*SQUEE* The Book Pushers would like to welcome Abigail Roux and Riptide publishing here for the 4th stop of the Stars & Stripes blog tour. This morning we will have a guest post by Abigail herself, and this afternoon a review of Stars & Stripes. Abigail, take it away!
Welcome to the Stars & Stripes virtual book tour! Thank you for helping me celebrate the release of the 6th book in the Cut & Run series. . I’ll be giving away tons of prizes. For every stop I have a digital copy of the first book, Cut & Run, a personalized autograph, and either a Team Ty/Team Zane T-shirts or an autographed trinket! To enter to win one of the prizes, just leave a comment here at the Book Pushers, and make sure you include your e-mail address! To win the grand prize, one complete electronic set of the first 5 books, you’ll need to finish a treasure hunt, which you’ll find on my blog on the last day of the tour! Many thanks to the Book Pushers for hosting me on my very first Riptide Publishing virtual book tour!
On Being a Writer
One of the great things about being a writer is the lengths to which you can go for research. Sometimes all you can do is look it up on Google and hope you’ve got it right, but for the most part I do what I can to make it authentic. I’ve managed to combine two of the greatest loves of my life, telling stories and traveling, and make them part of the job.
While writing Armed & Dangerous, I flew to Chicago and drove from there to Washington, DC. It was harrowing, to say the least. A lot of the problems the characters ran into during the course of the book were things that happened to me, or almost happened to me. And that’s where I earn my tax write-off.
To write something with the taste of authenticity, you have to live it. If Ty and Zane go to visit a Big Cat preserve, then I need to do it. I need to see and smell it and trip over the misplaced flag stones. In preparation for Stars & Stripes, I flew to Texas. I flew there twice, because I didn’t do everything I needed to do the first time. I walked down the Riverwalk in San Antonio and visited the Alamo. I drove all the way into the Hill Country, then took a wrong turn on purpose to let my GPS show me things I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I bought a hat.
Not only do these things help me write a good story, but they’re so much fun. I get to sink into that fantasy world of being a write just a little more. Because writing is a fantasy world. It’s sitting at home in your sweat pants and wondering when the time you took a shower was. It’s leftover pizza. It’s walking outside in the sun to get the mail and screaming, “MY EYES!”
But on those brief occasions when I need to see or feel or hear something for real, I get to go to Texas, or DC, or Baltimore, or Boston, and I get to be awesome. I go alone, and I sit at a table in a fancy restaurant alone, writing in a notebook. Alone with my characters. And when I get strange looks from people, all I have to do is smile and say ‘I’m a writer,’ and suddenly I’m not strange anymore.
I like to get things right, and I like to do whatever it takes. That way, when people read these books and connect with Ty and Zane and their surroundings, I get to sit here in my pajamas and say to my cat, “That’s because I’m a writer!” And that’s the biggest perk of all.
Stars & Stripes
Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have managed the impossible: a few months of peace and quiet. After nearly a year of personal and professional turmoil, they’re living together conflict-free, work is going smoothly, and they’re both happy, healthy, and home every night before dark. But anyone who knows them knows that can’t possibly last.
When an emergency call from home upsets the balance of their carefully arranged world, Ty and Zane must juggle family drama with a perplexing crime to save a helpless victim before time runs out.
From the mountains of West Virginia to a remote Texas horse ranch harboring more than just livestock and childhood memories, Ty and Zane must face their fears—and their families—to overcome an unlikely enemy and bring peace back into their newly shared world.
You can read the first chapter and purchase Stars & Stripes here.
Abigail Roux was born and raised in North Carolina. A past volleyball star who specializes in sarcasm and painful historical accuracy, she currently spends her time coaching high school volleyball and investigating the mysteries of single motherhood. Any spare time is spent living and dying with every Atlanta Braves and Carolina Panthers game of the year. Abigail has a daughter, Little Roux, who is the light of her life, a boxer, four rescued cats who play an ongoing live-action variation of Call of Duty throughout the house, a certifiable extended family down the road, and a cast of thousands in her head. You can stalk Abi in various places, including her website, Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook.
Don’t forget to leave your comment for a chance to be entered to win a digital copy of Cut & Run, a personalized autograph from Abi, and either a Team Ty/Team Zane T-shirts or an autographed trinket! BE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WITH YOUR COMMENT, as Abi will be picking and contacting the winner. Open Internationally, good luck!
Be sure to follow the rest of the tour, or go back and read up on what you missed!
This book tour is fun. Again, thanks for the insight.
Hearing more about Abi’s process is cool. One the reasons I think this series is so good is that the writing has a great deal of presence — she makes you feel like you are there. This post gives insight into how she creates that sense of really being there. Very Natalie Goldberg!
You’ve just destroyed all my fantasies about how glamorous it is to be a writer. It is nice to see the human side to one of my favorite authors and all the work that goes into her books.
Stars & Stripes was so much fun to read because I happen to be from Texas and I’ve been to the places you wrote about. Another cool thing is that I live about a mile away from the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary that you visited. It’s a wonderful place and what they do for the animals there is amazing.
I loved Ty and Zane in Texas. You did a great job, Abi! I definitely connected with them and their surroundings. Can’t wait for the next one. 🙂
Now I have to read the book to find out what happened between Chicago and Washington!
Nice view into the world of writing
Suze
Littlesuze at hotmail dot com
As a minion of Her Overlordness Roux, I always look forward to these moments of peaking through the window and learning more about Her Evilness. Thank you for sharing with us minions.
It is nice to know that you do travel, experience those places, and have some fun while writing your books.
strive4bst at yahoo dot com
Dropping by to say thank you to the Bookpushers for having me here today! Don’t forget to leave a comment with your e-mail so I can get rid of all these prizes I’ve accumulated!
Only C&R place I’ve been has been Chicago at the Navy Pier. It was amazing!
Rachel_ann94@yahoo.com
I just love the humor in everything Abi posts/writes. Awesome job!
Would love to visit America one day (& all the minions)! The second they invent scatter-your-atoms kind of beaming, I’m there.
It’s funny cause when we read the books we can actually feel that Abi was there. I guess that’s what makes them so “real” and belivable. Thanks for that, Abi.
monica_vidal78@yahoo.com.br
Really enjoying the book tour!
Great post, it is fun when you’ve been to a place you are reading about and can picture it in your mind. Plus you get to see/experience different places that way!
lfacchini(at)tampabay(dot)rr(dot)com
Love the background on the writing. I’m hoping to visit some of these places some day. Enjoying the virtual book tour. Thanks for the wonderful characters and stories from a devoted minion.
Awesome post! This book tour is really great.
I love being able to get glimpses into the innermost workings of our overlords mind. Thank you again Abi for doing what you do best!
It’s amazing what you do and it definitely pays off. While reading Stars & Stripes I was so caught up in it I completely forgot about my surroundings. You’re always able to make the surroundings (and feelings) feel so real, like you paint those scenes with your words and they unfold themselves in my mind’s eye. When I looked up from the book a few times I was sometimes quite startled to find myself in my room sitting on my bed instead of looking out over the Texan landscape or seeing the characters opposite me.
Thank you for the awesome work your doing!
Sherry
Codename_Sherry[@]hotmail.com
That’s very cool that you visit the places you write about! Definitely a perk of being a writer, that’s for sure!
rwschwarz11ATgmailDOTcom
Tax writeoff *snort* The only way to travel : )
I didn’t realize you actually drove from Chicago to DC. That’s dedication.
roberta_austin(at)live.com
Love this series Abi. Glad to see it made the must have list in the new RT magazine.
hundtoftAtattDotnet
Thank you for another great post … Loving this book tour !!!
I look forward to reading this book.
S&S2 was perfect, can´t wait for the next. Thank you for doing this blog tour!
Another great interview; I am enjoying this book tour immensely and love learning insight into your writing process. Thank you for sharing with us readers!! 🙂
Llogan24@gmail.com
I love being able to see into your writing process and the way you like to experience some of the things your characters are going to see. I’ve always wanted to visit Texas(I’m in Australia, so maybe, hopefully, it will happen one day!)
And I just want to add a Thank you for ruining other books for me! Lol. If I try to read other authors, I sit there the whole time and just think “this writing is not Abi’s”. So Thank you from your loyal minion!
I’m more of the sweatpants, pizza and hermit type myself. Must be why I like you so much Abi! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome book Abi, I can only repeat myself on all these stops of the tour =D
kersten73@citromail.hu
thank you for sharing some more insight on how you write these amazing books. i always look forward to what you have to say. and i would be honored to help u unload some of those prizes you have. *grins*.
ragga_eg@hotmail.com
Thanks for sharing with us. Traveling one of my favorite things to do. Before gas prices got insane I would fill my tank and drive til I hit empty just to see what I could see. I’ve been on three cruises and my next hop needs to be out of the country. Now if only I could write as well as Abi.
Sounds like a lot of fun! samati75 at gmail.com
Roadtrips! Makes me wonder where you’ll head to next! 😉
heller at rocketmail dot com
Love that you travel to all the places that you write about, to make your writing better! You defiantly bring the reader into those places as they read! Thank you Abi! 😀
Kunicorngirl@yahoo.com
Going off the usual trails and taking “wrong turns” are some of the best ways to really learn about an area and discover hidden gems. It also has the added bonus of annoying the gps -“recalculating!” 😉
scarletrose9(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thank you for this blog tour !!! Can’t wait for more of your books …
Doing research for a books is a great excuse to go a-traveling! Good job!
lindaszoo@hawaii.rr.com
I love the two writing worlds – out and about, researching and living it vs. hermiting it up and communing with your keyboard. I visited a wildlife preserve near my home a few months ago and it was amazing. Reading Stars and Stripes, I could see it all so perfectly. Great job, great book, great series, just great. :o)
buttononthetop at gmail dot com
YAY! More book tour! I would love to travel around for my job. Ty & Zane are always in my head!! They are soooo great! So, thank you Abi!! You are so wonderful!
The book tour is fun. I also love your interview.
And what a wonderful writer you are, dear evil overlord! That walking out into the sunlight and screaming “My eyes!” is also a side effect of being a reader of your books! Happened to me when I spent about two days not leaving the house while reading Stars & Stripes.
And I would dearly love to get really rich one day and do a cross-country Cut & Run road trip! That has now become one of my dream vacations. 😀 hedwig2213(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks for the giveaway. Please enter me.
Yay – 4th stop! My first with a virtual book tour, it’s fun so far, reading the reviews, interviews and comments from fans!
I have not read any of this series yet but it sounds great! I have seen some wonderful reviews of it. I was surprised how much I could relate to Abigail (shower, left over pizza, the shock of bright sunshine), but unfortunately, not the talent of writing.
June
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com
It was interesting to learn that Abi often travels to locales in her books. I know Ty at one time was in New Orleans as were some of the “Archer” boys. I think Abi should plan (another?)road trip to New Orleans as I would sure love to know if Ty and Remy have ever crossed paths.
Very nice post.
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Great book tour! Looking forward to read this new book!
oh abi, you’re not just a writer, you’re an awesome writer! we love being your minions:)
i wish I could travel like that 😀
Thank you again for all that background information. Enjoy your travelling and tell us all about it in your next books! 😉