Question: Do You Notice Easter Eggs?

Posted April 2, 2015 by Carmel in Question / 36 Comments

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Definition: An Easter egg is an intentional inside joke, hidden message, or feature in a work such as a computer program, video game, movie, book, or crossword puzzle. The name has been said to evoke the idea of a traditional Easter egg hunt. —Wiki

I appreciate it whenever an author caters to their fans by referencing people or places from one of their other series. Not everyone will notice these little gems, but they are fun perks for die hard readers. There’s a certain amount of skill involved because Easter eggs need to be subtle so that they don’t confuse peeps that are unfamiliar with their origins while also being obvious enough that those in the known catch them.

Jennifer Estep tops my list of writers who love these colourful treats, plus I’ve read all of her books, so that helps too. If you pay close attention, you’ll catch Gwen Frost (MYTHOS ACADEMY) & Sam Sloane (BIGTIME) chowing down on grub from the Pork Pit (ELEMENTAL ASSASSIN), and I believe that Ashland is mentioned in her upcoming novel, COLD BURN OF MAGIC, although I own a physical copy which makes fact checking difficult. Estep frequently stalks my Question posts though, so maybe she’ll leave a comment to help fill in the blanks.

I’m always on the prowl for pop culture, and geeky Easter eggs too, because they make my inner fan-girl happy. A few of my go-to authors that use ’em regularly include: Molly Harper, Kevin Hearne, and Jim Butcher. I also love quick shout-outs like Patricia Briggs’ hat tip to SUPERNATURAL in DEAD HEAT, or when Canadian places make an appearance in my novels given that for some reason the great white North isn’t a popular locale in Paranormal. Are we too nice for werewolves and vampires? I try to make a point of mentioning the tidbits that make me squee in my reviews like when Dianne Duvall brought up my home province of Québec in NIGHT UNBOUND.

Happy (almost) Easter!


Do You Notice Easter Eggs?



Carmel Signature

Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!

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36 responses to “Question: Do You Notice Easter Eggs?”

  4. Jennifer Estep  

    Thanks for the shout-out. I appreciate it. And I do really like your weekly question post. 🙂

    I started doing the Easter eggs in my first Elemental Assassin book to refer my Bigtime books. As I’ve written more series, I’ve done more Easter eggs. Now, whenever I write a new book, I make sure to mention something from all my other series in the new book. I think they are just fun shout-outs for fans of my books, and I really like figuring out where to put them in my books.

    I actually mention all three of my other series in COLD BURN OF MAGIC. There is one place where all of the Easter eggs are together, but I will let everyone find that for themselves. Thanks again!
    Jennifer Estep recently posted…YA Scavenger Hunt …

  5. Paul (Audiobook Reviewer)  

    I am almost sure that I don’t notice them all. However when I do I get a nice laugh out loud moment.

    I will say Mark Tufo is great at this is a book that has nothing whatsoever to do with his best known character Micheal Talbot, this guy will make an appearance of some sort in every single book.

    I think sometime they do it to see if anyone is really reading their books 🙂
    Paul (Audiobook Reviewer) recently posted…The Hidden Masters of Marandur (The Pillars of Reality Book 2) by Jack Campbell

  6. Jessica  

    I do notice them, and I love the crossover. I haven’t even read the Lily Bard series by Charlaine Harris, but when the MCs showed up in Sookie-land, I squee-ed . . . and yeah, I love it when various Estep characters not from Elemental Assassin have Pork Pit grub, too 😉

    I don’t care if that makes me (us) a geek. I LOVE it.

  9. Jenny from Supernatural Snark  

    I’ve only ever noticed them in Jennifer’s books, but I think that’s mostly because I know she slips them in there so I’m on the lookout. That being said though, I completely missed any references in Cold Burn of Magic, I guess I was flipping the pages too quickly to pick up on them! Fail:)

  12. Lola  

    I cathed a few of the easter eggs in Jennifer Estep her books, I read some of her elemental assassin series books first and then in Mythos Academy noticed the references. Kelley Armstrong also has an easter egg in her YA and Adult series, Otherworld and the Darkest Powers, where it’s hinted that they take place in the same world and some characters make appearances in both series, but the main character never officially meet. It’s still fun to imagine this all taking place in the same world.
    Most of the pop culture references in books are references I don’t get as I don’t watch a lot of tv or pay attention to the news. So sometimes I notice the easter eggs and other times not.
    Lola recently posted…Lola’s Ramblings: How to Spend Less Money While Grocery Shipping

  13. Janet  

    CE Murphy has a great Supernatural fangirl scene in her Walker Papers series (Demon Hunt, maybe?) and James Tuck tips his hat to Harry Dresden and Anita Blake in one of the Deacon Chalk novels.

  17. ShootingStarsMag

    What a fun question and very appropriate for Easter coming up. I don’t read a lot of books by the same author, so I think I need to do that to notice more. I love Molly Harper though, so I need to get caught up on her books and keep an eye out.

    And that’s cool you’re from Québec!! My grandma was born there, I believe, and my mom and sister have both been. I need to visit Canada in general – never been.

    -Lauren
    ShootingStarsMag recently posted…When You Leave by Monica Ropal + Make it a Gift

  23. Berls  

    Well I’m kinda bummed that I haven’t read Mythos Academy, since I’m working on Elemental Assassin right now. Is the Easter egg before book 6? Because I’m on 6… I’ll look forward to the elemental assassin Easter eggs in Cold Burn of Magic, which I need to read for review still.

    I’m pretty bad at catching Easter eggs, mainly because I’m behind on most books though. I do appreciate them in Molly Harper’s books though, I’ve actually caught those 🙂
    Berls recently posted…Pinching Pennies | March 2015 Book Budget

  26. Danya  

    I can pick out easter eggs, but only when I’ve read literally everything the author’s ever written (i.e. Kelley Armstrong). As I’m sure you know, there’s a ton of crossover between the WoTO series and her Darkest Powers/Darkest Rising trilogies. In the Otherworld Nights anthology there’s a Savannah story that references the genetic experiments in Darkest Powers, for example!
    Danya recently posted…Review: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

  31. Catherine  

    I love it when I discover Easter Eggs! :] I probably miss a ton of them, but I do find them. My favourite author who slips in so many of them that you laugh yourself silly is Simon R. Green and his Nightside series. :]

  34. Elizabeth  

    I do notice Easter Eggs. Sometimes I think I notice them in books by authors I’ve never read and then when I read more by that author I discover I was correct. I like when authors hint at things in their own personal life such as naming a character after their agent, which is why I always read the thanks and author notes.