Interview with Jennifer Estep & Giveaway of Touch of Frost!

Guys, I am so excited to give you our first author interview!  I am even more excited that it is with the talented Jennifer Estep!  Long ago I read Jennifer's Karma Girl and for years I have been eyeing her Elemental Assassins books in the bookstore (I finally purchased the first three and am looking forward to reading them).  When I saw that Jennifer was entering the world of YA with a series about mythology and heroes, I was hooked.  See my review of Touch of Frost here.

I was psyched to ask Jennifer to participate in our Greek Week celebration and  Jennifer very graciously agreed to be our very first author interview and even offered to donate a copy of Touch of Frost for a giveaway!  So, without further ado, I give you Jennifer Estep:

1. Of all the special abilities displayed at Mythos Academy, which would you most want for yourself? Which would you hate?Thank you Jennifer!  We really appreciate you coming out to play with us! 

Jennifer: The warrior whiz kids have a lot of cool powers. I think it would be interesting to have a Valkyrie’s strength, an Amazon’s quickness, or a Spartan’s ability to pick up any weapon and automatically know how to use it.

However, I don’t think I would like to have the enhanced senses that some of the kids have. I imagine you would get a lot of headaches from things like bright lights and loud noises.

2. You have a successful adult series, the Elemental Assassin (an urban fantasy series). Did you find it difficult to switch to writing for young adults? What was most difficult?

Jennifer: My Elemental Assassin series can be dark and gritty, so it was nice to write something a little lighter with the Mythos Academy books. Both series have a lot of the same elements in common – a strong, sassy heroine, magic/world building, fight scenes – so I didn’t find it too difficult to switch to writing YA.

I would say the hardest part is just trying to write in a YA voice and tell more of a coming-of-age story. In the Mythos Academy books, Gwen is trying to figure out what she wants her place in the world to be and how she can use her magic to help others. It’s been a fun challenge to write a heroine who is still learning things about herself and growing up along the way. Hopefully, readers will enjoy Gwen’s story.

3. And because we really do have the mentality of 16-year olds here at BiblioJunkies, what fictional character would you most like to go out with?

Jennifer: That’s a tough one. There are so many great heroes in YA books these days. But I would have to say Peeta from The Hunger Games. He’s just a really sweet, caring guy who looks out for the people he loves no matter what. Plus, he can bake too.

4. Gwen shares a love of treats with the BiblioJunkies. We are totally jealous that Grandma Frost has baked treats for Gwen every time she goes home. So, we have to know, what is your favorite treat?

Jennifer: I couldn’t pick just one! LOL. I have a sweet tooth so I love desserts – cakes, cookies, pies. Some of my favorite treats are strawberry cheesecake ice cream and dark chocolate candy bars with raspberry. Even though it’s not dessert, I also have a weakness for cheese fries.

5. What treat should we have on hand for our fictional date with the hottie Spartan Warrior, Logan Quinn?

Jennifer: I would say a sense of adventure. Logan’s a really fun guy, and you never know where you might end up on a date with him – or how many Reapers might be lurking around waiting to spoil things …

Thank you Jennifer!  We appreciate you taking the time out of your extremely busy writing schedule (I count 4 books and 3 short stories in 2011 & 3 books and 1 short story coming in 2012!) to come out for our little party.  You can learn more about Jennifer and her books at http://www.jenniferestep.com/.  

***I'm told that the Rafflecopter is not working properly; therefore, if you comment on the blog, I will make sure your entry is counted & we will manually have random.org pick the winner.  Sorry for the confusion & difficulties. ****
 

Now for the giveaway - comment on this post (and fillout the rafflecopter info) any time between Monday, October 3, 2011 at 7:30 a.m. and Sunday October 9, 2011 at 12:00 a.m. central time.  On Monday October 10, 2011 we will let rafflecopter and random.org pick a winner.  Winners will be notified via email on or before October 11, 2011.  If the winner does not reply to the email with his or her shipping information within 24 hours, we will pick a new winner.  This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. 

Thanks for coming by and check back every day this week for more Greek Week fun!

~Shel