By Rachel Johnson

At 25, ETSU Alumni Jennifer Estep is finally reaching her dreams and it's all because of good karma, imagination and hard work.  In the past year, Estep has become the author of her first published book, Karma Girl, a graphic novel, and a second in the series, Hot Mama. No. 3 in the series is at the press.

Four years ago, Bristol Herald Courier feature writer Jennifer Estep graduated with a master’s in Professional Communication from ETSU.

Estep graduated from ETSU in 1999 with a double major in English and journalism. Within two weeks after graduation, she started her feature writing and page designing career at the Bristol Herald Courier in Bristol, Va.

Since Estep was a little girl, she enjoyed going to the Bluff City Library a few times a week. “My mom and I went every Saturday,” Estep says. “It was almost like a ritual. The greatest thing ever created was a library.”

As she got older, Estep fell in love with every book she could get her hands on. She read fairy tales, fantasies, adventure stories, mysteries, westerns, and romances. It was not long before she began writing poems and short stories of her own.

After having a “wonderful” teacher in high school to sharpen her writing skills, Estep decided she wanted to write for a living.

For inspiration, Estep has always turned to her favorite television shows, movies and books. Some of these include The A-Team, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the James Bond series, Charmed and anything else that involves fantasy characters and a good story.

Estep has turned her passions and proclivities into published works. In May 2007, Karma Girl was released by Berkley Books in New York to all the local bookstores. Karma Girl tells a story about “sex, lies, and superheroes," Estep says.

The stories take place in a fantasy town called Bigtime, N.Y., where “sexy superheroes, evil ubervillains and smart, sassy gals are looking for love,” Estep says. “It’s kind of like what would happen if Lois Lane found out that Clarke was cheating on her and that he was Superman.”

Karma Girl is a book about a daring young woman named Carmen Cole. After discovering that her fiancé was cheating on her and was hiding his identity as a superhero, she decides to take revenge and unmask all of the superheroes and spandex-wearers in Bigtime, N.Y.

Readers were pre-ordering KG on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble long before it was officially in print. "They said they can’t wait to read it,” Estep said.

Not too far behind Karma Girl was Estep’s sequel, Hot Mama, another Bigtime book filled with more stories about sex, lies and superheroes, which was release in November.

Estep’s books are recommended for 18 and up. “It’s mostly for women, but I think men who really like comic books would like it, too,” Estep says.

Hot Mama is series of comics put together as novel, but can be read in a comic book atmosphere. Her third in this series should debut in September, she says as Karma Girl is being re-released as a mass market paperback in July, followed by Hot Mama in August. "So folks can get their Bigtime fix all over again, before reading the new book," she says on her Web site. "How cool is that?"

In the meantime, Estep is working on a paranormal spy thriller series that will involve numerous fantasy characters including vampires, wolves, witches and elves. “It’s about a druid who is the world’s worst at spy,” says Estep, “kind of like a James Bond spoof.”

Besides reading and writing, Estep also enjoys listening to her favorite Jimmy Buffet albums, Barometer Soup, Fruitcakes and Volcano and other favorite artists including Carly Simon, Don McLean and Green Day. “Yeah, I’m a parrot head,” she says.

Before she dies, Estep has a few things to check off her agenda, she says. Her ultimate goal, she says, is to hit all the best-seller lists, preferably the New York Times. “Of course that would consist of writing the perfect book,” Estep says. “That would mean every single person who picks it up and reads it loves it.”

Another goal is to travel around the world. “I’d like to visit Alaska, Europe, Italy and Switzerland,” Estep says. “That would be nice. I’d also like to try some thing crazy, like scuba diving or something.”

Back in the real world -- or the or the world of sex, lies and graphic novels -- Estep is trying to market and promote her  Karma Girl, Hot Mama and Jinx, as much as possible. “If things go as planned, then I will do two more next year,” Estep says.

To keep up with Jennifer Estep and her novels, visit www.jenniferestep.com.