Guest Post: Lisa Burton Talks about Grinders

by Joan Hall
on March 2, 2020

Happy Monday, everyone! No mystery today because I’m welcoming back a very special guest, Lisa Burton.

Lisa the Robot Girl is the personal assistant to my friend and fellow writer, C. S. Boyack. He’s got a brand new release and Lisa is here to talk about it. So, without further ado, let’s welcome her!

Oh my gosh, Joan, I’m so happy to be back. It gets kind of lonely at the writing cabin, and this girl likes to get out of the house once in a while.

Anyhoo, I’m here to promote Craig’s newest book, Grinders. This one is pretty fun because it’s a return to science fiction. Robot girls are all about science fiction. Specifically, Grinders is a cyberpunk story.

In this story, there are a lot of colorful characters, and Brandi the moth girl is one of them. She’s way fun, and reluctantly, helpful to the main plot, too.

Grinders are kind of backyard scientists, mad scientists even. They modify their bodies with little bits and pieces of technology. This happens even today, but in this story, it’s kind of rampant. They’re like unlicensed tattoo parlors or nail techs, only these guys are performing surgery in basements, garages, and such. You can see the problem.

Brandi works at this cop bar called Omars. There used to be two servers there, but her friend left. Before the other girl moved away, they saved up their money and did some business with one of these grind shops. Brandi had these feathery antennae implanted into her skull— Moth girl, get it? They look super cute, and that’s what she was going for.

The antennae also function, so Brandi is a super-taster. She can taste things out of the air, like cologne, what sushi isn’t quite fresh, that kind of thing.

The main plot is about a cop named Jimi who wants to bust a grind shop. Grinder squad is the worst duty a cop can get. She wants to earn her way out by doing a good job and drawing attention.

Brandi works at a cop bar. Jimi, and her partner Lou, are cops. Grinder squad meets girl with grinder tech. Jimi asked her about the installations, and the two of them really hit it off. They become friends.

The problem is that Brandi can’t remember anything about getting her installations. This particular grind shop had tight security, wore masks, and used anesthesia. It also went out of business.

Jimi has a lot of work to do that involves catching rat trappers who sell the rats for underground experiments, and working through a world of cyber-currency transactions before she even gets close to one of these grinders. The hinge point for her involves a rare form of cyber-currency being used to purchase an odd kind of pharmaceutical.

One night, while the girls are out on the town, Brandi is telling Jimi who is on drugs and what kind they’re on. Super-taster, remember. Jimi has one of those lightbulb moments, and a high-tech manhunt is on.

I’m not going to dive too much deeper into the story, because we want people to read it. This is only one angle on the story, and like I said, there are a lot of colorful characters to meet as you explore futuristic San Francisco with Jimi and Lou.

I always bring a poster to my hosts, so you can share it with your readers. This is me in the holographic forest, posing as Brandi the moth girl.

I hope your readers will check out grinders. It’s a rich world, filled with colorful characters, and an interesting plot to carry it all.

Lisa, thanks for taking the time to stop by today. I know Craig has been keeping you busy with all the writing and new releases he’s had over the past few months. It’s always fun to have you visit.

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 backroom 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 a 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:

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Categories:

Guest Author

Tags:

AuthorsC S BoyackCyberpunkFictionGuest AuthorsLisa BurtonNew Release

56 Responses

  1. Happy to see Lisa here! That was a great teaser and I can’t to read it. Fun picture in the holographic forest:)

    Reply

  3. Hey, Lisa. Glad you got out! Please tell Craig how much I enjoyed his story. Brandi was a favorite character. So fun! (And she spells her name like my niece, so bonus points there.)

    Best wishes to Craig. Thanks for hosting, Joan.

    Reply

  4. Reblogged this on Entertaining Stories and commented:

    If I have to work today, so does Lisa Burton. She’s visiting with Joan Hall today to talk about Grinders. Stop over and learn about Brandi the moth girl. While you’re there, check out Joan’s site. You might find a cool new blog to follow, and some fabulous fiction to check out.

    Reply

  6. Lisa always does such an excellent job promoting Craig’s work. I really enjoyed this post. Fun photo of Lisa as Brandi, too.

    Seeing Jimi and Brandi’s friendship develop in Grinders was a lot of fun. The whole story is a blast. Anyone on the fence should definitely snatch it up. Highly recommended!

    Reply

  10. Always fun to connect with Lisa, and fun to be here, Joan. Congratulations to Craig for pumping out yet another book and wonderful story. Looking forward to reading Grinders.

    Reply

  15. Hi, Joan! I’m happy to see Lisa here today. She’s an amazing assistant to Craig. This book reads fascinating. I’ve added it to my TBR list. Thanks for hosting❣️

    Reply

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