Guest Post by Touch of Frost Author Jennifer Estep

Today we're excited to have author Jennifer Estep taking over our blog. Jennifer is the author Touch of Frost, which will be released this coming Tuesday, July 26th, 2011. Touch of Frost is the 1st book in the Mythos Academy series. Here's a little bit about the book:

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to thank Katie and the rest of the Mundie Moms for having me on the blog today. Thanks so much, guys!

My name is Jennifer Estep, and I 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 psy chom e try, or the ability to know an object’s his tory just by touch ing it. After a seri ous 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.

First Frost, a prequel e-story to the series, is available now. The first book, Touch of Frost, will be out on July 26, while the second book, Kiss of Frost, will hit shelves on Nov. 29.

So today, Katie asked me to talk a little bit about what inspires me as a writer. It’s a question that I get asked pretty often. And the answer? In a word – everything.

Seriously. Everything. You never know what will spark an idea for a short story or book. Maybe it’s the way someone walks or talks or laughs. Maybe you see someone wearing a T-shirt with an interesting saying on it while you’re out shopping. Maybe you hear a news story and wonder what would happen if things had turned out differently. Maybe you see a really cool quote in a book or magazine. They may seem like small, random things, but they can take on a life of their own – if you let them and your imagination run wild.

I’ve always loved fantasy stories, especially fairy tales, superheroes, and mythology. These are the stories, characters, and ideas that I keep going back to again and again. These are what I love to read, hear, and watch, whether they’re turned into books, movies, or TV shows. I think there’s just something so timeless about these kinds of stories, and I love all the different twists that have been put on them over the years – everything from the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast to superhero movies like Batman Begins to mythology-based TV shows like Xena: Warrior Princess. Can you tell that I’m a pop culture junkie?

When I decided that I wanted to write a young adult book, I found myself thinking about these classic stories that I love. I’d done superheroes and elementals in my two previous adult series, and I wanted to tackle a new kind of magic/world building. One day, I just thought it would be cool to come up with my own mythology-based story and put my own spin on things. That was the beginning of Touch of Frost and the Mythos Academy series. I hope folks have as much fun reading the books as I did writing them.

What about you guys? What kind of stories do you like to read? Mythology? Fairy tales? Something else?

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Jennifer Estep is a USA Today bestselling author who also writes the Ele men tal Assas sin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. The books focus on Gin Blanco, an assassin code named the Spi der who can con trol the elements of Ice and Stone. When she’s not busy killing peo ple and right ing wrongs, Gin runs a barbecue restaurant called the Pork Pit in the fictional South ern metrop o lis of Ash land. 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, Venom, and Tan gled Threads. Spider’s Revenge, the fifth book, will be released on Sept. 27. Visit Jennifer's website for free short stories, excerpts, and more.

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Thank you so much for visiting with us today Jennifer.

Jennifer's also come with a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a copy of Touch of Frost, which I'll be reviewing tomorrow on the blog.

To Enter:

- please fill out the form below

- open to US residents only

- you must be 13 yrs & older to enter

- this giveaway will end on August 23rd, 2011