Welcome guest author Jennifer Estep!!!!!!

KC: Without giving too much away, what can readers expect with this new installment of your Elemental Assassin series?

JE: Of course. Here’s the back cover copy for the book:

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.

Basically, in Venom, Gin faces her deadliest enemy yet – Elliot Slater, a super-strong giant who works for Mab Monroe. Gin is also wrestling with the fact that her former lover Detective Donovan Caine has left her, and she’s wondering if she really wants to get involved with sexy businessman Owen Grayson. And to top it all off, Gin also has to deal with the reappearance of her long-lost baby sister, Bria, who just happens to be a police detective.

There’s a lot going on in the book, and a lot of the relationships develop and change. It really is the pivotal book in the series since Gin makes so many decisions about her future. But there are still plenty of fight scenes, magic, and steamy romance along the way.

KC: What’s next for Gin after Venom?

JE: Gin will be back for two more books. Tangled Threads comes out in May 2011, and book 5 will be out in October 2011. In Tangled Threads, an assassin named Elektra LaFleur comes to town to kill Gin. I had a lot of fun writing a character like Elektra who’s just as strong, smart, and cunning as Gin is. Elektra is definitely one of my favorite villains that I’ve written.

KC: Will Detective Donovan be making a come-back appearance… (Smokinhotbooks crosses their fingers)?

JE: Um … well … shuffles feet … I hate to disappoint you guys, but Donovan won’t be coming back in Venom. If you read the back cover copy above, it’s pretty clear who Gin will be hooking up with in this book.

I do have an idea to bring Donovan back at some point, but it will depend on if my publisher wants any more books in the series beyond the five that I’m contracted for right now. If that happens and I get to write more books in the series, I’d love to bring Donovan back – perhaps with a sweet, innocent fiancée in tow. That would definitely create all kinds of juicy drama with Donovan, Gin, and the fiancée.  –> KC: We’re on Team Owen !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To express how serious we are we even made a t-shirt.

KC: How many books do you see for this series? And yes, I hope you say infinity because I’m not sure what I’ll do if this series ends.

JE:Right now, I’m contracted for five books, which will let me finish out the main story arcs, like how Gin gets her revenge on the person who murdered her family and who Gin ends up with romantically. I felt like it was important to give readers a complete story with these books. Of course, I’d love to write more books in the series beyond these five, but that will depend on sales, like everything else does. So fingers crossed!

KC: We like to torture   ask all of our guests these ridiculous really serious questions from our fav tv show, Inside the Actors Studio.

What is your favorite word?

JE: Tremulous

What is your least favorite word?

JE:Work

What turns you on?

JE: A man in a well-made suit – think Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale.

What turns you off?

JE:Rude people

What sound or noise do you love?

JE: The sound of rain on a tin roof

What sound or noise do you hate?

JE: The slam of a car door

What is your favorite curse word?

JE: Black-hearted sons of bitches

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

JE: I’d like to try something quirky and fun, like being a professional ice cream taste-tester. Anything with food would be good. LOL.

What profession would you not like to do?

JE: Anything with science – it’s just not for me. I’m all about the words.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

JE: You told some good stories, kid.

Giveaway Ends October 8th – Giveaway Open to US and Canada Residents (if you are from far far away and have a local US friend that will send you the book, you too can enter)

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