Spooky Legends: Jennifer Estep’s Gin Blanco on “The Headless Horseman”

**Visit Dark Faerie Tales today for her Spooky Legends guest blog with Diana Peterfreund and a chance to win ASCENDANT**

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A very spooky salutation to everyone today as we kick off Spooky Legends with one of my favorite Urban Fantasy writers: Jennifer Estep!  Gin Blanco is the main character in Jennifer’s Elemental Assassin series and she’s here to tell us all about Gin’s take on the “Headless Horseman” urban legend and giveaway a copy of the latest Elemental Assassin book, VENOM. See details below.

Jennifer Estep writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. Jennifer is also the author of the Bigtime paranormal romance series for Berkley. By day, Jennifer is an award-winning features page designer for a daily newspaper with a wide range of media and journalism experience. She’s also a certifiable fangirl and an authority on fantasy literature and culture. Jennifer is a member of Romance Writers of America, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and other writing groups. Jennifer’s books have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Southern Living, and a variety of other publications.

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Gin Blanco on “The Headless Horseman”

by
Jennifer Estep

Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to say thanks to Abigail for asking me to take part in the Spooky Legends event. Thanks, Abigail!

Some of you might know me as the author of the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. The books focus on Gin Blanco, an assassin code named 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 Ash land. The city is also home to giants, dwarves, vampires, and elementals – Air, Fire, Ice, and Stone.

The first two books in the series are Spider’s Bite and Web of Lies. Venom, the third book, came out on Sept. 28. Tangled Threads, the fourth book, will be published in May 2011, while the fifth book (untitled) will be released in October 2011.

I’ve also sold a young adult urban fantasy series called Mythos Academy. The first book is called Touch of Frost and will be out in August 2011. The books focus on Gwen Frost, a 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 finds herself shipped off to Mythos Academy, a school for the descendants of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, and more.

So Abigail asked me to write something from my assassin Gin Blanco’s point of view about the urban legend of the Headless Horseman. Here’s what Gin thinks about the story:

So I’ve been taking this literature class over at Ashland Community College. Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s kind of funny that a semi-retired assassin like me loves to read. But hey—we all need a hobby or two. Reading happens to be one of mine.

Anyway, one of the stories we recently read was “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. I’m sure y’all have read it or seen some version of it on TV. It’s always popular around Halloween time.  

But for those of you who don’t know, the story is about this guy named the Headless Horseman. Supposedly, he was a soldier way back in the day who had his head blown off by a cannonball. The details vary from version to version, but basically, he’s a ghost, he’s headless, and he rides around on horseback scaring everyone to death.

Oh, yeah, and apparently, he wants a new head to replace the one he lost, and he’d be quite happy to use yours—after he separates it from your shoulders, of course. He might have gotten old Ichabod Crane that way, or Ichabod may have fled to another state. Like I said, the details vary, depending on whether you’re reading Irving’s story or another similar legend.     

One thing is obvious to me, though. No matter what story or legend he’s in, this ghost or guy or whatever he is has never really dealt with severed heads before. Otherwise, he would know exactly how bloody messy they are. C’mon. They drip everywhere. Besides, what good is a decapitated head anyway? They’re really hard to reattach after they’ve been severed, and you’ll always have a nasty scar. Besides, why would you want to look like someone else? I think I’d rather have a pumpkin for a head than all that.

Yeah, yeah, I know—it’s all about the scare factor. Creepy guy on a big, black horse holding up his own severed head and galloping down some dark, deserted road after you late at night. He’s supposed to be all terrifying. Ho-hum, yawn, snore, if you ask me.

If I wanted someone dead, I wouldn’t try to scare him to death. Yeah, it might be fun, but there’s also a chance that your victim could get away from you. As the Spider, I didn’t get paid to make mistakes like that. I wouldn’t worry about taking someone’s head. If I wanted him dead, I’d just whip out my silverstone knives, stab him to death, and leave his body on the road. Enough said.

Yeah, I think the Headless Horseman could learn a thing or two about efficiency from the Spider.

So there you have it—Gin Blanco’s perspective on the Headless Horseman. What about you guys? What do you think about the Horseman or Gin?

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Visit Jennifer Online:
Website|Blog |Twitter |Facebook

Want to read more from Jennifer Estep?

Bigtime
1. Karma Girl
2. Hot Mama
3. Jinx

Elemental Assassin
1. Spider's Bite (read Review)
2. Web of Lies (read Review)
3. Venom (read Review)
4. Tangled Threads (coming in 2011)

Giveaway

Giveaway courtesy of Jennifer Estep
One copy of VENOM by Jennifer Estep

What kind of assassin works pro bono?

It’s hard to be a badass assassin when a giant is beating the crap out of you. Luckily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My current mission is personal: annihilate Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who murdered my family. Which means protecting my identity, even if I have to conceal my powerful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most. To the public, I’m Gin Blanco, owner of Ashland’s best barbecue joint. To my friends, I’m the Spider, retired assassin. I still do favors on the side. Like ridding a vampire friend of her oversized stalker—Mab’s right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his massive fists. At least irresistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I’ll take my chances. Then there’s Detective Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland’s finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sister was dead. She probably thinks the same about me. Little does she know, I’m a cold-blooded killer . . . who is about to save her life.

Click HERE to read an excerpt from VENOM

Giveaway Guidelines

1. Open to US & CA
2. Fill out the form
3. Enter by November 6th. All Spooky Legend winners will be announced on November 7th

I would greatly appreciate if you shared this giveaway on your blog or favorite social networks.  And please tell Jennifer what you think about The Headless Horseman in the comments. Thanks!

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