PSC: Interview and giveaway with Jennifer Estep

I am wildly excited to welcome Jennifer Estep back to the blog. I have big love for her writing and the Elemental Assassin series is one of my favourite urban fantasy series ever. Gin is a superlative protagonist and I love reading her stories time and time again. Even knowing what will happen, these books continue to thrill me and I hope you feel the same way.

The seventh (!!) book in the series, WIDOW'S WEB, is out today and Jennifer has joined us for a short interview about the book. I'm putting a SPOILER ALERT on this post since we do talk about things that have happened in previous books and I wouldn't want our conversation or the cover copy of WIDOW'S WEB to ruin something for readers who aren't quite caught up. Consider yourselves warned! =)

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Hi, Jennifer, and welcome back to Tynga's Reviews! WIDOW'S WEB is another wonderful installment in your Elemental Assassin series and I love that you decided to explore Owen's past this time around. How did you decide to go this route and why now?

Thanks for hosting me on the blog again, and thanks for all the nice words about WIDOW’S WEB. I appreciate them.

Well, readers have learned quite a bit about Gin’s past and how it affects her, but I hadn’t really dug into Owen’s past yet. So I thought it would be interesting to have some folks from his past come to Ashland and shake everything up. Plus, in BY A THREAD, I explored how an old relationship of Gin’s affected her current relationship with Owen, and WIDOW’S WEB is sort of the flip side of that, with Owen’s old relationship affecting his current one with Gin.

Salina's return sheds light on many of Gin's relationships. There were some positive moments, with Bria, for example, and there were also developments that were less than positive (the who will remain nameless to avoid spoilers). I particularly loved the scene at the end of the book. Can you comment on what these changing relationships mean for Gin?

Gin will do anything for her friends and family. And in the world of the Elemental Assassin series, that usually means Gin putting her life on the line and taking on some pretty nasty villains in order to protect the people that she cares about. Gin has had to be cold, hard, and ruthless just to survive, so it’s sometimes difficult for her to put that part of herself aside and open herself up to folks.

But as the books have gone along, I think readers have seen Gin open up a little more to her friends and family, put her trust in them, and realize that they care about her as much as she cares about them. I think the scene you are talking about at the end of the book shows the support system that Gin has now and that she has people she can depend on and turn to.

There's a line in WIDOW'S WEB where Eva says that Salina is her Mab Monroe and it got me wondering: Will Gin have another archnemesis who spans multiple books like Mab Monroe or is Gin going to be archnemesis-free for a while?

Well, Gin still sort of has one archnemesis in Jonah McAllister, Mab’s lawyer. As Gin says, McAllister is like a cockroach – he just won’t disappear or die. LOL.

Gin will be archnemesis-free for a while, but some of the other story arcs will continue. I am hoping to do at least one more story arc with a villain who would span multiple books. We’ll see what happens.

Related to the previous question, what do you have planned with Jonah McAllister? He's on the edges of Gin's problems in BY A THREAD and WIDOW'S WEB. Will he continue to make trouble for Gin and her friends?

I do have something planned for McAllister. I can’t say too much about Jonah right now, but he will definitely continue to make trouble for Gin and her friends.

Finally, any hints for what's in store in DEADLY STING (the eighth Elemental Assassin book)? Tell me there's more Phillip down the road!

Phillip will be back in DEADLY STING, and readers will see how the events of WIDOW’S WEB change Phillip’s relationship with Gin and some of the other characters. I can’t say too much about the book, but as of right now, Gin will be taking on a group of giants in DEADLY STING. Things could always change, though.

As of right now, DEADLY STING is tentatively scheduled to be released in April 2013. I’ll be posting cover art, the back cover copy, and more information as it becomes available on my website.

Happy reading, everyone!

And now for some event-related questions:

What would Gin do if she had to take someone out at a summer camp?

Well, Gin always has her knives, of course. But she might branch out and use some of the items available at summer camp to help her eliminate a target. Bows and arrows from archery practice, all that rope from learning how to tie sailing knots, a heavy urn from pottery class. The possibilities are endless.

Who would enjoy summer camp more: Gin or Gwen Frost? [Jenn's note: Gwen is the protagonist of Jennifer's YA Mythos Academy series, which is also amazeballs.]

I think Gin would enjoy summer camp more. Gin would get out and go swimming, hiking, and participate in any event that would help her hone her assassin skills – archery, learning how to tie knots, etc.

Gwen would probably stay in the cabin all the time, reading, eating junk food, and staying as far away from the great outdoors as she could. LOL.

Thanks very much for joining us today, Jennifer! It's always a pleasure.

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More about WIDOW'S WEB:

The seventh book in the hugely popular Elemental Assassin series by New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jennifer Estep—Gin Blanco is back and ready for action.

My name is Gin, and I kill people. It’s something I've been doing for years as the assassin called Spider, but now, it’s turned into a necessity on my part just to survive all the lowlifes in Ashland who are gunning for me. The underworld is still in turmoil, and I seem to be on everyone’s hit list these days.

To add to Gin’s problems, her lover Owen’s ex is in town. Salina is back in Ashland to reclaim an old family legacy—and she thinks that Owen is hers for the taking. Also in the mix is Phillip Kincaid, a casino owner and all-around shady character who has a mysterious connection to both Owen and Salina.

Salina might seem like a sweet Southern belle, but there’s more to her than meets the eye. Her water elemental magic makes her a dangerous enemy—and someone who can go toe-to-toe with Gin’s Ice and Stone power. But Gin is determined to get to the bottom of Salina’s deadly scheme, even though it just might cost her everything…including Owen.

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

More books in the Elemental Assassin series:
(Click on the cover to read my thoughts (except for VENOM because I skipped it and THREAD OF DEATH, the e-novella, because my review hasn't gone up yet)

And don't forget about the Mythos Academy books:
(Click on the novel covers for my thoughts. (There's no post for FIRST FROST.))

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Jennifer Estep is a New York Times bestselling author, prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea. Spider’s Bite, Web of Lies, Venom, Tangled Threads, Spider’s Revenge, and By A Thread are the other books in her red-hot Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. Jennifer also writes the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series, and she is the author of the Bigtime paranormal romance series.

 

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Posted by jenn at 07:41

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Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.