Jennifer Estep Blog Post and Giveaway!

As many of you know I'm such a fan of this series. My recent review of Tangled Threads and my book boyfriend prove it. :) However, I am now going to stop babbling and give up the floor to a wonderful author! Welcome Jennifer!

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Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to say thanks to Melissa for having me on the blog. Thanks so much, Melissa! ;-)

So today, Melissa asked me to talk a little bit about food since it’s such a big part of my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. My heroine, Gin Blanco, aka the assassin the Spider, runs a barbecue restaurant called the Pork Pit in her spare time. So there’s a lot of talk about food in the books, and I have several scenes of Gin cooking, since it’s one of the things that relaxes her after a long day of fighting the bad guys. ;-)

I love food – cooking it, eating it, and writing about it. I love sitting down in front of my computer and writing a mouth-watering scene that makes someone hungry or want to try the dish that I’m describing. I’m totally addicted to The Food Network, and I have a stack of recipes on my kitchen counter that I’d like to try. And yes, most of them are dessert recipes. LOL. I get that from my mom. She loves to bake and is always planning what dessert that she wants to make next.

A lot of folks ask me if the dishes that I mention in the Elemental Assassin books are real. A few of them are, but most exist only in my imagination (like Fletcher Lane’s secret barbecue sauce). I like to take recipes that I get from friends, family, magazines, TV shows, and more, and tweak and adapt them to my own tastes. So today, I thought I would share a quick and easy dish that has a lot of uses. (If it ain’t quick and easy, I don’t cook it.)

This isn't an exact recipe, but it's something that my family does every year. This is really easy and really good if you want to enjoy sweet summer strawberries all year long. Enjoy!

Sweet Summer Strawberries

1 gallon fresh strawberries

Sugar, to taste

Wash and cap strawberries. Let strawberries dry, then cut them into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Starting with about a cup of sugar, add sugar to strawberries until desired sweetness is reached. (The more sugar you add, the sweeter they will be.) Stir the sugar until it is dissolved and has formed a syrup over the strawberries. Serve immediately, or ladle strawberries and syrup into airtight containers and freeze until ready to use.

Note: These strawberries are great on toast or over vanilla ice cream.

What about you guys? Do you like reading about food in books or watching The Food Network? Share in the comments. 

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Jennifer 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, and Venom. Tangled Threads, the fourth book, was published on April 26, while Spider’s Revenge, the fifth book, will be released in October.

 

Jennifer also writes 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.

The first book, Touch of Frost, will be out in August, while the second book, Kiss of Frost, will hit shelves in December. First Frost, a prequel e-short story to the series, will be out in July. Visit www.jenniferestep.com for excerpts and more.

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Thanks Jennifer for stopping by the blog today! I'll be over later to be your taste tester since I'm not much of a cook. Personally, I like eating more than reading or watching cooking shows. So you can try as many of those recipes on me anyday! ;D

Giveaway!

So, would you like a chance to win this signed book by Jennifer Estep? All you have to do is answer Jen's question or just comment below. Make sure I have a e-mail somewhere so I can easily contact the winner. I'll end the giveaway on May, 11 at 10pm MST. The giveaway is open only to those in the US and Canada. 

Good luck and have fun! Oh, and please pass the strawberries... YUM!


Giveaway is over now! Thanks for playing!