning workshops, there was a luncheon with keynote speaker Sherrilyn Kenyon. Sherrilyn gave a funny talk about some of the ups and downs of being a writer. I’ve posted a photo of Sherrilyn’s books at the Saturday signing since my photos of the luncheon didn’t turn out that well.

    After lunch, there were more workshops, including one given by my friend Trixie Stiletto and Natasha Moore. Trixie and Natasha told funny stories of how they’ve incorporated some real-life events into their books and talked about how you can find inspiration in all kinds of events.

    There was a dinner and costume contest on Friday night. After that, there was bingo and prizes with Rita Sawyer and Adele Quinn. That was a lot of fun, and I actually won a T-shirt. I never win anything at conventions, but I also won a couple of raffle baskets too. Huzzah! Although I think I’ve used up my giveaway luck for the foreseeable future.

    SATURDAY

    Jennifer Estep booksOn Saturday morning, the mom and I got up, went out, and did some shopping, since the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge-Sevierville area is full of shopping outlets.

    After that, it was time for the book signing. Here are some of my books.

    We had a good turnout for the signing, and I was also able to talk to some of the other authors, including Kimberly Lang, Lorelei James, Joey W. Hill, and MaryJanice Davidson.

    I want to give a big, big thanks to the staff at the Books-A-Million in Sevierville that hosted the signing. The staff was so friendly and helpful. They were constantly asking if the authors needed anything, and they even brought us cookies during the signing. You guys rock.

    I had to leave after the signing, but there was another dinner Saturday night and a goodbye breakfast Sunday morning.

    AND THAT’S A WRAP

    And that was my convention. I just want to say thanks to everyone who organized the conference and all the readers and authors who attended. It’s always nice to hang out with people who love books.

    The Romfest organizers are already thinking about next year’s event. I’m not sure if it will be in Gatlinburg again or somewhere else, but I hope I get to attend.

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    Housekeeping …

    I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m slowly going through and updating the web site with all the excerpts, back cover copy, and information that I can share at this time, including the excerpt for Crimson Frost, Mythos Academy #4, that will be out on Dec. 24.

    Please note that the excerpts and back cover copy do contain spoilers, so if you haven’t read all the books in a series, you may want to skip the excerpts and back cover copy until you are caught up.

    I’ve also switched things around a little on the blog. I’m still posting on my regular Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I’ll be talking about my book news and other book-related things. I’ve moved the book reviews to Fridays, and I’ve also started my new book review system.

    Anyway, I think that’s all for now. Hope everyone is having a good week.

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    And the title is …

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    Well, it looks like we have finally settled on a title for Mythos Academy #5. And the title is … drumroll please … Midnight Frost.

    I think it’s a cool title and will fit in well with the other titles in the series. As of right now, it looks like Midnight Frost will be released in August 2013. Of course, that could always change, so I’ll keep you posted.