Jennifer Estep - Book Review, Author Interview, Book Giveaway, Swag Giveaway

I’d rather face a dozen lethal assassins any night than deal with something as tricky, convoluted, and fragile as my feelings.

But here I am. Gin Blanco, the semi-retired assassin known as the Spider. Hovering outside sexy businessman Owen Grayson’s front door like a nervous teenage girl. One thing I like about Owen: he doesn’t shy away from my past—or my present. And right now I have a bull’s-eye on my forehead. Cold-blooded Fire elemental Mab Monroe has hired one of the smartest assassins in the business to trap me.

 Elektra LaFleur is skilled and efficient, with deadly electrical elemental magic as potent as my own Ice and Stone powers. Which means there’s a fifty-fifty chance one of us won’t survive this battle. I intend to kill LaFleur—or die trying—because Mab wants the assassin to take out my baby sister, Detective Bria Coolidge, too. The only problem is, Bria has no idea I’m her long-lost sibling . . . or that I’m the murderer she’s been chasing through Ashland for weeks. And what Bria doesn’t know just might get us both dead. . . .

Book Review:

WOW, this book will blow you away with all that is to be expected. From an villain, to the pace, page-turning, edge of seat, thrill and action you come to know and love! The relationship scenes play on your emotions. The characters are relatable. Gin (Heroine), is strong, who also has a soft side every now and then. Ms. Estep's writing style and Originality is superb. The would in which she created is awesome. The ending is to die-for, and will leave you insatiable for the following book. The Book cover is hot. Overall I was very please with this book and can not wait to read the next one!

My Rating 5 stars.

Author Interview:

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Jennifer Estep, and I’m a USA Today bestselling author. I write the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. The books focus on Gin Blanco, an assassin codenamed the Spider who can control the elements of Ice and Stone. When she’s not busy killing people and righting wrongs, Gin runs a barbecue restaurant called the Pork Pit in the fictional Southern metropolis of Ashland. The city is also home to giants, dwarves, vampires, and elementals – Air, Fire, Ice, and Stone.

Books in the series are Spider’s Bite, Web of Lies, and Venom. Tangled Threads, the fourth book, was published on April 26, while Spider’s Revenge, the fifth book, will be released in October.

I also write the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series for Kensington. The books focus on Gwen Frost, a 17-year-old Gypsy girl who has the gift of psychometry, or the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it. After a serious freak-out with her magic, Gwen is shipped off to Mythos Academy, a school for the descendants of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, and more.

The first book, Touch of Frost, will be out in August, while the second book, Kiss of Frost, will hit shelves in December. First Frost, a prequel e-short story to the series, will be out in July. Visit www.jenniferestep.com for excerpts and more.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I’ve always loved to read ever since I was a kid, so I think that just naturally led to me wanting to write my own stories as well. One day, I had the thought that I think a lot of writers do after reading a book that wasn’t very good: Why, I could write something better than that. So I started writing my first book, and I haven’t stopped writing since.

What surprised you the most about the writing/publishing process?

Just how long and complicated it is. Revisions, copy edits, page proofs, cover art, marketing, advertising. They are so many things that go into turning a manuscript into a finished book. It really is amazing and humbling to know that my stories go through all these steps and get turned into books that folks can pick up and read.

How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?

Not really. Basically, since my books are first-person, I think of my heroine first – who she is, what she does, what kind of magic that she has, etc. Then, I just start building a fantasy world around her with magic, other characters/creatures, a city/town, and more. As I write my rough drafts and go back and revise them, I just keep adding more and more elements and layers until the book is as good as I can make it.

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

I think the most important elements of good writing are memorable characters and a story that has a lot of action in it. I also think it’s important for writers to have fun and enjoy what they’re writing because I think that shows in the finished book. If you’re having fun writing something, then I think readers are more likely to enjoy your book as well.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

My latest book is Tangled Threads, which came out on April 26. It’s the fourth book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. In this book, my heroine Gin finds out that her nemesis, Mab Monroe, has hired another assassin to come to Ashland, track down, and kill the Spider, aka Gin. Along the way, Gin searches for a kidnapped girl and struggles with whether or not to tell her sister Bria who and what she really is.

In Twitter Fashion use140 characters or less, sum Tangled Threads for us.

Assassin vs. assassin with lots of action, magic, danger, and romance in the mix.

How did you come up with a story that was such a whirl wind of events?

I like books with a little bit of everything in them – action, magic, danger, drama, romance. Those are just the kind of books that I like to read, and those are the kind of books that I like to write too.

How long did it take you to write it, and did you have any writer’s block along the way?

It took me several months to write Tangled Threads. I don’t know that I had writer’s block, but there were definitely days when it was harder to write than others, when the story and characters just didn’t seem to flow as smoothly or I was distracted by other things. But I think every writer has days like that. You just have to keep working through them and make the book the best that it can be.

Will we be seeing a following book to this story?

Yes. Spider’s Revenge, the fifth book in the Elemental Assassin series, will be out on Sept. 27. Gin will finally have her big showdown with Mab in that book. Also, I’ll be writing two more books in the series after that. Books six and seven should both be out in 2012.

How did you come up with the character Gin Blanco?

I’ve always liked reading about assassin characters, especially in fantasy books. One day, I just thought it would be cool to come up with my own assassin character with my own world and magic system. That was the beginning of Gin Blanco.

I always must ask, if you could pick one actress to portray Gin Blanco on the big screen who would it be and why?

I would pick Jennifer Garner. I loved her in Alias, and I think she would do a great job as Gin.

Was there anything you find particularly challenging when writing this book?

To me, the biggest challenge is just making the time to write. There are so many other things that authors have to do – e-mail, blogging, advertising, social media, etc. – that it can sometimes be hard just to find the time to sit down and write.

What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of your finished book?

I always love seeing the finished book for the first time. It always makes me so happy because I know that after all the hard work by so many folks, the book is finally done. It’s just a great feeling of accomplishment. Happy reading, everyone! ;-)

Follow this Author And Her Books:


Website:  http://www.jenniferestep.com


Blog:  http://www.jenniferestep.com/blog/


Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/Jennifer_Estep


Fan Page:   http://artist.to/jenniferestepfanpage/


Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/580315.Jennifer_Estep

1 paperback copy of Tangled Threads

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