It is my pleasure to welcome C.S. Boyack to my blog to talk about his newest book release, Tracks of Infinity! Take it away, Craig!
Thanks for loaning me your site today. I hope I can hold the fort down for you and maybe we both gain a bit of extra traffic. That’s the dream, anyway.
I’m visiting today because I have a new book out. Covers and blurbs are supposed to do their jobs, so I often drift into story craft on these posts. People seem to enjoy those looks behind the scenes.
We hear a lot about finding our voices as authors, but none of that ever really gets explained. Somewhere along the way it happens and we go, “Oh yeah!”
One thing that seems to land in all my stories is a bit of humor. Some of them are designed around it, but even the most hardcore tale needs a bit of levity. A breather of sorts. If a story is filled with blood and guts, you can bet one of my characters is going to slip and fall in it. Might be a bit Wile E. Coyote of me, but that’s how I roll.
I tried to add things to this story, too. I used two main characters, Jenny and her son Cody. There is also Jenny’s long term camera man, and Cody’s new girlfriend Bai. I tend to make the conversations part of the fun. It could be a barb or an absurd argument, but it’s there.
I use some absurdity, like when they think danger is around, Bai goes off the deep end and suspects every window, door, taillight, and more. Jenny suffers a not uncommon side effect from drinking kombucha.
I’m also the guy who reuses characters. I write an ongoing series called The Hat Series, that is based upon dark humor. One of the bits in each story is a late night radio program called Night Bump Radio. Essentially, the lowest common denominator of humanity calls into this show and the long suffering host has to listen to them rattle on about what goes bump in the night. Since this is a paranormal series, that’s where the focus is.
Tracks of Infinity is more science fiction oriented. I based Night Bump around Coast to Coast which all my friends used to listen to even back in the late seventies. It’s still on, but has a new host. Most of the callers were all about conspiracy theories, and aliens. I’ve never gotten to use Night Bump where callers could talk about extraterrestrials… until now.
It isn’t a hard sell to think of this show being on all around the world via satellite radio. Why couldn’t a different character listen to the show. This allowed me to use a similar shtick, but focus on things more relevant to this story.
Night Bump Radio has a lot of fans and I hope a few of them will check out Tracks of Infinity to learn about Pete’s callers with a more alien based story to share.
Let’s let that cover and blurb work their magic.
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.
Tracks of Infinity is at all your favorite booksellers.
If you like tales that include something to snicker at, maybe this one is for you.
If you missed Jan’s review she shared last week, click HERE!
Every time I read one of Craig’s interviews, I push any unread books of his lingering on my Kindle to the top of my tbr list! Thanks for the reminder, Jan 🙂
Thanks, Nicholas. I hope you enjoy whichever ones you’ve chosen.
Can’t wait to read it, Craig!
Thank you.
I’m with you on the humor, Craig, and I love when it’s added. I don’t think I’ve written a book yet that doesn’t include at least a little.
Thanks, Teri. It is kind of my style even if some parts get grim.
Sounds like fun! Sharing to help spread the word.
Thanks for the shares. They really help.
Thank you, Liz!
A lovely post, Jan. I’m starting this book tonight.
Oh, how wonderful, Robbie! You are going to enjoy it!
I am already quite well into it.
Thanks, Robbie. Have fun with it.
Best wishes to Craig on his latest. All his stories contain elements of humor and as a result are fun to read. Thanks for haste Craig today, Jan.
Thank you so much, John, and yes, Craig has a definite way of bringing snark and humor into his stories.
😊
Thanks for checking it out, John.
Every time I read one of these posts, Craig, your book is pushed up on the TBR list.
Fantastic, Jacqui. It’s an entertaining read!
Thanks, Jacqui. I’m sure you’ll get to it eventually. I also have a massive TBR list.
Good stuff, Craig. Humor and well-timed, unexpected humor are something I enjoy. People sometimes use humor in the most stressful situations to lighten the mood. We can all think of situations where some absurd thing happens to add to the tension of a situation (e.g. rushing to get to an important event on time when a group of 50+ elk decide to cross the road—that one just happened to me.🤣)
Humor is always the best part of it, Craig 🙂 I like how you brought Bump into the story and I remember that show from way back. I did hear it was still going on a vacation. Another great story!
Thanks for hosting, Jan.
I loved seeing Night Bump radio make its way into this story, too, Denise. Thank you so much for stopping by and adding your recommendation for this book!
Coast to Coast is still around. Something happened along the way and I can’t stay up that late any more.
Thank you for stopping by to help support Craig with his new release, Pete. I agree about how a bit of humor can lighten a tense moment, such as your elk situation.:) What could you do but laugh, right?
Totally understand, Pete. I was almost late to work this summer due to a parade of geese.
I love a bit of levity in intense scenes, Craig . I also remember Coast to Coast which I loved because of the wild theories. So entertaining. Wishing your book much success!
I agree, Joy. A bit of humor can diffuse a tense situation. Thank you for leaving a comment for Craig!
Thanks, Joy. It’s important to me to have something that brings a smile. Some things in fiction get pretty intense, so even a bit of banter can level it out.
This sounds great to me. I’m looking forward to reading it. 😀
I’d dare say you are going to enjoy it, Tim. Thank you for stopping by!
Thanks for your faith, Tim.
A little absurdity in a story is fun. Congrats on the new release, Craig!
I completely agree, Priscilla, and Craig is the master of absurdity!
Like Jan said, I’m your man for absurdity.
Thanks for introducing C.S. Boyack and his latest book. To Craig: Congratulations on your new book and much joy and success 🎉
My pleasure, Erika. Thank you for visiting!
💖
Thank you, Erika.
My pleasure!
Thanks for having me over today, Jan. I look forward to playing along in the comments.
My pleasure, Craig. Hope we get lots of traffic!