New Author Spotlight: Jennifer Estep

By Kim Holloway

New author Jennifer Estep is making a name for herself in the publishing world and creating a new niche for herself at the same time. Her blend of romance, fantasy, and comic book superheroes is a unique addition to modern fiction, and Estep's series has been successful enough to win her contracts for three books and the mass market re-release of the first two novels in the series.

Estep describes herself as "a Southern gal through and through." A writer and page designer for The Bristol Herald Courier in Bristol, Virginia, the Johnson City, Tennessee, native published her first novel Karma Girl in 2006, and its sequel Hot Mama was released in November 2007.

Jinx, the third novel in Estep's series, is scheduled for release in September 2008, with re-releases of her first two novels as mass market paperbacks planned for distribution in that year as well. The mass market paperback edition of Karma Girl will be published in July 2008, and the re-release of Hot Mama is scheduled for August 2008.

Estep credits her mother for cultivating her love of reading. The mother and daughter made weekly visits to the library, a tradition she says that continues today. An English and journalism major in college, Estep has now achieved her dream of publishing not one but three of her novels.

Recently, Estep agreed to answer a few questions about Karma Girl and about writing and about her life as a writer.

Southern Ledger: Have you always want to be a writer? What were your dreams and goals about writing when you were younger?

Jennifer Estep: I've always made up stories in my head, and I still do that today. Whenever I watch a movie or TV show or read a book, I put myself in the character's shoes. How would I react in a certain situation? How could I be the hero or the villain? Often, by the time I get done, the story has completed changed from what it originally was.

Then, one day it hit me - I could write my own stories, with my own world, characters, and mythology, instead of always reading about someone else's. I realized that I could write the stories I wanted to tell.

I suppose I had the usual dreams and goals - seeing my name in print, hitting all the best-seller lists, and making a million dollars. Everyone thinks writing a book will automatically make you rich. Reality is quite a bit different, though. LOL. Writing is a tough and expensive business to be in. But when you see your name on a book for the very first time, it's all worth it.

SL: How do you go about your writing? Do you tackle the plot line first, make an outline, create your main character and then build the plot and other characters based on that, or wing it?

JE: I think about the main character - what she's like, what motivates her, what she wants out of life. Then, I think about certain situations I could put her in - how I could make her the hero, have her save the day. I think about the other characters, the setting, etc., then make a rough outline of the story. After that, I just start writing and see where the words take me.

I write a rough draft, usually about 50,000 words, and let that sit a while, before going back and doing revisions, etc. I do a couple of drafts, adding to the story and polishing the writing every time, before I'm satisfied the story is the absolute best that I can make it.

SL: Who and/or what has had the greatest influence on your writing? What writer do you think has influenced you the most?

JE: I've always loved fantasy stories - fairy tales, comic books, epic series like "The Lord of the Rings," etc. I love the idea of people using magic, using extraordinary powers, to help others, fight evil, and make the world a better place. It's an idea that really resonates with me. So, I'd say the fantasy genre as a whole (books, TV shows, movies, etc.) has had the greatest influence on my writing.

I don't know that any one writer has influenced me more than others. I read a wide variety of genres and authors, including romance, fantasy, mystery, spy thrillers, etc. Some of my favorite authors are Robin McKinley, Donald Westlake, and Ian Fleming.

SL: What do you do when you are not writing?

Read, of course! I also enjoy spending time with friends and family.

JE: Where do you write?

At home in my office. That's where I put the words down. But I think about my characters and my stories everywhere I go. I'm always thinking about how to make my current book better or how events in one book will influence the next one.

SL: Tell me about this book - how did you get the idea, how did you go about writing and publishing it, what was the hardest aspect of writing this particular book, the easiest?

Karma Girl is about an investigative reporter who exposes the secret identities of comic book-type superheroes - until she falls for one. It's basically a romance set in a fantasy, comic book world.

Superheroes have really exploded in popularity the last several years with the "Spider-Man" movies and TV shows like "Smallville." But one thing always bothered me about the stories - why doesn't the heroine every figure out that the hero is really a superhero? Why doesn't Lois Lane ever realize that Clark Kent is really Superman? Glasses are not a great disguise. One day, it hit me - I could write a comic book where the heroine does figure it out, where she has a knack for figuring out everyone's secret identity. And thus, Karma Girl and the crazy world of Bigtime, N.Y. was born.

After I got the idea, I sat down and wrote the book. It took me about a year to write, edit, and revise it. Then, I started looking for an agent, which took several more months. I was lucky enough to find a terrific agent who really believed in the book, and she was able to sell it for me. Karma Girl came out May 1, and I couldn't be happier with it.

The hardest aspect of writing is just doing it - sitting down every day and writing, whether you feel like it or not, whether you feel inspired or not. That's the only way you're ever going to finish a book.