Hey Guys! Let’s Welcome The Awesome Jennifer Estep, author of the Elemental Assassin Series, to The Blog today!
Don’t Forget to Check Out The Awesome Giveaway at the End of The Post!
Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to say thanks to Larissa for having me on the blog today. Thanks, Larissa!
Some of you might know me as the author of 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 two books in the series are Spider’s Bite and Web of Lies. Venom, the third book, came out on Sept. 28. Tangled Threads, the fourth book, will be published in May 2011, while the fifth book (untitled) will be released in October 2011.
I’ve also sold a young adult urban fantasy series called Mythos Academy. The first book is called Touch of Frost and will be out in August 2011. The books focus on Gwen Frost, a 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 finds herself shipped off to Mythos Academy, a school for the descendents of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, and more.
So Larissa asked me to talk about social media today and how it’s impacted me as an author. I’ve had a website and blog ever since I sold my first book back in 2006, along with a monthly e-newsletter that I send out to subscribers, but I have to admit that I was a little slow to get on board with social media.
I didn’t get on Facebook until earlier this year, when all my friends started talking about it, and I didn’t even know what Goodreads was until I saw other authors and readers posting about it online. I finally broke down and joined Twitter in May, after hearing so many people talk about it during the annual Romantic Times convention.
You know what? I really like social media. It’s a free, easy way for me to promote my books. And believe me when I tell you that I’m all about free and easy. ;-)
But more than that, it’s a way for me to connect with readers, authors, friends, and other folks who love books as much as I do, as well as stay up to date on book news, publishing deals, reviews, and more. I know that I buy more and more books these days because of reviews, blogs, tweets, etc. that I see online.
So how do I use all my social media sites? Well, I try to mix things up a bit. On my blog, I talk about everything from writing, to books I’m working on, to books that I’ve read. Whenever I have a new blog post up, I link to it on my Facebook and Twitter pages.
I talk about what I’m up to on Facebook and Twitter and also try to post fun stuff to those two sites, like a link to a recipe that looks good or a funny video that one of my friends has sent me. For all the books that I read, I post a review over on Goodreads, which I love since it lets me keep track of everything that I have or want to read.
Of course, the downside of all this is that it means more work for me - and maintaining all these sites is a lot of work. As a result, I’ve cut back my blogging to three days a week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday - to try to write more quality posts. I also try to update all my sites at least a few times a week, but that doesn’t always happen.
I don’t have huge numbers of people following me on my sites, and I know that I could probably be more aggressive about reaching out and trying to get more followers. But I get a few more folks every week, and my numbers are slowly growing. That’s good enough for me. World domination takes time, you know. ;-)
What about you guys? How has social media affected your reading habits? Do you look at more reviews online now before you buy a book?
And here are my links, in case you want to follow me or check out my sites:
Facebook fan page | Twitter | Goodreads | Blog
Monthly e-newsletter: Go to http://www.jenniferestep.com and use the signup form on the right.
Buy Jennifer’s Books:
Amazon | Book Depot | Books On Board
Win a SIGNED Copy of “Venom” by Jennifer Estep!
To Enter:
- Leave a comment about anything on this post.
- Leave an EMAIL for contact! (if you don’t feel comfortable leaving it here, email me at larissa@larissaslife.com)
Extra Entries:
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+5 Networked Blogs Follower
+5 Subscribe to The Blog by Email (Form near the top of the Right Sidebar)
+3 Follow me on Twitter (@larissa_sarah)
+3 Follow Jennifer on Twitter (@Jennifer_Estep)
+2 “Like” Larissa's Life on Facebook
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads
+1 Add all your entries! (including this one!)
U.S. & Canada Only!
Ends November 15th!
Good Luck!
Don’t Forget to Vote for Next Week’s {Nov. 14th} Theme for
The TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!
Don’t Forget to check out My Giveaways:
You can Win 3 SIGNED Bks {2 ARCs}!
Click HERE to Enter!
International!
Ends November 11th!
~~~~~~~~~~~
Win 2 SIGNED Books Of YOUR Choice on My NYCC Challenge!
Click HERE to Enter!
International!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click HERE or on the image above to enter!
Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!
xoxo,
Great Giveaway! I have heard great things about this series!!
I am an old GFC Follower
I follow on networked blogs
I subscribed to your blog by email
I like you on FB
I am your friend on goodreads
Total 20
kristen_babygurl@hotmail.com
Kristen
My Bloody Fairy Tale
No need to enter me as I own Venom, just wanted to drop by and say how much I love this series. This was a great guest post.
Social Media has made it so much easier to find new books and new authors and comment on reviews. I don't know what we all did before Twitter and FB!
@Buckeye Girl
Absolutely!!! i cant live without them anymore LOL
I haven't read the books yet but I read the free online short stories and really enjoyed those.
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+3 Follow me on Twitter (@larissa_sarah)
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads
+11 Add all your entries! (including this one!)
usignolc(At)yahooDOTcom
I've heard a lot lately about Jennifer's books, which is good for her, right? Proves the social media thing is working! And I can't WAIT for Mythos Academy series to come out...it sounds awesome!
+5 Google Friend Follower
+3 Twitter follower (@jmanni32)
+3 I follow Jennifer, too! (@jmanni32)
+1 For doing all the adding!
12 points total!
Thanks for this giveaway!
Airhead moment...I forgot my email address!
jmanni32@yahoo.com
I do have Spider's Bite on my to read pile. I can't wait to read the books. They all look so good.
sadler1279(at)yahoo(dot)com
Social media have not really affected my reading habits at all.
iii.141592653589793238462643383[at]gmail[dot]com
The Elemental Assasin series is one of my fave series. I can not wait to read Tangles threads
Chllybrd(at)gmail(dot)com
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+5 Networked Blogs Follower
+3 Follow me on Twitter (@larissa_sarah)
+3 Follow Jennifer on Twitter (@StacyMaynard)
+2 “Like” Larissa's Life on Facebook
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads
+1 Add all your entries!
22 TOTAL
Hi, everyone! I just wanted to say thanks to Larissa for having me on the blog and for all the nice words about my books. I'm glad so many folks are digging Gin and all her crazy adventures. ;-)
I think social media has really helped me when it comes to the Elemental Assassin books. And I agree with what other people have said -- I've found so many new authors through social media sites.
Review blogs definately influence me. If a reviewer or favorite author raves about a book it will automatically go on my TBR list over at Goodreads. If I win a book, it goes straight to the top along with all the other books in the series. I can't stand to read books out of order. Just a little OCD thing .
15 points for me!!
I am a follower and email subscriber. I would love to read this book. I have also heard good things about the series too and I really want to read it. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
Sharon -- Me too. I absolutely must start at the beginning of a series.
I really enjoy interacting through the various types of social media, and do rely on reviews made on Goodreads & few key blogs in determining whether to read books that i may have otherwise not been interested in. I have not been disappointed yet.
+5 Google follower
+3 Twitter follower
+2 like on FB
+2 Friend on Goodreads
+1 total
=13
Lbarra976 @ gmail dot com
I have Spider's Bite and cannot wait to read it! Love these covers!
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+5 Networked Blogs Follower
+3 Follow me on Twitter (@intensewhisper)
+3 Follow Jennifer on Twitter
+2 “Like” Larissa's Life on Facebook
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads
+1 Add all your entries!
21 entries
robin [at] intensewhisper [dot] com
I would love to read this series :)
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+5 Networked Blogs Follower-Rae Pavey
+5 Subscribe to The Blog by Email )
+3 Follow you on Twitter @throuthehaze
+3 Follow Jennifer on Twitter @throuthehaze
+2 “Like” Larissa's Life on Facebook-Rae Pavey
+2 friend on Goodreads-Raelena
+1 Add
TOTAL: 26
throuthehaze at gmail dot com
Hi :)
Thank you for having Jennifer Estep here today & thank you to Jennifer for the informative post.
I have found so many great new authors and novels via Twitter & Blogs!
All the best,
RKCharron
PS - Do not enter me in the contest, I already have Venom (unsigned) & I want someone who hasn't read it to get Venom.
:)
Great giveaway! I have been looking at this series for a while.
To answer Jennifer's question, while the games on FB have finally lost interest for me, FB and twitter cut into my reading time. It's a very sad thing, since I'm already a slow reader.
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+5 Networked Blogs Follower
+5 Subscribe to The Blog by Email
+3 Follow me on Twitter (@beckerjo)
+3 Follow Jennifer on Twitter
+2 “Like” Larissa's Life on FB
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads
+1 Add all your entries!
Total = 26 entries
Jennifer, I have yet to read your series, but have been reading reviews and love the covers and can't wait to start reading. Just added you to Twitter, FB, Goodreads and your Blog.
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+5 Networked Blogs Follower
+5 Subscribe to The Blog by Email
+3 Follow me on Twitter (@kerbear12221)
+3 Follow Jennifer on Twitter
+2 “Like” Larissa's Life on Facebook
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads
+1 Add all your entries!
Total: 26
kkaplan171@yahoo.com
What social media has done for me is introduce more books into my TBR pile, simply by introducing them to me. If I'd seen them myself they probably would have been there already, but sadly I miss a lot, especially if the bookstore doesn't face them forward.
jlynettes @ hotmail . com
oopps...forgot to add my extras:
+5 GFC Follower: sablelexi
+5 Networked Blogs Follower
+3 follow you on twitter @sablelexi
+3 Follow Jennifer on Twitter @sablelexi
+2 friend on Goodreads: Jennelle
+1 Add all your entries!
(including this one!)
total entries: 20
Mythos Academy series sounds good! Can't wait for it to come out. Thanks for the chance to win!
+5 GFC follower
+3 Twitter follower (@seescootread)
+1 add entries
Total: 11
Thanks!
seescootread[at]gmail[dot]com
I've been planning on picking this up but it'd be nice to win it;). Thanks for the post and contest.
vsloboda(at)gmail(dot)com
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+5 Subscribe to The Blog by Email (Form at the top of the Right Sidebar)
+3 Follow me on Twitter (@larissa_sarah)
+2 “Like” Larissa's Life on Facebook
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads
+1 Add all your entries! (including this one!)
total 18
I love having so much access to so many authors and books and blogs!!!
nedsped at verizon dot net
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+5 Networked Blogs Follower
+5 Subscribe to The Blog by Email
+3 Follow me on Twitter (Micholito)
+3 Follow Jennifer on Twitter
+2 “Like” Larissa's Life on Facebbook
(Michele Clark Powell)
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads
+1 Add all your entries!
=
26
Social media has definitely affected my reading habits. My TBR list is a million times longer than it was say like 5 years ago. I tend to read reviews online before buying a book also. It gives me a little more than what the description does on the back of the book.
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+3 Follow on Twitter (@ineedsafe)
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads (Edna Lyn)
+1 Add all your entries! (including this one!)
=13
nalynboni AT gmail DOT com
Yes and No. Yes because I keep finding new books to add to my TBR pile and it is now ginormous! And no because even if there is a bad review on a book but I think the back sounds interesting I will still read it.
I have been wanting to read this series forever!
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads
+1 Add all your entries! (including this one!)
Total = 8
folksohana at gmail dot com
Oh, I love this series! My favorite part is the relationship between Gin and Finn - I think they are adorable :)
+5 Old GFC Follower :)
+3 Follow me on Twitter
+3 Follow Jennifer on Twitter
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads
+1 Add all your entries!
15 Entries :)
I love this series and already own the first two books. Great giveaway.
NewBorrowedUsed@gmail.com
+5 GFC Follower
+5 Network Blogs Follower
+3 Twitter (yours)
+3 Twitter (Jennifer)
+1 Add entries
17 total
Just added Web of Lies to my TBR list and would love to keep up with the series by winning Venom.
walarsha(at)gmail(dot)com
+5 Network Blogs Follower
Ok this is weird but reading that Gin is an assassin and runs a restaurant reminds me of how they killed and cooked up the mean husband in Fried Green Tomatoes.
+5 GFC Followerr
+3 Twitter (yours)
+3 Twitter (Jennifer)
+1 Add entries
12 total.
My deets:
Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust
email: steph@fangswandsandfairydust.com
twitter: @fangswandsfairy
I have quite a weekend: Iron Queen, Tyger Tyger and my fun new game - Sunday Supernatural Summaries!
Yeah! Great Giveaway. I am just starting this series!
+5 Goggle Friend Follower
+5 Networked Blogs Follower
+3 Twitter Follower(@cr6zym0nkeyiz)
+3 Jennifer Twitter Follower(@cr6zym0nkeyiz)
Total = 17
Mariya @ Mystifying Paranormal Reviews
mystifyingparanormalreviews@gmail.com
I would love to read this series!
I like authors who keep in touch and interact with fans through social media :)
+5 GFC follower
+2 friend you on GoodReads
========
Total = 8 entries
angeldream3(at)gmail(dot)com
I like that she is writing a young adult urban fantasy series. I buy a lot of books for my grandchildren.
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+5 Subscribe to The Blog by Email
+3 Follow on Twitter-CarolAnnM
+3 Follow Jennifer on Twitter
17 entries
mittens0831 at aol dot com
Social media has been highly effective in my reading habits. I have started my own blog, am now a Twitter user and only post links to my blog on Facebook now! HAHA! I do tend to read a lot more reviews before purchasing a book, but the funny thing is...I tend to look at the 'bad' reviews more than the 'positive' ones! Weird, I know! I also find a lot of books via "word of mouth" through Twitter!
+5 GFC follower
+5 Networked Blogs follower
+6 Twitter follower
+2 I "Like" you
+2 Goodreads friend
+1 Total = 21
Oops! Forgot my email: astewart305(at)rogers.com
hehe!
I love this series and am glad to see from an authors side thoughts on the current social media trend.
+5 Google Friend Connect Follower
+5 Networked Blogs Follower
+3 Follow me on Twitter (@larissa_sarah)- @donnas1
+3 Follow Jennifer on Twitter (@Jennifer_Estep) - @donnas1
+2 “Like” Larissa's Life on Facebook
+2 Be my friend on Goodreads
+1 Add all your entries! (including this one!) - 22
bacchus76 at myself dot com