Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Guest Author -- Jennifer Estep


We are happy to have Jennifer Estep back with us at The RomanceDish. Jennifer is the author of the Bigtime paranormal series and the wildly successful Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. Check out Gannon's review of Web of Lies here. In addition to writing about kick-butt heroines, Jennifer is also an award-winning features page designer for a daily newspaper. She describes herself as "a South­ern gal through and through. Sassy, sar­cas­tic, and just a tad crazy." Sounds a bit like her latest heroine, Gin Blanco. *g*

Please join me in welcoming Jennifer!



Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to say thanks to the folks here at The Romance Dish for inviting me back to guest blog. Thanks so much, ladies!


My name is Jennifer Estep, and I write the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. 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.


The first book in the series, Spider's Bite, was released in February. Web of Lies, the second book in the series, just came out on May 25. Venom, the third book, will be released on Sept. 28.


If you’d read any of my books before, you know that I am all about strong heroines. There’s nothing I like better than writing about a woman who can take care of herself, kick butt, and look good doing it all at the same time. So today, I thought that I would share some of my favorite heroines. Here goes:


Wonder Woman: That shiny tiara, those bullet-deflecting bracelets, the Lasso of Truth, and an invisible jet. Yeah, I totally wanted to be Wonder Woman when I was a kid, thanks to Lynda Carter. And you know what? I still want to be her because she’s just one of the coolest superheroes around.


Xena: If Wonder Woman is the good girl, then Xena is her dark, twisted doppelganger. Xena did a lot of bad things before she saw the light, but once she decided to fight the good fight, there was no bad guy out there that she couldn’t conquer -- not even the Greek gods themselves.


Buffy: She had to kill vampires and survive high school at the same time. A tough task for anybody, but this Slayer was more than up to it. Add in her loyal friends and two hot vampires in Angel and Spike, and taking on the undead didn’t seem like such a big deal after all. The girl even died, but that didn’t keep her down for long!


Sydney Bristow: I’m a sucker for spy shows, and there was no spy tougher and more vulnerable at the same time than Sydney. Whether she was trying to figure out whether or not she could really trust her father or was saving the life of her true love, Michael Vaughn, Sydney always did the right thing and served her country.


Haven Travis: I can’t talk about great heroines without mentioning Haven from Lisa Kleypas’ book Blue-Eyed Devil. I absolutely adore Kleypas’ contemporary romances, and I think Haven is one of her best heroines -- a woman who finds herself in an abusive relationship and has the courage to leave and build a better life for herself with a man who truly loves her.



What about you guys? Who are some of your favorite heroines?


13 comments:

  1. Good morning, Jennifer! Great choices for you favorite heroines. I used to watch Wonder Woman all the time when I was younger. Who wouldn't want all of her cool gadgets??

    Xena definitely kicked butt---Lucy Lawless was an excellent Xena!

    I was addicted to Alias!! Sydney Bristow was a perfect combination of strong, able-to-get-the-job-done and loyal and loving when it came to those she cared about.

    I watch Buffy more now--love me some vampires. :-) And Haven....that book tore me apart! Lisa Kleypas really outdid herself with that one. She writes wonderful heroines!

    I love Eve Dallas from J.D. Robb's In Death series. She is kick butt with a capital 'K' and she's married to Roarke. Lucky Eve!! *g*

    Another favorite of mine is Claire Randall Fraser from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I mean, she's strong enough to travel through time---more than once--and she's married to one of my favorite heroes, Jamie Fraser. Lucky Claire! LOL

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  2. Hi Jennifer! Congrats on the release of Web of Lies! I'm looking forward to reading it, especially after Gannon's review.

    Love your list of favorite heroines. That's a pretty awesome group!

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  3. Hi Jennifer.
    Great blog! I always love talking about strong heroines.

    In addition to the ones you've already mentioned (LOVED Sydney and Xena) one of my favorite heroines would have to be Alex Cabot and Olivia Benson on L&O SVU. They both work so hard to be advocates for the victims, Olivia as a detective on the squad and Alex as the A.D.A. who prosecutes, and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

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  4. Gannon -- Hi there! Eve Dallas is another great heroine. Tough as nails and still vulnerable at the same time. I have to admit that I haven't read of Gabaldon's books. She's an author that I keep meaning to try.

    PJ -- Thanks! I hope you enjoy the book.

    L -- I think the L&O series has had lots of strong heroines, including the ones you mentioned. I loved Carrie Lowell and Angie Harmon as the assistant DAs on the original show.

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  5. Hi Jennifer!
    Congrats on your release. ^^

    I have to add Hermione Granger from HP books and Padme Amidala to your list. I love Hermione because she proves that you don't have to have brawns to be a heroine.You can be smart and dorky and still kick ass.

    I also love Padme because she is a
    diplomat, strong woman, and can't dish it out when needed. ^^

    Melissa

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  6. Melissa -- Hermoine is another great heroine -- someone who relies on her brains and is always the smartest person in the room. She was one of my favorite characters in the HP books.

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  7. Hey, Jennifer! Thanks for joining us today. Congrats on your new release! Sounds like a great read!

    You listed some terrific heroines. I love Wonder Woman and now my daughter loves her, too. She was WW for Halloween last year. *g*

    Two of my favorite romance heroines are Kate Sheffield from Julia Quinn's The Viscount Who Loved Me and Lady Victoria Gardella Grantworth de Lacy from Colleen Gleason's Gardella Vampire Chronicles. Both are smart, strong young women.

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  8. L said: ...one of my favorite heroines would have to be Alex Cabot and Olivia Benson on L&O SVU.

    L, SVU is one of my favorite TV shows! I never miss an episode. I totally agree with Alex and Olivia as great heroines. I wish Alex would come back...again!!

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  9. Melissa said: I have to add Hermione Granger from HP books and Padme Amidala to your list.

    More choices that I totally agree with!! We love both Hermione and Padme in our house! :)

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  10. Andrea -- Colleen Gleason is another author I've been meaning to try. I've heard a lot of good things about that series. Too many books too little time! ;-)

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  11. Hey Jennifer! Welcome Back!!!

    Love the list!! It is wonderful. I have to say that my latest favorite heroine is Beckett from CASTLE. Smart, beautiful, in control yet volunerable too. Plus she goes toe to toe with Castle at every single turn! Gotta love that :-)

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  12. Hi Jennifer, I definitely have to get your series, reading so many great comments about it and the review here.

    Wonder Woman I was into as a kid reading comics, and who wouldn't want to look like Lynda Carter aka WW, lol.

    Loved Alias, Sydney Bristow. Another favorite of old, Diana Rigg as Emma Peel on the Avengers, so hip and cool.

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  13. Buffie -- Hi there! I don't want Castle religiously, but I really like the chemistry between Castle and Beckett on that show -- and how she reigns him in when he gets too crazy. LOL.

    Pam -- Thanks! I hope you enjoy the books. Oh, I'd forgotten about Emma Peel! She's another great heroine.

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