Guest Post – C.S. Boyack – #newbook – Tracks of Infinity

October 2, 2024September 24, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 66 Comments

I am happy to have Craig Boyack on my blog today. Craig is a very creative writer who has written some of the best speculative fiction books. His stories are unique, and his characters are likable and memorable.

Craig is here today to talk about his latest book. So Craig, the post is yours.

Thanks for the invitation, John. It’s been a while since I did any serious promotion, but it is nice to get out.

I have a new book called Tracks of Infinity. This one involves the search for proof that we are not alone in this universe.

My main character is Jenny Hughes. She was a very young military widow, and was left alone with a new infant. Jenny being a baby faced blonde had its advantages, and she scored a job as an on-camera news reporter.

When the story opens, Jenny is pushing 40. Her station got a directive to get more diverse, and award bonus points to applicants who could make their on-screen presence younger at the same time.

Jenny experiments with Botox, Spanks, teeth whitening, push up bras, and more to stay in the game.

After twenty years of reporting, it isn’t like she has much of a marketable skill set. Her editor takes pity and offers her a different position.

Her dream of one day becoming an investigative journalist dies hard. This station focuses on flash and gossip more than real news. Now she’s off camera completely.

The new job comes with a shared secretary. Jenny learns the basement is full of old news stories, most of them gathered up by mergers and acquisitions over the decades.

With all this upheaval, her now adult son is failing at college. Cody is a good kid, but needs a science credit. Somehow he wound up in a geology class. After a night of opening old manila envelopes and scouring for stories, she decided to give up and help Cody by making a drive in the country. It was Cody who chose the location of one of the long-forgotten news stories to work on his science project.

What Jenny and Cody discover is nothing short of amazing. They may have solid proof of extraterrestrial visitors to Earth. If only she had a mentor who knew how to assemble a story like this.

Turns out she finds one, but he is difficult to work with. I’ll save that for another post.

During all this, Cody finds a new girlfriend. She isn’t exactly Jenny’s kind of people, and that adds another bit of stress to her routine.

I wanted to get all the troubles and issues of the modern world out there for your fans. Jenny is an interesting character and is doing the best she can in the modern world. I hope your readers can relate to her. They might not have the same issues, but my hope is that Jenny is a relatable character to guide them through this story.

Blurb:

Jenny’s life is in upheaval. Her only child, Cody, is getting on with his young adult life, and has a girlfriend Jenny is unsure of. Her career at the news station is in jeopardy in a push to get more diverse and younger at the same time.

She wants to be an investigative reporter, but it seems they’ve been relegated to the Stone Age. Gossip, celebrities, and local interest is the order of the day.

In desperation, she accepts an off-camera job to retain her paycheck at all. This is when she discovers that mergers and acquisitions over the decades have left the station with a long history of old news tales in the basement. Could a cold case be something she could focus on in her spare time?

She and her son glean through ancient manila envelopes to find something of interest. Cody needs to make a drive in the country to pass college geology, and decides they might as well go to the location in one of the old stories. Mother and son make a day of it.

What they discover isn’t something either of them expected. Who can she turn to for help and guidance in the dying art of investigative journalism? Will Jenny be able to market a story like this at all? Who are the strange thugs that seem to be tracking their every move, and what are they up to?

The answers to these questions and more are revealed in Tracks of Infinity.

One more time, in case you missed it: Tracks of Infinity.

***

Thanks for the invitation, John. You’re always welcome at my site, and I hope we get some fun comments today.

Always a pleasure to see you here, Craig.

Craig’s bio

Craig’s contact links

Blog My Novels Twitter Goodreads Facebook Pinterest BookBub

Guest Post – Lisa Burton Talking About The Midnight Rambler by Craig Boyack #newbook

October 12, 2022October 4, 2022 ~ John W. Howell ~ 87 Comments

I am very pleased to welcome Lisa Burton-Robot Spokesperson back to Fiction Favorites. Craig Boyack her boss, has a hit series featuring Lizzie and her sidekick The Hat. This is book six in the series. I have read and enjoyed the first three and have the latest three on my Kindle. Craig’s books never fail to deliver in the story’s uniqueness and the quality of characterizations. I also found each book, although part of the series, can be read as a standalone. I know I better get busy before I get further behind. Enough of my blather. I want to welcome Lisa, who will tell us about The Midnight Rambler

I’m sooo excited to be here, John. This is because I got a cameo in this story. Kind of. If you look at it just right. It’s actually one of my old calendars that appeared on a new character’s wall. What Craig calls an Easter Egg. I didn’t get any dialog or action out of the deal, but it seems like I influenced this person’s life.

Ray C. Adair is the result of an experiment. A witch named Professor Lagomorph built him out of… let’s call them spare parts. These parts are kind of multi-ethnic and it makes it hard for Ray to fit in anywhere. He’s kind of a loner. More about him in the blurb.

Let’s talk about me for a change. This is one of my old calendar pages where I was posing as a biker girl. Kind of classic stuff, but it really influenced Ray. Those who want are welcome to share it on Pinterest, various social media, or even use it as wallpaper for their various devices.

Ray became a biker dude, and I’d like to think I had something to do with that. His motorcycle is even a bagger, similar the one in the poster.

Lizzie has a deeper conversation with Ray about what it means to be human, and even uses me as an example. Squee! I’m so excited about that my processors are heating up. This all works, because I was a player in this series at one time. It would be nice if Craig remembered that once in a while. I mean, robot girls are handy, I could help Lizzie and the hat again someday.

Back to the book before us. This is one of The Hat Series, and any of them can be read as solo projects. This one involves an ancient enemy of the hat, coming back to even up the score. People die, monsters roam the streets. There’s music and mayhem, and all the snark hat fans have come to expect. It’s Halloween season and these short novels can be read in an afternoon. Cuddle up with some hot cider and a blanket. Crack this one open and get your mad science on. It’s robot girl approved.

Blurb:

Something evil is after the hat. The ageless enemies have battled many times, but this time Lizzie is wearing the hat. She’s also up against a ticking clock, in that if she can’t find the maker of her new friend’s medicine he will die.

The Rambler has kidnapped the only witch capable of making Ray’s medicine in an attempt to make the hat sloppy in his efforts. He’s also flooded the streets with deadly minions to impede any progress our heroes might make.

As if that weren’t enough, Lizzie is facing more of life’s struggles, both financially and mechanically. This all goes down in the middle of a huge flood event that she’s ill equipped to handle.

Join Lizzie and the hat as they battle the elements, the paranormal, and a being of pure evil. Lizzie might be battling some personal demons along the way as she and Ray grow closer.

Get your copy here: https://mybook.to/TheMidnightRambler

Blog My Novels Twitter Goodreads Facebook Pinterest BookBub

Introducing Good Liniment – the Fifth in The Hat Series by Craig Boyack #newbook.

March 23, 2022March 21, 2022 ~ John W. Howell ~ 100 Comments

I am pleased to welcome Lisa Burton to my blog. Many of you remember Lisa as a character in Craig Boyack’s books, but she is also his Personal Assistant and Spokes Model. Lisa is here to tell us about Craig’s latest in The Hat series. This will be the fifth book in the series, and I can tell you I have enjoyed the others so much that I can’t wait to get into this one.

So without any more blabber from me, here is Lisa.

I’m so excited to be here, John. It’s been hard getting away from the writing cabin for the last couple of years. At least when Craig publishes something, I get to go on tour, and it means a lot when people let me visit.

The newest book is called Good Liniment. There’s a little background to it, dating back to the first book in the series called, The Hat. The hat is a creature from another dimension who was brought here by witchcraft, then bound to help a specific bloodline for as long as it lasts. Lizzie St. Laurent is the most recent member of that bloodline.

Lizzie’s a regular girl. She’s a college dropout, working multiple jobs to make ends meet, and also plays in a small cover band on the weekends. Her symbiotic relationship with the hat allows her to play the upright bass, but they also hunt monsters after hours.

We live in an era of immediate communications, social media, phone cameras, and conspiracy theories. In the series, observations of Lizzie’s night work have led to the creation of a monster called Hellpox. Hellpox isn’t real, he’s based upon what people interpreted from Lizzie’s actions. It’s kind of fun how they couldn’t be more wrong, because Lizzie is a cute girl.

Craig always intended to return to witchcraft in the series, and now it’s time. Good Liniment expands the magical world in this series, and it glances off a bunch of new characters that could appear in future stories.

I have a wonderful new poster that reflects a scene in the book. It involves the urban legend of Hellpox and this graffiti appears at a perfect time to torment Lizzie. The hat kind of likes the whole legend, because he thinks it helps them hide who she really is. Plus, I got to pose as a cute painter girl, and that was fun.

This one is chock-full of fun things. There are pop-culture references to talk radio, a comic book convention, magical creatures, witchcraft, and a strange tavern called Good Liniment. I hope you’ll check it out.

Oh, Craig always makes me remind people that while this is a series, it’s designed so you can read them as stand-alone stories. If Good Liniment is your first exposure to Lizzie and the hat, you won’t feel lost at all. Hope that’s reflected on my performance review.

Blurb

Someone is murdering members of the local witches coven. They turn to Lizzie and the hat for their unique skills that might help eliminate the killers.

A religious zealot might be a monster, but is still a human being. This task isn’t the same as staking vampires or shooting zombies. It isn’t the usual project Lizzie takes on for her night work.

This all takes place during a recovery period for Lizzie. She needs to keep her cover band together and find a new way of getting them gigs. More bands and less venues are making finances tight. The hat didn’t make things easier during her absence, by spreading rumors about why she took her sabbatical.

Someone killing others over a point of view insults Lizzie’s sensibilities. She has secrets to keep. Her employers have secrets, too. It doesn’t make for a comfortable working environment, but she agrees to do what she can.

Convincing her strong willed employers to stay indoors during all this poses another problem. Can she keep them alive long enough to finish her task?

Good Liniment is full of magic, magical creatures, and an entire underground community living amongst us.

The Hat Series consists of short novels that can be read in a single afternoon. They’re full of snarky dark humor and can be easily read out of order.

Purchase Link http://mybook.to/Good_Liniment

Series Link https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KTQY1XJ?ref_=dbs_p_pwh_rwt_anx_a_lnk&storeType=ebooks

Contact Craig

Blog My Novels Twitter Goodreads Facebook Pinterest BookBub

#newbook Wreck of the Lanternfish by C.S. Boyack

December 22, 2021December 10, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 41 Comments

I am so pleased to welcome Lisa Burton back to my blog today. Lisa is the assistant to Craig Boyack, the author of the Lantern series, and so much more. Lisa is here to tell us about Craig’s new book, The Wreck of the Lanternfish, which is the last book in the Lanternfish Trilogy. I have read the other two and enjoyed them very much. I expect this will be as exciting and entertaining as the other two. So welcome, Lisa.

***

Oh, my gosh! Thanks for having me back today, John. It’s so nice to get out of the writing cabin and visit with real people. You can imagine my world recently has been a gathering of Craig’s strange creatures. I’ve had everything from root monsters to a talking hat to hang out with for the past year.

I’m here today, because Craig is wrapping up the Lanternfish Trilogy. He’s having a hard time with this, because he’s spent so long with these characters. He never thinks of me, but I’ve also spent a long time with them. If you include the supporting book about Serang’s origin story, there are four volumes here. I’ve had to feed them, house them, clean up after them, and take them to photo shoots.

I love animals, so that part’s a labor of love. The anvil bird makes small appearances in all three Lanternfish books. He’s sweet, and talks. I give him grapes. There’s a horselike creature called a snubhorn down in the lower level at the cabin. He’s nice, too, and isn’t a picky eater. Leftovers suit him just fine. When Craig isn’t watching I ride him around the meadow.

Then we come to the Omcrom. These little guys are more like cavemen than anything else. Let me tell you, getting them into a vehicle so we could drive to a photo shoot was a trip. Root monsters yell, “Yay!” then climb right in. These guys are suspicious of everything.

The Fu were simple enough. They come with a medallion that summons them when we need them. They’re kind of like big kitties, and purr when they’re happy. They even earned a happy ending in Wreck of the Lanternfish, and that makes robot girls all gushy inside. You’ll have to read the book to find out what it involves.

There were some gigantic creatures we couldn’t do much with. They showed up for scenes, but had to stay outside the cabin. Things like Fēngbào, the bringer of storms, or Waltus who attacked the ships one day. There’s the moving reef, and even the Grandelor monster who’s still wandering the wilderness in Hollish somewhere.

It takes an effort to write a trilogy. I don’t deny that, but I have to say goodbye to all of them, too. I think readers are going to like the way it all wraps up, and I encourage everyone to check it out.

It’s been a joy talking with your fans today. I should probably get back and clean the cabin from top to bottom before whatever Craig comes up with next shows up. I think he can afford to let me go shopping for a day. Maybe even get my nails done. Lisa needs a new pair of shoes to show off that pedicure.

Wreck of the Lanternfish purchase link

Trilogy link

***

Blurb:

James Cuttler created a peaceful spot for he and his wife to settle down. Far from the war that ravages their homeland, far from the reputation he earned as the notorious pirate Captain Bloodwater, and far from responsibility.

A royal Prelonian houseguest is a constant reminder of what’s at stake half a world away, of the friends he put ashore to fight the war. He lives in a dream world that’s temporary, at best. It’s only a matter of time before his guest is identified and the black assassins come for her.

He mortgages his precious vineyard to pay for repairs to his ship. If nothing else, Lanternfish will be one of the most powerful ships in the war, if he’s not already too late.

James will have to merge the skills of commander and con man into something new to make this work. He’ll need to avoid those on his own side who would hang him for piracy.

Serang is half a world away, leading her army of mercenary swordsmen toward the Fulminites. Mistrusted by both sides of the war, she appears as a third combatant on the battlefield. She may eliminate the mysterious order, only to succumb to the demons of her own tragic past.

Strap on your swords and hoist the colors one more time as the thrilling Lanternfish Trilogy comes to an end.

Blog My Novels Twitter Goodreads Facebook Pinterest BookBub

Lunar Boogie #NewBook by C.S. Boyack

May 12, 2021May 9, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 60 Comments

Today I’m very pleased to welcome Lisa Burton, C.S. Boyack’s robot assistant to my blog. As Craig’s spokeperson, she is here to tell you all about his latest book. So without further delay here’s Lisa.

Thanks for having me back, John. I’ve been sequestered out at the writing cabin for a long time. Robot girls can’t get viruses, but I’m supposed to fit in when I go out. I don’t like masks and bleach wipes. Ordering things on Amazon just isn’t the same as a good shopping spree. I’m sooo grateful that you invited me over to chat.

I’m here, because Craig has a new book out. It’s called “Lunar Boogie,” and it’s number four in The Hat Series. This time, Lizzie and the hat are on the trail of a werewolf.

My poster for this visit involves this beautiful sapphire ring. It turns out to be the most valuable clue they have. Lizzie discovered it when she stepped in a pile of werewolf crap. This is one of Craig’s stories, so there are some strange things happening.

They know who this ring belonged to all along, but have access to someone the police don’t. The hat has known a lot of witches in his day, but the one who brought him here is still around. She helps with some of their cases, and they need her.

The ritual she performs is weird, and involves a mushroom called dead man’s fingers. This is a real mushroom, and when the fungus wears the ring, magic things happen. The clues are vague and cryptic, but give Lizzie enough help to keep forging ahead.

They still have their band, and bills to pay, so monster hunting has to work around life’s requirements a few times. There’s plenty of the band life, and lively music. This time there are even a few Christmas songs.

The police don’t have the vaguest clue that a werewolf is involved in the killings. They’re chasing a serial killer, because that’s what their experience allows for. Without Lizzie and the hat, this could be a long sad winter.

This is the first book in the series that doesn’t throw-down at Halloween. The winter setting allows the hat to take on some new configurations and Lizzie seems to prefer a mad bomber style for winter monster hunting. I’m proud of them, it looks cute.

I’m going to tell you a little secret. Whenever Craig finishes a story, he has me put all the story elements away in the basement. I’m a good assistant, but I’m keeping this ring. I also scored a bottle of vintage Emeraude perfume. This is the good stuff, so I’m keeping it, too. Maybe one of the other tour posts will get into how that played a role in the story.

Tell your fans they can download the poster if they like. They make fun backgrounds for iPad and phones. Send them off to check out the new book, too. Their purchases keep robot girls in shoes and handbags, if you know what I mean.

Thank you so much for telling us about Craig’s book and giving us some insight as to what we can expect. I know I always enjoy Craig’s writing. Have a safe tour around the blogosphere. I always enjoy your visits.

***

Blurb:

Lizzie and the hat are back in action, only this time they’re up against the most tragic monster of all, a werewolf.

This adventure is more like hunting an animal, and the werewolf is unlikely to come to any of their musical performances. This puts Lizzie out in the dark corners and wooded areas of the city. It may be more beneficial to get the monster to hunt Lizzie than to stalk him on his own turf. All she has to do is be quicker on the trigger than the wolf is on his feet.

At the same time, the police think they’re after a serial killer. Lizzie tries to keep them alive while also keeping them out of her way. As the body count rises, so do the pressures. It doesn’t help that people are blaming Lizzie and the hat for the killings. This involves an urban myth about them that the locals call Hellpox.

Pull on your boogie shoes and join the hunt. Designed as an afternoon read, this one is tons of supernatural fun.

Universal link to buy.

http://mybook.to/LunarBoogie

About Craig:

Visit Craig:

Blog My Novels Twitter Goodreads Facebook Pinterest BookBub

Announcing the Launch of HMS Lanternfish by C.S. Boyack

August 10, 2020August 9, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 86 Comments

Hey everyone. I’m so glad to be able to participate in the launch of Craig Boyack’s new book. One of the reasons I’m glad is Lisa Buton, Craig’s spokesperson is here in person. So not to waste a moment here is Lisa.

Hi, John. We’ve got to stop meeting up like this, or people are going to talk. Anyhoo, I’m here to talk about Craig’s new book and offer some great deals along the way.

The new one is called HMS Lanternfish, and it’s the second book in the series. James and his pirate crew are back, and this time they’re diving into the war effort.

In Voyage of the Lanternfish, they dealt with a lot of hardships. They were short on food and water, munitions, guns, and everything else. This time, they have to deal with too much. The hold of a ship will only contain so much, and weight has to be taken into account, too.

All of your favorite characters are back, but today I want to focus on Serang. She is the former monk who turned pirate, and has appointed herself as the captain’s personal muscle.

I’m going to note right here that she has her own book, oddly enough titled Serang. It’s a supporting story to the trilogy, but it also stands on its own if you’re interested. You can check it out here.

In this story, Serang gets a bit of an upgrade and a new assignment. She also gets a new outfit that consists of this warty leather armor. I’m all about fashion, so I was kind of reserved when Craig told me I’d have to model it. Honestly, it looks better than I thought. It suits Serang’s character, and that matters, too. Here’s a copy of my poster, and your fans are welcome to use it as computer backgrounds or whatever they like.

I need to tell you about the deals, and get down to those all-important links. For a limited time, HMS Lanternfish is priced at 99¢. But wait, there’s more! I always wanted to say that.

Voyage of the Lanternfish is going to be free for the first five days. That’s all Amazon would allow for free days. By my math, this BOGO sale allows you to get two books for a grand total of 99¢, but only if you act fast. You can trust my math, I’m a robot girl.

HMS Lanternfish: 99¢ for a limited time.

Voyage of the Lanternfish: Free until Friday.

John, I really appreciate you having me back. Here’s the cover and blurb to whet your fans’ appetites.

***

HMS Lanternfish

Blurb: The Lanternfish crew completed their original mission, but got exposed to a more global problem. An entire continent is at war, headed up by a head-strong young king with dreams of power, and pushed from behind by a mysterious religious order known as the Fulminites.

Rather than let their country fall under the iron boot of conquest, James and his crew set sail once more to see what kind of muscle Lanternfish can lend to the war effort. Acting precariously under an unofficial charter as a privateer, even his allies aren’t always his friends.

HMS Lanternfish explores new worlds on its way to war, and drifts considerably off course. It features an international crew of characters, and for fans of the first book, the root monsters are back, too. Tall ships, a few con games, martial arts, and everything you loved about the original book is all returning.

Hoist the colors and wheel out the guns. Lanternfish is taking to the high seas once more.

You can contact Craig at the following locations:

Friday – New Book Launch – Grinders – By C.S. Boyack

February 28, 2020February 27, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 76 Comments

Friday’s for JohnKu

Today’s a little different…

Craig’s in the house.

I usually have a John Ku and also some thoughts about the week on Friday. Today is a little different. I couldn’t help but do a JohnKu, but the musings will have to wait.

I am delighted to be joined by Craig Boyack, who is launching a new book. I always enjoy Craig’s books and am looking forward to this one. So without any delay, Here’s Craig.

Thanks for inviting me back, John. I’m here to talk about my newest book, Grinders. Grinders is a cyberpunk story, and many of you might be wondering what that is. Maybe my best way to start off is by telling you what it isn’t.

Science Fiction is a huge category. You can divide it up by thinking about space opera and anything with aliens, then everything else. Cyberpunk falls in the everything else category. In that section you can find everything from Godzilla, to Jurassic Park, to Frankenstein, so let’s narrow it a bit more.

Many science fiction stories in the remainder consist of either dystopia or utopia stories. Nope, not those either, but now that we’ve narrowed the field, I feel like I can get into the topic.

Cyberpunk involves a futuristic world where things are not perfect, but not horrible either. It usually focuses on high-tech and a bit of corruption. (That’s the punk part.) In these stories the environment is important and it’s almost like a character itself. I really tried to get this across in my story.

Grinders is set in a futuristic version of San Francisco. I tried to take current events and imagine where we might be in eighty to a hundred years. People solved the energy crisis, but made themselves beholden to the new system. Seas have risen dramatically, but the sea wall never got completed due to political bickering.

Many sections of the city are underwater and parts of the coast are trash piles because of the buildings being destroyed. They managed to clean up some portions of the mess and used the debris to raise the ground where the airport is. I tried to keep this just part of the environment and not make direct and blunt points about it all. You’ll see references to places like Telegraph Island in the story. Those who know SanFrancisco will know this area as Telegraph Hill and it is not an island – for now.

My main characters work for the police department on the Grinder Squad. The city receives grant money for having a dedicated department. When the money arrives, they divert it to more glamorous details. Grinder Squad is the worst of the worst, and all the new cars, supplies, and choice assignments go elsewhere. In other words, political corruption.

Technology is huge in this story, and I tried to take the concept of Alexa or Ring doorbells and project them into the future. Grinders has a futuristic version of personal digital assistants. Advertising is pervasive in this story, and the people living in it can’t avoid a constant stream of ways to separate them from their income.

In other words, I tried to make it futuristic while keeping it more realistic to life in general. Obviously, we’ve ignored science long enough to have a problem with global warming. What might this look like in the future? What would unregulated artificial intelligence look like 100 years from now?

There are good things, too. The grid is a new way of generating cheap power, and I have a whole post planned around this one somewhere down the line. The artificial intelligence is also helpful in the story at times.

At the end of the day, my main characters have to solve the big problems in humanistic ways, and that seems logical, too. I really enjoyed coming up with this expansive environment, and I hope some of your readers will give Grinders a chance.

Thanks for having me over again, John.

***

Blurb:

Jimi Cabot made one mistake as a starving college student. When she went to work for the San Francisco Police Department, it nearly cost her the job. The union stepped in and they had to reinstate her. They did so by assigning her to the duty nobody wants, Grinder Squad.

Grinders are people who use back room surgeries to enhance their bodies with computer chips, and various kinds of hardware. Jimi is sure that if she can just bust one grind shop, it will be her ticket back.

Paired with veteran cop, she soon learns that Grinder Squad is a cash-cow for the department. They are nothing more than glorified patrol cops, and generally get the worst assignments.

Matchless is the most wanted grinder of all time. He disappeared years ago, leaving only the evidence of those he enhanced during his career. With these pieces, Jimi picks up the cold trail to try working her way back to more respectable duty.

Grinders is a cyberpunk story set in a world where global warming has eroded coastlines, and society has solved many of our current problems by replacing them with new ones. There are cyber shut-ins, cyber-currency skimming schemes, and more in this futuristic tale.

This book also takes the opportunity to poke a stick at current issues that seem to have lasted into the future. Entitled people, helicopter moms, overzealous homeowner associations, and lack of decent jobs are all present. Never preachy, these issues make up the day to day work of a patrol officer.

I hope you enjoy Grinders as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

Purchase link: http://mybook.to/Grinders

You can contact Craig at the following locations:

Blog My Novels Twitter Goodreads Facebook

Lisa Burton Visits to Talk About C. S. Boyack’s New Book – Viral Blues

October 4, 2019October 3, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 55 Comments

It is always lovely to welcome Lisa Burton to my place for a chat. As most of you know by now, Lisa is the personal assistant to writer C.S.Boyack, and the last time she visited, we talked at the coast. I’m so glad she was able to get through the Austin traffic to join me here today. So welcome Lisa. Have a cup of coffee . . . Oh, wait. You don’t drink coffee or anything else. Well anyway, tell us what you are up to these days.

Thanks for having me over, John. Love the new place, but I kind of miss the beach. Craig has me on the road promoting his newest book, “Viral Blues.” I really enjoyed this one, because I get to be in it.

It started off as a sequel to “The Hat,” and it is, but Craig included a bunch of his existing characters in a kind of team-up story. Lizzie and The Hat are the lead, in that they walk readers in and out of the story, but a lot of us got a second chance to shine. In fact, bear with me while I access the Internet…

To quote an older review, by John Howell, “The Playground… is about a badder than bad badass who has been hired to hunt down a guy who has some code some other guy wants to recover.”

That’s my way of saying that Clovis is also making an appearance in Viral Blues. He’s kind of helpful in his own way. There are times when a robot girl can’t find the data online, and another method is required. There are some pretty handy folks who make up our team, but Clovis was indispensable. He also has a really cute dog, and I’m a sucker for animals.

The story begins when we all got invitations to a cryptic meeting. Gina Greybill is the head of a secret society. They’ve uncovered a plot to tamper with the nation’s vaccine supply. There are supernatural tracks all over this evidence and it’s the group’s job to sort it all out.

I got the chance to do a little corporate spying, and took over a drone to scope out a hotbed of activity. I even managed to do a little shopping along the way.

Lizzie has a pretty weak sense of style, and since she fronts a band, I decided to help her out a little. Her hat is actually a creature from another dimension, and can be any kind of hat she wants. That’s pretty handy from a fashion sense, so I worked from there. The big deal is that Lizzie has to pack heat. She has to drape something to cover her revolvers, so it makes it hard to wear a nice knit dress or anything like that.

Things got a little hairy, even creepy at a couple of points, and while I can’t speak for the others, I had a good time. I think readers will, too. I hope your fans will give it a chance.

Part of being Craig’s spokesmodel is handing out my posters. This one was from “The Hat,” But it’s still appropriate. I’m posing as Lizzie, and this particular hat caused a lot of grief. The hat had never worked with a woman before, and he was kind of embarrassed about it.

Thank you, Lisa. I’m sure this book will be as enjoyable as The Hat. I just started reading it and can say it is a good read so far. Here is the blurb as well as the purchase link. Also, C.S Boyack’s bio and other links are below the blurb.

***

Blurb:

Someone knows about the hat. The creature from another dimension that helps Lizzie fight against the creatures of darkness.

They are summoned to a cryptic meeting with a secret society, where they meet other people with enhanced skills. It turns out someone, or something, has been tampering with the world’s vaccine supply. The goal doesn’t appear to be political or financial, but biblical pestilence.

Can this group of loners come together in time to make a difference when even the proper authorities are obstacles?

Check out Viral Blues, for your dose of paranormal adventure, with a strong sample of dark humor. And in recent superhero style, don’t miss the secret last chapter after the back material.

Purchase link: http://mybook.to/ViralBlues

Blog My Novels Twitter Goodreads Facebook Pinterest BookBub

Tuesday Anything Possible – The Enhanced League by C.S.Boyack – Book Launch #RRBC

July 18, 2017July 17, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 48 Comments

I have enjoyed C. S. Boyack’s books and am pleased to be part of his launch crew. Today I have a special guest, Lisa Burton who is here to talk about The Enchanted League his latest. The post is yours, Lisa.

Thanks for inviting me back today, John. I enjoy getting away from the writing cabin from time to time, and these whirlwind tours are a wonderful way to refresh my attitude.

Craig and I are making the rounds to promote his new book, The Enhanced League. It’s a collection of short stories that serve to tell an overarching story by the end. It’s all about a professional baseball league where nobody cares about performance enhancing drugs.

They look at it like everyone is an adult, and can make their own mind up about supplements and drugs. To be competitive, there is a bit more pomp than you might find in other professional sports. The stadiums are outrageous, the umpires are beautiful, and the league is international in scope.

There are a lot of stories that happen off the field. These involve the machinations of unscrupulous owners, general managers, and more. There is even a recurring broadcast team with a traveling studio that reports on what happens inside the league.

There are women too. They serve as umpires, business women, and in today’s case a technical developer.

I brought you a poster of me, posing as Sheri. Sheri is the technical developer for the Montreal Mounties. She’s created an artificial arm for their hot new pitcher, Roger Warpspeed Warren. She also becomes his love interest eventually. It’s so much fun getting to portray someone so smart, and in a healthy relationship at the same time.

Lisa Burton

Feel free to use the poster as a cell phone background or whatever you like.

Roger is one of the main characters, if you can have such a thing in a collection of short stories. The book loosely follows his first year in The Enhanced League. There are stories in the collection that don’t include Roger, but they could influence the year he’s having.

We only made three posters, and I couldn’t honor all the female characters in the book. The career girl, Darci is a strong character too, but she didn’t get a poster. The Kawaii Girls from Niigata Japan work pretty hard to perfect their performances in the stadium, but they got left out too. Then there is Rose, the traveling reporter from the broadcast team. We just can’t honor them all with a poster, but I think you’ll enjoy reading about them.

The main story is Roger and his first year with the Mounties. It’s an exciting story with plenty of ups and downs. The other characters and stories serve to enhance that ongoing story. Craig said I had to weave the word enhance in there somehow.

Thanks for having me, and pick up a copy of The Enhanced League for the incredible price of 99¢.

***

Enhanced League

Blurb: The Enhanced league is a collection of short stories and anthems centered around a year in a fictional baseball league. It has a slight science fiction background. This league has a lot more pomp than you might be used to, and nobody seems to care if the players use performance enhancing drugs.

Stories involve existing heroes, up and comers, and falling stars. While there are the obvious stories that take place on the field of play, there are also human interest stories that take place around the baseball gyrations. These stories involve scouting, trades, ruthless business decisions, and even relationships.

I enjoyed researching and bringing you The Enhanced League, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. — CB

Here is the link to Amazon. http://a-fwd.com/asin-com=B073T5DH2Q

C. S. Boyack

I was born in a town called Elko, Nevada. I like to tell everyone I was born in a small town in the 1940s. I’m not quite that old, but Elko has always been a little behind the times. This gives me a unique perspective of earlier times, and other ways of getting by. Some of this bleeds through into my fiction.

I moved to Idaho right after the turn of the century and never looked back. My writing career was born here, with access to other writers and critique groups I jumped in with both feet.

I like to write about things that have something unusual. My works are in the realm of science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy. The goal is to entertain you for a few hours. I hope you enjoy the ride.

Craig

Blog My Novels Twitter Goodreads Facebook Pinterest

Next week Kreative Kue will return.

Tuesday – Anything Possible with The Experimental Notebook of C.S.Boyack II and Lisa Burton #RRBC

September 13, 2016August 26, 2016 ~ John W. Howell ~ 63 Comments

Today I am so happy to welcome Lisa Burton once again to Fiction Favorites. For those of you who have been roleplaying vampires too long and haven’t been out much, Lisa is the robot assistant of Author C.S Boyack. Don’t let the term robot throw you. Lisa is every bit as human as I, as I, as I am. She is a terrific spokesperson and is used to help Craig with his promotional programs. Also noteworthy is the fact that Lisa is much better looking than Craig, so you have to respect his intellect on the choice. Without further blather, I present Lisa Barton who is here to discuss C.S.Boyack’s latest book.

Thanks for having me over again. The last time I was here I think I was interviewing you. You might find it interesting that you played a role in some of the goings on at Entertaining Stories.

My job today is to promote Craig’s new book, so we ought to deal with that first. It’s called The Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack II. The book is Craig’s second collection of short stories and micro-fiction. The first one was pretty popular, so he decided to do it again.

The covers have a theme going, and Craig could carry this on for quite a while. There is one alchemy wheel on the first book, two appear on this cover, and there will be three on the next one – if he produces it.

These are all speculative fiction and there is some paranormal, some science fiction, and one that barely passes for fantasy. There are also two in the collection that aren’t speculative at all. Because of them, this collection has more stories than the first one. Craig considers them as free add-ons. They deal with murder, though, so somebody ought to like that.

Craig likes to revisit at least one character from his novels in these collections. I was proud to get a short story in the first book, but this time, it fell to someone else. Pete Rogers is a gangly teenager in Craig’s novel Will O’ the Wisp. In this story he’s all grown up, has a wife and new baby, and is trying to make his way in the world. The story has also moved from the 1970s to the 1980s, but there are less cultural references in a short story. Pete winds up having quite a rough night on the same ground where everything went down in Will O’ the Wisp.

The story is called Night Bump Radio, and you, John helped out with some of the radio lingo in the story. Craig said to tell you; you’re an honorary Research Siren. (“I’m touched,” says John. “Thank you, Craig”)

About this time, you came up with the idea of having me interview you for a blog post. I’d never heard of anything like this, and neither had Craig. A fictional character interviewing a real author, pretty unique. Of course, we wanted to participate.

When Night Bump Radio was written, we discussed it as being one of the posters to promote this book. We acquired the poster, but I stole it. This was the birth of Lisa Burton Radio, the show where I interview the fictional characters, including Ned Tranes and John Cannon.

Lisa Burton

It wouldn’t be like me to show up at a promotional stop and not bring a gift. My posters reflect, but not 100%, one of the stories in the collection. This one is from a story called Career Move. People are more than welcome to snitch it and use it as a background image on a PC, iPad, phone, or whatever.

The Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack is only 99¢. For that price, I think it’s well worth the risk. Thanks for inviting me today, and Craig’s looking forward to hosting you on your own promotional tour.

Thanks, Lisa. I was honored to be one of Craig’s beta readers for both of the notebooks, and I can say they are both books everyone is going to want to own. At $0.99 (A third of a Starbucks coffee) these have to be one of the best literary buys around. I hope Craig will give me a shot at a beta read for number three.

Please come back again.