Interview with Jennifer Estep, Author of A Sense of Danger

by grant

in Author Interviews, eBook, News

16 Nov 2021

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write A Sense of Danger?

I’ve always loved spy stories because they usually feature a little bit of everything—action, adventure, danger, and romance. I love putting all those elements in my own books, so writing a spy story seemed like a natural fit. I’ve enjoyed putting my own twist on the spy genre and adding some magical/paranormal elements to the characters/story.

If you woke up in the world of A Sense of Danger, what is the first thing you would do?

It would be fun to explore the secret headquarters of Section 47, my magical spy agency.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I love reading all kinds of books, and my favorite genres to read are fantasy, romance, YA, spy thrillers, and anything (books, comics, etc.) with superheroes.

Fantasy is my favorite genre to write in, simply because the possibilities are endless when it comes to the types of characters/creatures, worldbuilding, and magic systems that you can write about.

What fictional world would you most like to visit?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe. I love the Marvel superhero movies and TV shows, and I think it would be a cool place to visit.

What book did you expect to hate, but ended up loving?

Back in college, I took a detective fiction class, and I decided to read Bank Shot by Donald E. Westlake as part of the class. I had never read Westlake before, so I didn’t have any expectations about the book, but I absolutely loved it. Bank Shot is part of Westlake’s Dortmunder comic crime caper series about a group of thieves, and it is one of my all-time favorite book series.

What’s your favorite thing about writing? What’s your least favorite thing about it?

My favorite thing is when I finish writing a book. It’s always a great feeling of accomplishment to know that I’ve written something that folks will hopefully read and enjoy.

However, I do get tired of reading – and re-reading – my own books. Authors have to re-read their own books for revisions, copyedits, and page proofs, and after a while, it can get a little tedious.

What scene in A Sense of Danger was your favorite to write?

I always love writing action and fight scenes and coming up with ways for my heroine/hero to defeat the villains. So some of my favorite scenes in A Sense of Danger are when Charlotte Locke and Desmond Percy finally face off with some villains near the end of the book.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

I love the quote from the movie Galaxy Quest: “Never give up, never surrender!” It definitely applies to writing and so many other things in life.

What will your next adventure or writing project be?

Tear Down the Throne, Gargoyle Queen #2, will be out on May 3, 2022, and I will be participating in the Dirty Deeds 2 urban fantasy anthology, which will be out June 7, 2022.

Happy reading, everyone!