#SomethingWickedTour @Virgilante @StoryEmpire

Hello everyone! Today is the first day of the Story Empire Team’s Something Wicked Blog Tour. It gives me great pleasure to host author Craig Boyack today, who tells us all about his latest book in The Hat series, Viral Blues.

Take it away, Craig …

Hi gang. Craig here on today’s leg of the Something Wicked blog tour from your Story Empire crowd. Harmony is stopping by P.H. Solomon’s blog today, so make sure and visit her, too.

My Halloween push this year is called “Viral Blues.” This is a sequel for “The Hat,” which I pushed last year at this time. Don’t panic though, because there is no prerequisite reading here. “The Hat” is a series, but not the kind where you have to read them in order.

This series is all about dark humor, which posed something of a problem. I included some characters I’ve previously written in this book. They all have their own unique style, and I needed to be true to that, too. Some of them weren’t particularly humorous people, so it became a balancing act.

Some of the characters are a bit snarky. That didn’t have to change. I have one character that seems to have humorous things happen to her. That seemed to work. I spread some of that idea to another character, but didn’t push it very hard.

Then there is the one character who tends to laugh at dumb things. Things that might be creepy or bloody. He’s the kind who will watch dumb accident videos on YouTube. His bits worked very well. He appreciates the Wile E. Coyote kind of humor and isn’t afraid to express that.

For the more serious ones, I let this kind of thing go on around them. Added a few eye rolls, and left them true to character.

Overall, I think it worked out pretty well. There are monsters and gore in this tale. Phantoms, undead, and a dangerous real world situation are the backbone, but then you get a bit of whistling in the graveyard to go along with it.

Readers will be the ultimate jury here, but I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out.

How do you like your Halloween reading? Are you more hack & slash, or is there room for a laugh or two along the way? Are you more Ash Williams or Jason Voorhees? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

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.

If you’re interested in taking a look look at Viral Blues, click HERE:

 

About the Author:

C. S. Boyack

Craig came to fiction writing later in life than most authors. He always had to write, to one degree or another as part of various jobs. Early one winter morning, he conquered the Internet and didn’t feel like shoveling the sidewalk until the sun came up. He tried a few pages of fiction and got hooked.

Craig doesn’t like limitations and calls himself a writer of speculative fiction. It’s a broad field, but he limits himself to science fiction, paranormal, and a bit of fantasy.

He has eight published works—six novels and two collections of short stories.

You can find him at the following locations:

Amazon Author Page | His blog: Entertaining Stories
Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


Here are the rest of today’s tour stops for you:

34 Comments on “#SomethingWickedTour @Virgilante @StoryEmpire

  1. I recently read the Hat and loved it! I’ll read its sequel for sure.
    I’m nit really into Halloween. Here in Italy it became a thing when I was too grown up to enjoy the candies and costumes parts. Sonce I don’t really like horror, I prefer Halloween reading with some laughs in it.

  2. That’s me; I laugh at the dumbest things and my family thinks I’m weird, lol.
    I have Viral Blues lined up on my Kindle and hope to start it soon 🙂

    • Then I think you’re going to enjoy The Hat. He laughs at some pretty outrageous things.

    • Ooh, I’m sure the humour in Viral Blues will be right up your street, Jacquie 😊

  3. As always, these posts about “Viral Blues” makes me want to ditch the current book I’m reading and pick it up. 🙂 Thanks for hosting, Harmony!!! You guys have fun on your tour!

    • I’m already having fun, and it’s only Monday. Glad you’re excited about the story.

    • It’s a fun read, so no pressure, lol. Thanks. Jan. The tour is great fun 😊

  4. Great way to kick off the tour, Harmony.

    Craig, as a member of your “jury” I can honestly say you came off a winner. This story was wonderful. Fabulous cast, witty banter, breakneck pacing, fascinating plot. Kudos to you for a job well done.

    As for how I like my horror, I like it all. What I watch or read is based on my mood. There’s a time and place for slasher films, for snarky stories, and for serious demon scares. I never turn down a good demon story, though. (Stress the word GOOD there.) Because of my faith, I believe those stories are possible on some level, and I find that compelling.

    Excellent post.

    • Thanks for the verdict. “Good” is important in stories. I can read outside my normal orbit and enjoy a story if the author put the effort in.

  5. I think you did an excellent job balancing all those characters, Craig. Especially given how strong and different each of them is in their own right. Viral Blues is perfect for Halloween reading.
    Bring on the zombies and the snark!