I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season. May your days be merry and bright, as the old song goes. I hope everyone gets a chance to relax and enjoy some time with friends and family. And may Santa bring us all good books to read.
I’m taking a blogging break for the holidays, but I’ll be back on Monday, Jan. 7.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 🙂
Spartan Heart, Mythos Academy spinoff #1, is on sale for $2.99. So if you have been wanting to check out the series, now is the time:
Spartan Heart is also available as a print book, although the print version is not on sale:
Booksellers and librarians can order print copies of Spartan Heart through IngramSpark.
SPARTAN HEART DESCRIPTION:
New school year, same old problems . . .
At Mythos Academy, everyone knows exactly who I am: Rory Forseti, Spartan girl and the daughter of Reapers.
Even though I fought alongside my cousin Gwen Frost to save the mythological world from Loki and his evil Reapers of Chaos, I’m still the most hated girl at the academy because of all the horrible things my parents did. I had hoped that this school year would be different, but the other kids just won’t let me forget about my parents.
But something strange is going on at the Colorado academy. First, I run into a Viking guy who dislikes me more than most. Then I notice some odd artifacts in the Library of Antiquities. And worst of all, I start hearing rumors about a new group of Reapers who can summon mythological monsters.
I might be the most hated girl at Mythos Academy, but I’m also the only one who can save it . . .
I hope that everyone enjoys getting caught up on Rory’s story. Happy reading!
I’m thrilled to reveal the cover art for Spartan Promise, Mythos Academy spinoff #2. Woot! 🙂 The cover art was done by the awesome Jenny Zemanek of Seedlings Design Studio.
Spartan Promise will be released on Jan. 15.
GET THEÂ EBOOK:
GET THE PRINT BOOK:
Note: Booksellers and librarians can order print copies of Spartan Promise through IngramSpark.
ABOUT THE AUDIOBOOK:
There will be an audiobook for Spartan Promise. Unfortunately, I have no idea when it — or the audiobook for Spartan Heart, book #1 — will be released. So if you want to read the book on release day, you will have to get the ebook or print book.
SPARTAN PROMISE DESCRIPTION:
Hunting for the bad guys has never been so dangerous . . .
My name is Rory Forseti, and I attend the Colorado branch of Mythos Academy, a school of warrior kids, powerful artifacts, and mythological monsters.
I’m a student, a fierce Spartan warrior, and a member of Team Midgard, a group of kids and adults tasked with stopping the evil Reapers of Chaos. There is one Reaper I’m determined to hunt down above all others: Covington, the man who murdered my parents.
So when the Midgard gets a tip that Covington is going to try to steal a dangerous artifact, I’m ready to fight. But the situation is far more complicated than it seems, and the Reapers aren’t my only enemies.
I’ll have to use all my Spartan strength and skills to survive this. And even then, it might be my blood that gets spilled . . .
Note: This series is set in my Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy world. This is a spinoff series, and the new books star Rory Forseti, Gwen’s cousin from Midnight Frost and Killer Frost, books #5 and #6 in the original series. Gwen is NOT the heroine in these books, although she and some of the other characters from the original series make cameo appearances in the spinoff books.
I hope that everyone enjoys the next chapter in Rory’s adventure when it is released.
Several folks have asked me how they can get a signed book for themselves or to give as a holiday present.
Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, N.C. is offering signed copies of Kill the Queen, Crown of Shards #1.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY OF KILL THE QUEEN BY DEC. 11.
Malaprop’s is the ONLY BOOKSTORE offering signed copies of Kill the Queen. The deadline to order is Dec. 11, so get your order in ASAP.
The thrilling first novel of the Crown of Shards epic fantasy series combines magic, murder, and adventure when a member of the royal family becomes a contender in a clash for the crown…Â
In a realm where one’s magical power determines one’s worth, Lady Everleigh’s lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.
But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family. Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.
Forced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. Though they use their talents to entertain and amuse the masses, the gladiators are actually highly trained warriors skilled in the art of war, especially Lucas Sullivan, a powerful magier with secrets of his own. Uncertain of her future—or if she even has one—Evie begins training with the troupe until she can decide her next move.
But as the bloodthirsty Vasilia exerts her power, pushing Bellona to the brink of war, Evie’s fate becomes clear: she must become a fearsome gladiator herself . . . and kill the queen.
PRE-ORDER SIGNED COPIES OF PROTECT THE PRINCE
You can also pre-order signed copies of Protect the Prince, book #2 in my Crown of Shards series, through Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe.
CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY OF PROTECT THE PRINCE.
Protect the Prince will be released on July 2:
Magic, murder, adventure, and romance combine in this second novel in the exciting Crown of Shards saga from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep.
Everleigh Blair might be the new gladiator queen of Bellona, but her problems are far from over.
First, Evie has to deal with a court full of arrogant, demanding nobles, all of whom want to get their greedy hands on her crown. As if that wasn’t bad enough, an assassin tries to kill Evie in her own throne room.
Despite the dangers, Evie goes ahead with a scheduled trip to the neighboring kingdom of Andvari in order to secure a desperately needed alliance. But complicating matters is the stubborn Andvarian king, who wants to punish Evie for the deaths of his countrymen during the Seven Spire massacre.
But dark forces are at work inside the Andvarian palace, and Evie soon realizes that no one is safe. Worse, Evie’s immunity to magic starts acting in strange, unexpected ways, which makes her wonder whether she is truly strong enough to be a Winter Queen.
But Evie’s magic, life, and crown aren’t the only things in danger—so is her heart, thanks to Lucas Sullivan, the Andvarian king’s bastard son and Evie’s . . . well, Evie isn’t quite sure what Sullivan is to her.
Only one thing is certain—protecting a prince might be even harder than killing a queen…
I hope that everyone enjoys the signed copies. Happy shopping and happy holidays!
Haints and Hobwebs, Elemental Assassin #4.5, is now available as a stand-alone ebook. Woot!
Haints and Hobwebs
is my take on a ghost story. The 11,000-word story first appeared in The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance anthology in 2012.
Note: There will NOT be an audiobook or a print book of this story.
Over the years, several folks have asked if/when I was going to release Haints and Hobwebs as a stand-alone ebook, and I’m happy that it’s going to be available for folks who want to add it to their Elemental Assassin collections.
If the demand is great enough, I might also consider releasing some of the free short stories on my website as stand-alone ebooks or perhaps as an ebook bundle. We’ll see what happens.
Fun fact: The awesome Tony Mauro designed the cover art for Haints and Hobwebs. He is the cover artist for the Elemental Assassin series, as well as for Kill the Queen. I love the spider rune on the tombstone, and I think it’s a great look for a ghost story.
HAINTS AND HOBWEBS DESCRIPTION:
Even the Spider can’t escape a ghost’s web . . .
I’m being haunted.
As Gin Blanco, aka the assassin the Spider, I’m used to being haunted by all the bad things I’ve done over the years. I suppose it was only a matter of time before an actual ghost came back to haunt me. But for once, I’m not the bad guy, and I wasn’t the person who sent this ghost—this haint—into the afterlife.
But this haint definitely wants something from me, and I can’t help but think that it’s revenge on the person responsible for her untimely demise.
Good thing revenge is my specialty, whether it’s among the living or the dead . . .
Note: Haints and Hobwebs is an 11,000-word story that takes place after the events of Tangled Threads, book 4 in the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. Haints and Hobwebs first appeared in The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance in 2012.
I hope that everyone enjoys revisiting the ghost story. Happy reading! 🙂
