Touch of Frost Character Interview: Gwen

Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to thank Page for having me on the blog today. Thanks so much, Page!

So today, Page asked me to answer some questions from the point of view Gwen Frost, the heroine of Touch of Frost, the first book in my Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series.

Gwen is 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.

Take it away, Gwen:

 I’ve always loved the idea of violet eyes.  Do you love or hate yours?

Well, my mom always said that Violet eyes are smiling eyes. She had the same violet eyes that I do, and I thought that they were beautiful on her. On me? Not so much. Still, I like having violet eyes, if only because it reminds me of my mom and that part of her lives on in me.

 If they events hadn’t unfolded the way they had, do you think you would have told anybody at Mythos Academy about your touch magic?

Well, some of the kids already knew about my psychometry magic—my ability to touch an object and immediately know, feel, and see its history. Using my psychometry—or touch magic—lets me track down all the things that the other kids lose. Finding lost keys, laptops, cell phones, and more is how I make extra cash at the academy. Sure, it’s not the most glamorous job in the world, but it’s something that I’m pretty good at.

But yeah, if things hadn’t happened like they did, then folks like Daphne Cruz, Carson Callahan, and Logan Quinn wouldn’t know nearly as much about my magic as they do. But that’s okay, because Daphne and Carson are my friends now, and Logan, well, Logan is something a little more than just a friend …

 You have touch magic, your mom could tell when someone was lying, and your grandmother can see the future.  Why do you think you had such a hard time believing that that the students were real decedents of ancient warriors?

Because my mom and grandma never made a really big deal out of our powers. They were just these cool things that we could do. They never told me about the evil god Loki, or monsters like Nemean prowlers, or that there are bad guys called Reapers of Chaos who want to kill all the warrior whiz kids at Mythos. So when I got to Mythos, yeah, it took me a little while to believe in all those things. But now, I know that they are all very, very real—and very, very scary.

Why did it take a murder/mystery for you to open up to anybody at the academy?

Well, I’m not nearly as rich, pretty, or powerful as all the other kids at the academy are. They ignored me for the most part, so I ignored them right back. Plus, I just didn’t feel like trying to make friends with anyone. Not with my mom’s death and going to a new school. I just needed some time by myself to deal with everything. But luckily, I have some real friends now in Daphne, Carson, and Logan, and I’m glad that I do.

What do you think Logan Quinn is hiding?

I’m not sure, but it has to be something that he thinks is really important. The Spartan wouldn’t be so worried about me finding out what it is otherwise. But no matter what it is, it’s not going to change the way I feel about him. I just wish Logan would realize that …

Do you intend to find out?

Definitely. ;-)

Jennifer Estep writes the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series for Kensington. Touch of Frost, the first book in the series, was published on July 26. First Frost, a prequel e-story to the series, is available now as a 99-cent download. Kiss of Frost, the second book, will hit shelves on Nov. 29. Visit www.jenniferestep.com for excerpts and more information.

For contests, extra content and more info about Kteen books, please visit: www.facebook.com/kteenbooks