Friday, October 1, 2010

Venom Author Jennifer Estep Guest Blog

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


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.

Since Pam likes to scrapbook, I thought that I’d talk about one of my hobbies today – cooking. Those of you who have read any of the books in my Elemental Assassin series know that my heroine Gin Blanco runs a barbecue restaurant and that cooking is one of her passions in life. In the books, Gin makes everything from cookies to cakes to sandwiches.A lot of people have asked me if I like to cook as much as Gin does, and the answer is yes. I’m totally addicted to the Food Network, and I’m always on the lookout for new recipes to try. I wish that I had more time to cook – and read too, of course. ;-)

My mom is the one who got me interested in cooking. That woman can bake like nobody’s business, and she’s always whipping up sweet treats. If it has sugar in it, she’ll make it at least once. I guess you could say that I’m taking after her. I went through my recipe box the other day, and the majority of the recipes were for desserts. LOL.


Anyway, I thought that I’d also share a recipe today. I get my recipes from friends, family, magazines, and more. I’m not sure where this one came from, since my mom and I have been making it for years, but it’s quick, easy, and is one of the best chocolate cakes that you will ever have. Enjoy!



Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix

1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 (12 ounce) package mini chocolate morsels


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 10 cup Bundt pan. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding, and sugar. Add water, oil, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Stir in sour cream and mini chocolate morsels. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake for 1 hour (check at 50 minutes) or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.



You can find a few more recipes on my website at http://www.jenniferestep.com/books-series/elemental-assassin-series/. Scroll down until you see “Gin’s Recipe Box.”



What about you guys? Do you like to cook? What are some of your favorite hobbies?

                                                                         

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