**Visit Tynga’s Reviews today for her PSF Spotlight & Giveaway on J.R. Ward author of LOVER MINE**

I can’t believe I’m welcoming my first repeat offender guest Jennifer Estep! I was fortunate enough to interview Jennifer back in January about the first Elemental Assassin book, Spider’s Bite and now she’s back with the 2nd book, WEB OF LIES. Jennifer is here today talking about some of her favorite paranormal books and movies. And because as my first repeat offender, she is made of awesome,  Jennifer is offering one of you the chance to win the first two books in Ele­men­tal Assas­sin series! 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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by
Jennifer Estep

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

As some of you might know, I’m the author of the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. The series kicked off with Spider’s Bite in February, and the second book, Web of Lies, just came out on May 25. The third book, Venom, will hit shelves on Sept. 28. The books focus on Gin Blanco, an assassin codenamed the Spider who runs a barbecue restaurant in her spare time. I’m also the author of the Bigtime paranormal romance books. Titles in that series are Karma Girl, Hot Mama, and Jinx.

Abigail asked me to talk about some of my favorite paranormal reads today. Sure, I’m an author, but I’m also a reader too, and I’m just as happy to talk about other folks’ books as I am my own. I especially love the paranormal/fantasy genre. That’s what I write and that’s what I like to read – paranormal romance, urban fantasy, epic fantasy, young adult books, and everything in between.

You know what else I like? Summer movies. Big, loud, action-packed summer movies where they blow up half of Texas in the first twenty minutes. So today, I thought that I’d combine my two loves and do an “If you like …” guide to movies and paranormal books. Here goes:

If you like Clash of the Titans, check out the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole. Sure, Cole’s paranormal romance series is set in modern times, but it features everything from Valkyries to vampires to demons. Another good series in this vein is the Dark-Hunters series by Sherrilyn Kenyon, which features sexy immortal warriors and lots of meddling by those pesky Greek gods, among others.

 

If you like heist movies like Ocean’s Eleven, check out The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. This epic fantasy book is the first in Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard Sequence about a dapper thief named Locke Lamora and his many schemes.

If you like film noir movies like The Maltese Falcon, check out The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe, which features Eddie LaCrosse, a sword jockey (think private investigator) who’s just as cool as Sam Spade in this epic fantasy tale.

If you like the Twilight movies, check out the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. These young adult books have a little bit of everything – a cool vampire mythology, interesting characters, and a bittersweet romance.

If you like the movie Gladiator, check out The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Kids are forced to fight to the death in this gripping, young-adult book set in a post-apocalyptic world. Another good book along these lines is Graceling by Kristin Cashore, about a princess who has a unique grace, or talent, for killing and how she uses her powers to help combat an evil king.

 

And, of course, I can’t wrap things up without mentioning my own books. If you like superhero movies like Iron Man or Spider-Man, then check out my Bigtime series, which features sexy superheroes, evil ubervillains, and smart, sassy gals looking for love.

If you like the old TV show and soon-to-be movie The A-Team, then check out Web of Lies and the rest of my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy books, which feature lots of dark, action-packed fun. Besides, I always love it when a plan – or a reading list – comes together. ;-)

What about you guys? What are some of your favorite summer movies and paranormal books? Share in the comments.

Thanks Jennifer for stopping by again.  Come back anytime.

Visit Jennifer Online:

• Website
• Blog
• Twitter
• Facebook

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Want to read more from Jennifer Estep?

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

Elemental Assassin
1. Spider's Bite (read my Review)
2. Web of Lies
3. Venom

 

Giveaway

Giveaway courtesy of Jennifer Estep

One winner will receive a copy of SPIDER'S BITE and WEB OF LIES by Jennifer Estep

Spider's Bite My name is Gin, and I kill people. They call me the Spi­der. I’m the most feared assas­sin in the South—when I’m not busy at the Pork Pit cook­ing up the best bar­be­cue in Ash­land. As a Stone ele­men­tal, I can hear every­thing from the whis­pers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibra­tions of the soar­ing Appalachian Moun­tains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for mak­ing the occa­sional knife. But I don’t use my pow­ers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it pro­fes­sional pride. Now that a ruth­less Air ele­men­tal has double-crossed me and killed my han­dler, I’m out for revenge. And I’ll exter­mi­nate any­one who gets in my way—good or bad. I may look hot, but I’m still one of the bad guys. Which is why I’m in trou­ble, since irre­sistibly rugged Detec­tive Dono­van Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this cold­hearted killer needs when I’m bat­tling a magic more pow­er­ful than my own is a sexy dis­trac­tion … espe­cially when Dono­van wants me dead just as much as the enemy.

Web of Lies Curios­ity is def­i­nitely going to get me dead one of these days. Prob­a­bly real soon. I’m Gin Blanco. You might know me as the Spi­der, the most feared assas­sin in the South. I’m retired now, but trou­ble still has a way of find­ing me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my bar­be­cue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the bar­rage of gun­fire on the restau­rant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren’t aimed at me. They were meant for Vio­let Fox. Ever since I agreed to help Vio­let and her grand­fa­ther pro­tect their prop­erty from an evil coal-mining tycoon, I’m begin­ning to won­der if I’m really retired. So is Detec­tive Dono­van Caine. The only hon­est cop in Ash­land is hav­ing a real hard time rec­on­cil­ing his attrac­tion to me with  his Boy Scout men­tal­ity. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I’m a Stone elemental—with a lit­tle Ice magic thrown in—but my heart isn’t made of solid rock. Luck­ily, Gin Blanco always gets her man … dead or alive.

GIVEAWAY GUIDLINES

1. Open to US & Canada
2. Fill out the form below
3. Entries for all Paranormal Summer Fest giveaways must be received by Midnight MST on July 4th.  All the giveaways winners will be announced on July 6th.

I would greatly appreciate if you shared this giveaway on your blog or favorite social networks.  And please say hi to Jennifer. Thanks!

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Interested in guest blogging on All Things Urban Fantasy?  CONTACT ME

**Visit Tynga’s Reviews today for her PSF Interview & Giveaway with Abra Ebner author of THE KNIGHT ANGELS**

My guest today is Stacia Kane, author of the Megan Chase series and the new Downside Ghosts series.  UNHOLY GHOSTS kicked off the Downside Ghosts series on May 25, 2010.  Thanks to April from Random House, 5 of you can win a copy of the first book in the Downside Ghost series.  Details below.

Stacia Kane has been a phone psychic, a customer service representative, a bartender, and a movie theatre usher. Writing is more fun than all of them combined. She wears a lot of black, still makes great cocktails, likes to play music loud in the car, and thinks Die Hard is one of the greatest movies ever made. She believes in dragons and the divine right of kings, and is a fervent Ricardian. She lives outside Atlanta with her husband and their two little girls.

 

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Interview

ATUF: The Downside Ghosts series is being described "a cross between Ghostbusters and Escape From New York." What do you think of the comparison?

SK: Well, that's actually what I had in mind when I wrote it! I based a lot of Downside on Escape From New York, and Blade Runner as well, and wanted to capture that sort of post-modern, post-apocalyptic feeling (I know there wasn't an apocalypse in Blade Runner, but it definitely gives me, at least, the feeling that mankind is kind of hanging on by a thread, both the movie and the novel on which the movie is based). And there's a little nod to Ghostbusters in the book. Of course, the plot is very different, and it's not a comedy, but it's definitely something I was aiming for. And it's actually how my husband described the book after he read it, so it was really exciting to feel like I'd conveyed that enough for people to pick up on it.

ATUF: Can you explain the world building of the Downside Ghosts series? What is unique about how you conceived it?

SK: Hmm. Originally I just had the idea of a professional haunting Debunker discovering a real ghost, and of that Debunker being an addict. But the stakes needed to be higher, and the world more complicated. I came up with the idea of the government paying money for hauntings, and then of course I needed a reason why they would do that, and then I needed basically a whole new government. I'd originally--way back in the beginning--planned the story as being set in Georgian England, so that's where some of the language, both in the Church and the Downspeech--came from, along with the specific look of the Elders and Goodys.

I also really liked the idea of a world essentially under dictatorship, and a Church dictatorship, but it's an atheistic church. I thought the contrast was interesting, and created a lot of questions and issues to explore in the books. It's essentially the America of the Pilgrims, but without the religion, and with technology and all of the modern inventions we're familiar with. In later books I'm hoping to get more into subjects like the internet, especially, and how the church censors it and how people attempt to subvert that censorship.

The biggest moment I remember was, I was on a train from my mother-in-law's house to London. As we pulled into King's Cross station, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "This train terminates here," basically. And I thought, how creepy would it be if instead of saying the train's route terminates, the announcer told us we were all terminated? The train into the City of Eternity, and the City itself, both came from that moment, and though I didn't get to use the train in the way I'd envisioned, I'm still happy with it. I love trains.

I think it's a unique world, certainly, but it's really up to readers to say whether it is or not.

ATUF: What can you tell us about the Church of Real Truth where Chess works?

SK: Well, as I said above, it's an atheistic church, with a strong emphasis on magic. Religion or even faith in gods is illegal, because the church is very heavily focused on what's factual, and what's true. That's actually the standard Church greeting/goodbye: "Facts are Truth." The church itself started as a small underground magic group in the 18th century (Georgian again!) and remained that way until Haunted Week, when the ghosts rose from the grave and the Church rose to combat them and ended up taking over everything. In fact, part of the reason for the strict laws against belief in gods is because the Church was started by a group of atheists, who banded together to rebel against the Puritans and the laws of the New World, and experimented with magic specifically because it was forbidden.

But just because there are no gods doesn't mean there's no morality or moral obligations, and the church is very exacting about those. Because it's an omnipotent church, moral crimes can in some cases carry the same punishments as legal ones; adultery is a crime, for example, though in order to be prosecuted either you or your spouse has to actually file charges. The idea is that all crimes need punishment to cleanse the victim. And of course there are things that our churches today don't accept that this church does. Gay marriage is legal, for example, and encouraged.

ATUF: How are the Downside Ghosts books different from your Megan Chase series?

SK: The Megan Chse books are much lighter and funnier, I think. Not to say there isn't humor in the Downside books, but there aren't funny situations so much like in the Megan books or characters who provide lots of comic relief. The overall tone is darker, and Chess Putnam is definitely a much darker character. It's just a very different world with a very different feel to it. I think it still sounds like me, it's still my voice, but the two series are absolutely not the same. There's also far less emphasis on romance in the Downside books; there is of course still a romantic subplot, and it's stronger in the third book, but it's still not at the levels of the megan books which really skirted the boundary between urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

I really hope fans of the Megan books will love the Downside books the way I do and the way so many reviewers have, but I do want them to know not to expect the same light-hearted sexiness and romance. I don't want to disappoint anyone or mislead them. But I do hope they'll give the books a try, because deep down I think a lot of the things they loved about Megan and her world are evident in Chess and her world as well.

ATUF: On your website FAQ, you say that "My protagonists tend to be driven by loneliness and self-hatred, by self-destructiveness." How is that true of Chess Putnam?

SK: Oh, wow. I don't think there's any way it isn't true of Chess, to be honest. Chess was raised by a series of foster parents--she was given up by her birth parents before Haunted Week happened, and after it happened many families were forced to take in foster children because so many children were parentless. So most of those parents didn't treat Chess well. She was starved, she was beaten, she was insulted, she was molested...you name it, it was done to her. And no matter how much you want to believe the people calling you names are wrong, you can't help internalizing it, especially when you're a small child. Her childhood isn't gone into in any great detail in the books--page after page of that would be depressing--but it is mentioned here and there. And of course it's the misery of that childhood and the issues and feeling of worthlessness that led to her drug addiction, and the need to escape all those feelings.

The church saved Chess from life on the streets, and she's very grateful, but she's also aware that she's very lucky. What the church didn't save her from is that addiction, and while she feels her addiction isn't a problem she's also aware of what the church would feel about it if it was ever discovered. So that creates another situation where she's angry at herself but can't help herself. She's promiscuous--although that isn't gone into in great detail in the books--and tends to pick up strangers who won't ask anything of her emotionally. She just really thinks she as a person isn't anything special, and the only quality in herself she's really proud of is her magical skill and her position in the church, and she'll do almost anything not to lose that.

But there's also a strong streak of hope in Chess, and a desire to make things better. She's a very loyal person (except when her loyalty comes up against her self-destructiveness). She's afraid to let people into her life, but once she cares about you, she cares about you for good, and will do anything to protect and defend you. She's funny, and she's very smart (I like to think, anyway), and she's wise and of course cynical, but hopefully not in a way that drags the story down or wears the reader out. She's brave and tough, but not in a threaten-everybody kind of way, and she has a lot of common sense.

ATUF: One of the worst things about reading a fantastic book is have to endure the wait for the sequel. The first three Downside Ghosts books will be released within a month of each other (UNHOLY GHOSTS in June, UNHOLY MAGIC in July, and CITY OF GHOSTS in August). How much work was it to have all three ready so quickly, and how did this publishing schedule come about?

SK: When we originally sold the series to Del Rey they wanted to do the back-to-back releases, actually, but they didn't have the right holes in their publishing schedule. So were were going to do every-six-months. At that time of course UNHOLY GHOSTS was finished, and I was about halfway done with UNHOLY MAGIC. So I had about five or six months to finish it and write the third book, CITY OF GHOSTS. Which I did; I write fast, generally, so it wasn't really a problem.

But when we were only a couple of months away from UNHOLY GHOSTS's original release date of October '09, a space did open up in the publishing schedule, and the decision was made--by all of us--to go ahead and delay the releases in order to take advantage of it. I'm really grateful, and really excited about it; it's a big push for the books and I'm just so glad that Del Rey, and HarperVoyager in the UK, are so strongly behind the series that they're giving it this special debut.

ATUF: If UNHOLY GHOSTS were ever made into a movie, who would your dream or, to keep things interesting, nightmare cast be?

SK: Hahaha! I actually never think about who would play my characters--or at least, I very rarely think about it. But a nightmare cast is a lot easier! For Chess, I think I'd definitely not like to see someone like Keira Knightley or Cameron Diaz. I'm not really a fan of either actress, to be honest. I wouldn't like to see them give the part of Lex (one of the love interests in the book and a rival gang member), who is Chinese, to a Caucasian actor; that would really be a nightmare for me and would make me pretty angry. Tom Cruise playing any role would upset me, or of course somebody like Paris Hilton or whatever; stunt casting.

ATUF: What other projects can we look forwarding to reading from you soon?

SK: I have a few things I'm working on at the moment, but nothing I can really talk about yet. Sorry!

ATUF: What are some of your favorite titles/authors in the paranormal genres?

SK: Oh. Caitlin Kittredge's Black London series, definitely. I absolutely love those books; I think they're one of the best and most original UF series out there. I love Richelle Mead's Succubus books. I love Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim and John Meaney's Bone Song. And of course Mark Henry's Amanda Feral zombie books are just hilarious, dirty fun. Then there are the big names like Jim Butcher and Charlaine Harris, who are both fantastic.

ATUF: UNHOLY GHOSTS originally had a different cover. What prompted the redesign (which I love) and are you happy with the change? Do you know who the artist is?

SK: I think Del Rey just decided that, since they were getting ready to do the next two covers in the series and wanted to go in a different direction for those, they would redo the first one as well, in order to make them all cohesive. The artist is, I believe, a woman named Juliana Kolesova. And it's wonderful to hear how positive the fan reaction has been to the new look; I've had many people email me to tell me how much they love it, and lots of comments on blog posts about the new cover from people who just really really like it. So that always makes me feel good, and it's wonderful that Del Rey cares so much about the books and the series that they wanted to give it the cover which would appeal to the most readers.

ATUF: If UNHOLY GHOSTS was a Frankenstein book compiled from elements of other books, what would some of those other books be?

SK: Oh, wow! Hmm. I've never really thought of it that way! Um... Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, would be one. Richard Matheson's Hell House and Stir of Echoes. The Crucible by Arthur Miller--I know it's a play, but still. Books I read as a kid, like The House of Dies Drear. Lots of nonfiction books on witchcraft, of course, especially The Golden Bough by Sir James Frazer and anything on British Traditional Witchcraft. The aforementioned Caitlin Kittredge's Street Magic. Almost anything by Edgar Allen Poe. Andrew Vachss's Burke books were a big influence, absolutely.

ATUF: In honor of Paranormal Summer Fest, can you describe your perfect Paranormal Summer read? And where would you love to be vacationing while reading it?

SK: My perfect paranormal summer read? I'd like to spend my summer writing it! :-) But strictly for reading, I love a good ghost story, I really do. I like realistic magic and characters with real depth and who differ from the norm (not to say the norm is characters with no depth, I don't mean that, just that I like a character to be different and deep). I like lots of action and adventure and high stakes. If there are abandoned buildings and tunnels and caves and generally creepy places that's even better!

And where I'd love to be vacationing while reading it? Scotland.

ATUF: Thanks so much for stopping by Stacia.  Come back anytime!

Visit Stacia online:

• Website
• Blog
• Twitter
• Facebook
• LiveJournal

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Want to read more from Stacia Kane?

Megan Chase
1. Personal Demons
2. Demon Inside
3. Demon Possessed

Downside
1. Unholy Ghosts
2. Unholy Magic
3. City of Ghosts

 

Giveaway

Giveaway courtesy of Random House

Five (5) copies of UNHOLY GHOSTS by Stacia Kane

Book Description

THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.

Click HERE to read the first chapter of UNHOLY GHOSTS.

GIVEAWAY GUIDLINES

1. Open to US only
2. Fill out the form below
3. Entries for all Paranormal Summer Fest giveaways must be received by Midnight MST on July 4th.  All the giveaways winners will be announced on July 6th.

I would greatly appreciate if you shared this giveaway on your blog or favorite social networks.  And please say hi to Stacia. Thanks!

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Interested in being interviewed on All Things Urban Fantasy?  CONTACT ME

 

Book Description

Spells, the sequel to Aprilynne Pike's #1 New York Times best-selling debut, continues the story of a not-so-ordinary girl named Laurel.

"I can’t just storm in and proclaim my intentions. I cant 'steal' you away. I just have to wait and hope that, someday, you’ll ask," Tamani said.

"And if I don't?" Laurel said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Then I guess I’ll be waiting forever."

Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger--and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?

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Book 2 in The Wings Series

Review:
SPELLS is the second of four planned book in the Wings series about an ordinary girl who discovers that she’s anything but. In Wings, Laurel learned that she was a faerie and met two boys who offered her very different lives. In SPELLS, Laurel gets her first true taste of Avalon and is forced to choose between the faerie Tamani and the human David.

Wings was a delightfully disarming book full of magically innocence and young love.  Aprilynne’s fresh take on faerie mythology was as lovely as the flower that bloomed on Laurel’s back.  SPELLS, while still enchanting, showed some signs of wilting.

When SPELLS begins, Laurel is visiting Avalon for the summer to learn all about her faerie abilities and responsibilities from the Academy (think the faerie version of Hogwarts).  She also gets a crash course in faerie caste systems (she’s a Fall faerie whereas Tamani is a lowly Spring, and the two aren’t supposed to mix romantically).  While Avalon was interesting, the time spent there was probably my least favorite part of the book as it felt like a big departure from the feelings created in Wings.

Back in the human world, the relationships that made Wings so compelling are reintroduced. Laurel and her human parents struggle to adapt, her mother seems to have the hardest time accepting her daughter’s true nature.  And then her relationship with David has intensified and grown increasingly more complicated.  Likewise Tamani has become more and more dissatisfied with waiting for Laurel. 

What I loved so much about Wings was the scary uncertainty that Laurel felt as her body began changing.  The mystery of finding out who she was and falling in love (possibly twice) mixed in with a strong yet subtle twist on faeries.  SPELLS necessarily delves deeper into an increasingly intricate faerie mythology that sadly pulled me away from the character development I was expecting.

While not as good as Wings, SPELLS is still a solid sequel and the floral nature of faeries remains an appealing addition to fey mythology.  The romantic elements take more of a focus and the teen characters all come off as more mature.  The villainous trolls, including the uber evil Barnes reappear and the peril is noticeably heightened from the previous book, but in a semi-cartoonish sort of way. I’m hopeful that the next book will focus less on the mythology by returning to the vivid characters that are still every bit as engaging as I remembered.

Sexual Content: References to sex. Kissing

My Rating (out of 5):
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.

Click HERE to browse inside of SPELLS

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Product Details

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Published: 29 April 2010
• Format: Paperback 356 pages
• See: Full bibliographic data
• Categories: Fantasy | Romance
• ISBN 13: 9780007314379 ISBN 10: 000731437X

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Disagree with my review?  Contact me with your review for this or any other book I’ve reviewed and I might use it for 2nd Opinion Review