Jennifer Estep's Blog, page 134
April 20, 2009
A different point of view …
On Saturday, I got the chance to hear novelist Stephen Hunter talk at the Bristol Public Library. Hunter writes action-adventure/thriller types books about a sniper named Bob Lee Swagger, among other colorful characters.
I always like to go and hear authors talk just because everybody has different inspirations and different processes. It’s always good to listen to a different point of view. And Hunter was very funny, which always helps. I loved the way he described one of his books — as being fu
April 16, 2009
Pretty covers, covers pretty …
So today, my editor asked me to send her a description of Gin Blanco, the main character in my new Elemental Assassin series. Along with descriptions of the Pork Pit, the barbecue restaurant where Gin works, and some other big art elements in the book.
Why, you ask? Because it’s finally time for the artist to start working on the cover for Spider’s Bite, the first book in the series, coming in February 2010. Things are finally starting to happen, and the release date is creeping closer every day.
April 15, 2009
Amazon and other fails …
I don’t know if you’ve been following all the talk about Amazon deranking books, but Dear Author and Smart Bitches have some interesting commentary up, as usual, and lots of links to other sites. So go forth and read, if you want.
Whenever I hear stories about something like this or even horror stories about authors behaving badly, I always wonder what people were thinking. Seriously. Did Amazon think no one was going to notice what they were doing? Did they think the authors and publishers affec
The tax man cometh …
You’ve still got time to mail your taxes out, if you haven’t done it yet. Get thee to the post office!
April 13, 2009
‘Tis done … for now
So I finished writing/editing/polishing my young-adult fantasy, Quiver, this weekend. Now, it’s time to send it to my agent to read.
Quiver word count: 74,000. I’m not quite sure if this is the right length for a YA or not. I’ve been reading some YA lately, and it seems to me like the length varies wildly from book to book. I wonder if maybe Quiver needs to be a little longer — 85,000 words or so. But then again, I didn’t want to bog the story down with needless description.
We’ll see what my age
Just a reminder …
That I’ll be doing a Q&A on writing and signing books tonight, April 13, starting at 7 p.m. at the Bristol Public Library in Bristol, Va. The event should last about an hour or so and is part of the library’s celebration of National Library Week, April 12-18.
Even if you can’t come to my event, I hope you’ll go to your local library this week and check out all the wonderful books and programs that the library has to offer. And be sure to tell your librarians how awesome they are. Because they rea
April 10, 2009
Happy Easter!
Hope everyone has a great Easter weekend. I’m going to color eggs with the Mom, then eat waaay too much turkey, dressing, and other yummy stuff.
Have a great holiday! [image error]
April 9, 2009
Today’s post …
Is over at Something Wicked. And there’s a giveaway. Check it out! [image error]
April 7, 2009
Today’s post …
Is over at Fangs, Fur, and Fey. The site is doing something new and running a topic of the month that members are asked to write a post on.
This month’s topic asks how authors write — if they start with a synopsis or outline before they start a new book. You can see my post and several others over at the site. Enjoy! [image error]
April 6, 2009
Baby, it’s cold outside …
The calendar says April, but it feels like February here today. And it’s supposed to snow tonight. Snow! Wherever you are, I’m hoping your city is warmer than my neck of the woods right now. Brrr! [image error]
