Guest Post + Giveaway: Jennifer Estep and Touch of Frost

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming author Jennifer Estep back to the blog to talk a little bit about mythology and her new young adult novel Touch of Frost which releases tomorrow (yay!) so be sure and add it to your list. This is the first book in her Mythos Academy series and is just an all-around entertaining read (check out my review HERE). I adore Jennifer's books, so I hope you all pick this one up if you've yet to read anything by her!

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

My name is Jennifer Estep, and 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, comes out tomorrow, July 26.
First Frost, a prequel e-story to the series, is available now. The second book,
Kiss of Frost, will hit shelves on Nov. 29.

So today, Jenny asked me to talk a little bit about my favorite myth. There are tons of interesting myths out there from all the different cultures of the world. It’s really hard to pick just one, but I’ve always liked the myth of Psyche and Eros (aka Cupid).

There are a lot of different variations, but basically, the myth goes a little something like this: Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, is jealous of the human Psyche’s beauty, so she asks her son Eros to shoot Psyche with one of his magic arrows so Psyche will fall in love with an ugly man (or even a monster). However, Eros ends up falling in love with Psyche instead and marries her. But Psyche doesn’t know exactly who her husband is, and despite warnings not to, she eventually uncovers his true identity. Eros leaves Psyche, and she begins to search far and wide for him.

Psyche eventually goes to Aphrodite, who gives her a series of impossible tasks to complete (are there any other kind of tasks in mythology?). But with the help of various creatures and others, Psyche performs the tasks. Eros forgives her, the two are reunited, and Psyche becomes a goddess herself.

Why do I like this myth so much? For one thing, it’s one of the myths that actually has a happy ending. In so many of the myths, humans are killed, turned into animals, or worse by the gods because of the humans’ pride or the gods’ jealous, vengeful natures – like when Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, turns the human Arachne into a spider because Arachne boasted that she could weave better than Athena herself. But in this myth, Psyche and Eros end up together, despite all the obstacles that Psyche has to overcome.

But the thing I like most about this myth is that it has an almost fairy tale quality to it, especially with the elements like the mysterious husband, the impossible tasks, and the various helpers who aid Psyche. I like fairy tales just as much as I do mythology, so this story is a nice mix of the two. Also, I just like the idea that true love conquers all – even when it comes to the gods.

What about you guys? What are some of your favorite myths or fairy tales?

Jennifer Estep is a USA Today bestselling author who 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.

Thanks so much for taking the time to come back on the blog Jennifer! I honestly cannot say enough positive things about Jennifer or her books, she's just one of those authors who makes me happy. She has all sorts of fun extras on her website (listed above) so be sure and check it out if you want to get a feel for her characters and her style.

GIVEAWAY

Jennifer has generously offered up a copy of Touch of Frost to give away to one lucky winner on the blog! To enter, please leave a comment answering Jennifer's question above along with a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway is open to US residents only and will run through midnight EST on Friday, July 29th after which time a winner will be chosen and announced on the blog. Good luck everyone!