Elemental Assassin series

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    Bitter Bite, Elemental Assassin #14, up for pre-order …

    Bitter Bite, the 14th book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, will be out on Feb. 23, so it’s time to start sharing the pre-order links.

    Bitter BiteBitter Bite will available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats from all the usual retailers:

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

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon, and the awesome Lauren Fortgang is once again the narrator. Audible usually puts their pre-order links up about six weeks before the release date, so the audiobook links should be going up any day now.

    And here is the book description:

    Which is stronger: blood ties or a battle-tested friendship? That’s the question Gin Blanco is asking when a friend’s long-lost relative comes strolling back into Ashland under suspicious circumstances. 

    It’s not easy being queen bee of an underworld abuzz with crooks and killers. Wielding my potent Ice and Stone elemental magic will only get me so far—my real secret is my tight-knit makeshift family, a motley crew of cops and criminals, dwarves and playboys. My foster brother Finnegan Lane is my right-hand man, but when his suddenly not-dead relative comes back into the picture, I’m the one on the outside looking in.

    It’s funny how life works: one minute your best friend is rock-steady, and the next he’s doe-eyed and buying into this whole loving-relative routine to the point of ignoring you. I’d like to be happy for Finn, I really would. But all of my instincts are telling me that beneath the syrupy sweet demeanor and old-fashioned charm, this sudden interloper is planning something. The whole shtick leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. This person might have avoided the grave once, but I’ll put anyone who hurts Finn in the ground—for good.

    In other words, this book is all about Finn. 🙂

    You can read the first chapter of the book here. Scroll down and click on the Read Excerpt tab.

    I hope that everyone enjoys Gin’s (and Finn’s) latest adventure when it is published. Happy reading!

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    Jennifer’s 2016 Book Release Schedule …

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    Greetings! I hope that everyone had a good holiday season and that everyone got lots of good books to read. 🙂

    A new year also means new books from me. Here is my book release schedule — so far — for 2016.

    JENNIFER ESTEP’S 2016 BOOK RELEASE SCHEDULE

    Book #14Bitter Bite — Elemental Assassin #14 — Feb. 23

    Bright Blaze of Magic — Black Blade #3 — April 26. Note: As of right now, this will be the final book in the trilogy/series.

    Unwanted — Elemental Assassin #14.5 — July 18. Note: This is an e-novella from Finn’s point of view that takes place after the events of Bitter Bite. It’s about 20,000 words and will be priced at $1.99. It will be available as an e-novella only.

    Unraveled — Elemental Assassin #15 — Aug. 30

    So this is my book release schedule as of right now. The release dates for Bitter Bite and Bright Blaze of Magic are definite — my work on those books is done, and they are up for pre-order at all the usual book retailers.

    The release dates for Unwanted and Unraveled are also pretty firm, although they could always change due to various publishing whims.

    As for other potential projects, I will be writing Elemental Assassin #16 this year — that one will probably be released in early 2017. I’m also hoping to do another Elemental Assassin e-novella — not sure who’s point of view that one might be from yet.

    I’m also working on some ideas for a new young adult series. I always have more ideas than I will ever have time to write, so we’ll see what I come up with.

    Unfortunately, I probably won’t have time to write and self-publish another Bigtime story this year. I love writing the series, but self-publishing takes a lot of time, and my writing schedule is already full going into 2017(!) now.

    Anyway, I will be updating this schedule and sharing book covers, descriptions, pre-order links, etc. as they become available here on my blog and on my Facebook and Twitter pages.

    Here’s to happy reading in 2016!

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    More Gin books on the way …

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    So Christmas has come a little early for me this year. I’m happy to announce that there will be two more Elemental Assassin books after Bitter Bite, book #14, Feb. 23.

    Woot! Woot! Woot! 🙂

    So these will be books #15 and #16 in the series. And the title for book #15 is … Unraveled, which is tentatively set to be published on Aug. 30, 2016.

    I might also be doing some more Elemental Assassin e-novellas (like Thread of Death and Kiss of Venom) — time and schedule permitting. We’ll see what happens.

    In the meantime, I’m thrilled to continue Gin’s adventures, and I hope that everyone has as much fun reading the new books when they come out as I do writing them.

    Happy reading, everyone!

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    Spider’s Trap giveaway …

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    So Thanksgiving is next week, and Christmas is a little more than a month away. Where did 2015 go? LOL.

    Book #13But let’s kick off the holiday season a little early. How about a giveaway? 🙂

    I’m giving away 5 copies of Spider’s Trap, Elemental Assassin #13. I also have an Arrow TV show bag that a reader was nice enough to send me from Comic-con that I’ll include with one of the books.

    The contest is open to those 18 and older, U.S. only, due to shipping costs. To enter the giveaway, use the form at the bottom of this post.

    Spider’s Trap is available at all the usual retailers, including:

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

    The audiobook is available at Audible. You can also get the audiobook through Amazon. The awesome Lauren Fortgang is once again the narrator for the audiobook.

    Here is the description for Spider’s Trap:

    Keep your friends close but your enemies within stabbing distance.

    One important lesson I’ve learned in the assassination business is that to be the best you have to roll with the punches. Now that I’m queen of Ashland’s underworld—by default, not by choice—a lot more punches are being thrown my way. But I suppose that’s the price of victory for taking down some of the underworld’s top dogs. Good thing I have my Ice and Stone magic to help me survive my volatile new position. Just when I think things are finally settling down, someone tries to murder me during a hush-hush underworld meeting. But the real surprise is how strangely familiar my shadowy assailant seems to be.

    My job is to maintain order among killers, crooks, and thieves, and soon I’m embroiled in a bloody game where the ability to keep secrets could be the greatest superpower of all. My enemies have all sharpened their knives and laid their traps, waiting for me to fall. But this Spider weaves her own webs of death …

    You can read the first chapter of Spider’s Trap here. Scroll down and click on the Read Excerpt tab, although beware of spoilers for previous books in the series, especially Black Widow.

    I hope that everyone has a great holiday season. Cheers, everyone! 🙂

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

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    Writing the seasons into books …

    Note: This post appeared at Magical Musings a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share it here too.

    Fall officially began last week. Woot!

    I love fall. It’s my favorite time of year for so many reasons — pleasant days, cool nights, changing leaves, football, all sorts of apple, cranberry, and pumpkin dishes to make, eat, and enjoy. 🙂

    I also find myself writing about fall a lot in my books too. To me, it seems like fall and winter can become actual characters in my books more easily than spring and summer. Maybe that’s because many of my books are so dark and gritty, like my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. To me, the darker and colder seasons of fall and winter just seem to suit those books better.

    Bitter Bite (2)And I love it when the cover reflects the season that’s in the book, like in the cover for Bitter Bite, Elemental Assassin #14. That book is set in November, and I talk about it snowing, so I think the cover really captures that well.

    But in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series, the books take place during the summer months, mostly because the heroine Lila Merriweather lives in a tourist town full of magic, monsters, and mobsters. Since I’m talking about tourists being in the town, it made sense to set the books during the summer when more folks go on vacation.

    But no matter which season I’m writing about, I always try to make sure that it has a presence in my books, whether I’m talking about how beautiful the colors of the fall leaves are, how cold the winter wind is, or even how muggy and oppressive a summer afternoon can feel. I like adding in those descriptions, and I think the seasons add another layer of interest for readers.

    What about you guys? Readers — do you like it when books are set in a particular season? Authors — which seasons do you like writing about in your books?