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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56 Responses
Happy to see Lisa here! That was a great teaser and I can’t to read it. Fun picture in the holographic forest:)
Lisa is always fun to have. Thanks for stopping by, Denise.
Brandi can find fun in whatever she does. Glad you’re interested in the story.
I’m really looking forward to this read, Craig. Best of luck with the launch. 🙂
Great to see Craig here today, Joan 🙂
Thanks, Harmony!
Thanks, Harmony. Hope it’s to your liking.
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.
I also liked Brandi (and love the spelling). Thanks for stopping by, Staci.
My family must have something with the letter I ending a name. There are a bunch of us.
I like ending names with “i” instead of “y.” Then there is my niece who spelled her daughter’s name, Olyvia rather than Olivia. 🙂
You just know that gets misspelled all the time. I know the feeling. I kind of like Y’s in the middle of names.
Thanks, Staci. Brandi was fun to write. She has a zest for life that jaded cops don’t, and make a nice contrast.
Agreed.
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.
Thanks for the reblog and for the nice comment about my site.
Thanks, for hosting Craig, Today, Joan. Best wishes, Craig.
Thank you, John.
Thank you, John.
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!
Wow! Thanks for that testimonial. Where should I send the check? Ha ha.
Heeheee! 🙂
I agree in all counts, Mae!
Great chat with Lisa! I’m SO looking forward to reading this one, and especially to meeting Brandi the mothgirl! 🙂 <3
Thanks, Marcia. Brandi is fun, and in some ways she’s a reluctant hero to the main characters.
I loved Brandi. She’s one of my favorites in this book.
I think Grinders will be on the NYT Best Seller List!
HA HA! What she said. Listen to Rachel, everyone.
😀
Oh, I like that prediction!
I love the concept for this one, Craig, it sounds great!
If you take a chance on it, I’d love to know what you think.
I have it in my Kindle 🙂 Just finished Viral Blues and will post a review tomorrow (sorry, not on Amazon- I’m blackballed!)
I’m losing faith in Amazon. BookBub is awesome, though.
Yes, I love using Bookbub 🙂
I think you’ll enjoy it, Jacquie!
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.
It’s set in San Francisco, so I hope I got most of that right. Thanks for stopping by and commenting today.
So glad you stopped by, Jet. Yes, Lisa is a blast to connect with!
A great post about Grinders, Craig and Joan. I love that poster, it is fabulous.
Thanks, Robbie. Glad you like the graphic. I’m going to keep Grinders on the radar for a few weeks. Hopefully, it will garner some attention.
Thanks for stopping by and for the support.
Good to see Lisa out and about – her artwork is fabulous, as always!
Thanks, Teri. Glad you like it.
Thanks for visiting, Terri!
This is another compelling post for Grinders! I love the Lisa Burton poster!! She certainly catches the eye! Thanks for hosting today, Joan!
Lisa has proven herself pretty handy over the years. Glad you liked the post.
We should all be as fortunate to have someone like Lisa as an assistant! Thanks for stopping by, Jan.
Reblogged this on Archer's Aim and commented:
I’m looking forward to this new C. S. Boyack book and have my copy already.
Thanks for sharing, P. H.
You’re welcome, Joan.
Thanks for the extra help.
You bet!
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❣️
Thanks for taking a chance on it. I’d love to know what you think.
I always having Lisa (and Craig) as my guests. Thanks for visiting. I think you’ll enjoy the story.
I’m sure I’ll enjoy it, too. 🙂