Deadly Destinations & Giveaway: Jennifer Estep’s Gwen Frost takes us to Mythos Academy from TOUCH OF FROST

**Visit Dark Faerie Tales today for her Deadly Destination tour of Karsten Knight’s redwood forests of Northern California & a chance to win WILDEFIRE**

School’s in for Summer this year.  That’s because our tour guide for today’s Deadly Destinations is Jennifer Estep’s Gwen Frost.  She’s taking us to Mythos Academy, the setting from Jennifer’s new YA urban fantasy debut TOUCH OF FROST (Available now from K Teen), ‘a school for the descendants of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, and more.’  It’s my favorite book from Jennifer yet, sort of a Veronica Mars meets Percy Jackson mashup…Myths and mystery and mean girls.  Want to win a copy? Leave a comment.  See details below.

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Gwen Frost’s Guide to Mythos Academy
by
Jennifer Estep

Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to say thanks to Abigail for having me on the blog again. Thanks so much, Abigail!

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 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.

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

A lot of the action in the books takes place on the campus of Mythos Academy, which is located in Cypress Mountain, a fictional town not too far away from Asheville, North Carolina. So today, I thought that I would let my heroine Gwen tell you a little bit about the academy in her own words:

What can I say about Mythos Academy other than I hate it? Seriously, I hate it. I have no idea why I’ve been shipped off to this school for warrior whiz kids, but everyone here is rich, beautiful, powerful, and deadly. Everyone except for me, that is. I’m just Gwen Frost, that weird Gypsy girl who touches stuff and sees things. I totally do not fit in here.

Still, I suppose that the academy’s not all bad. The grounds are kind of pretty and look like what you might find at an expensive college – lots of grass, lots of shade trees, lots of iron benches and cobblestone walkways. The upper quad is the heart of campus and features five buildings that are clustered together – English-history, math-science, the gym, the dining hall, and the Library of Antiquities. All of the buildings are made out of dark gray stone and are covered with lots of ivy. They all look like old-fashioned castles, complete with towers, balconies, parapets, and stuff. Cool, but a little sinister-looking too.

The only thing I don’t like about the buildings is the fact that they’re all covered with statues of mythological monsters – everything from gryphons to gargoyles to Gorgons to dragons. But the really weird thing is that the statues always seem to be staring at me – and tracking my every step with their open, lidless eyes. Super, super creepy, if you ask me.

Anyway, here are some dos and don’ts that I’ve learned since coming to Mythos Academy. Maybe they’ll help you prepare for your visit:

• DO bring a sword, staff, or some other weapon with you. You’ll need it if you run into any bad guys like Reapers of Chaos or mythological monsters like Nemean prowlers.

• DON’T think you’re safe just because you’re studying in the Library of Antiquities. In my experience, the library is one of the most dangerous places on campus. Seriously.

• DO pack plenty of snacks. Trust me, you do not want to eat most of the froufrou food like liver, veal, and escargot that the dining hall serves on a regular basis. And the desserts come in pitifully small portions. Would it kill the Powers That Were to let us kids have some sugar?

• DON’T forget to bring your credit card. Tourists flock to Cypress Mountain because of all the cool shops that sell designer clothes, jewelry, armor, weapons, and more. Most of the shops feature primo goods at a primo price. So be sure you have a nice, high limit on your credit card before you come to shop.

• DO be afraid – very afraid. Because anyone can be a Reaper of Chaos, from the girl in the next dorm room, to your economics professor, to that cute guy you’re crushing on …

So there you have it –  a little bit about Mythos Academy. What about you guys? What are some of the paranormal or urban fantasy towns/worlds that you’d like to visit – or not?

USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep also writes 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, Venom, and Tangled Threads. Spider’s Revenge, the fifth book, will be released on Sept. 27. Visit www.jenniferestep.com for free short stories, excerpts, and more.

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About Jennifer Estep

Jennifer writes 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. Jennifer also writes 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. Visit www.jenniferestep.com for excerpts and more. Visit Jennifer Online: Website|Blog |Twitter |Facebook

Want to read more from Jennifer Estep?

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Giveaway provided by K Teen/Kensington

One copy of TOUCH OF FROST by Jennifer Estep

Available now from K Teen/Kensington

Description:

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. . .

"Touch of Frost is an intriguing start to an exciting new series!" —Award-winning author Jeri Smith-Ready

". . .surviving high school means staying alive!" —New York Times bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks

Read an excerpt | Read our review

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1. Open to US/CA addresses only

2. Leave a comment for Jennifer & a way to contact you unless it’s listed in your profile

3. All Deadly Destinations winners will be announced on August 7th

4. See our Giveaway Policy if you have any questions

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Don’t miss any of the tours & giveaways from Deadly Destinations.  Check out all the previous posts from this event!