Happy Monday, everyone! I am excited to welcome back an exceptional guest, Author, C. S. Boyack.
He’s got a brand new release and is here to talk about it. So, without further ado, let’s welcome him!
Thanks for having me over today, Vashti. You’re always welcome to stop at my place the next time you’re touring a project around.
My newest book is called Grinders, and it’s a bit of science fiction known as cyberpunk. I’ll let the blurb go into the details about the story. My topic on this leg of the tour is research.
I write speculative fiction, and that includes fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction. Many people think we have it easy, because we don’t have to do the deep research that other authors do. Nothing could be further from the truth. Oh, we don’t have it so bad, I think the murder procedural type authors might have it a bit worse, but there is research involved.
One my things is to tie as much as I can to something realistic whenever possible. That way when I ask for a leap of faith from readers they’ll be more likely to take one with me.
Grinders is set in San Francisco of the future. The California coastline is already eroding, and some cities currently have plans of relocating homeowners along crumbling cliffs and such. With global warming already upon us, and a melting ice pack in Antarctica, what might San Francisco look like 100 years from now? Turns out there are some projections available online.
I modified my version of San Francisco to destroy some coastal areas, and even moved the shoreline to some different streets. I even made a slight reference to Telegraph Island in the story which is known as Telegraph Hill on today’s map.
Then I made a small leap of faith, and included some underwater apartments. These are refurbished towers, that are now just offshore. We must have made some advances in a hundred years.
One cool bit of research I included involved scientists who’ve learned to grow electrical circuitry inside plants. These are more carbon based than copper wires you might be used to. I decided there was an electric forest just outside the city. Using the process of photosynthesis and some of these carbon connections, the city generated power from the forest.
In the world of Grinders, the electric forest is old technology. It’s currently being torn down and developed, because something better came along.
There is, or was, a group in my home state of Idaho who developed a different kind of solar power collection units. These involve pebbled glass hexagons that snap together like some kind of toys. The original thought was to use them as roofing material. Then they came up with the idea of replacing asphalt with them. There are thousands of miles of roads in this country, and if deployed, it could produce one hell of a lot of electricity without defacing anything that hasn’t already been defaced.
The electronic forest has been replaced by something called The Grid, based upon these solar panels. It’s science fiction, so I get to ramp things up. Power flows both ways from this grid, and it can light up for first responders, that kind of thing. It’s also hooked to a central database and all the cars are electric. It drives the cars with more efficiency than we are capable of. Just tell The Grid where you’re going and enjoy the ride.
This is just a small taste of what the grid is capable of, and it’s almost a character in its own right within the story.
One last one for this post. The main characters in the story are cops. They are assigned to the worst duty in the department, and I make references to more high profile duty as they go about their tasks. This brings me to opiate yeast.
A few years ago, a group in New Zealand decided they could take over the legal opium trade by replacing all the poppies with yeast. This involved some gene editing, and in their minds would be safer and more secure in a lab environment they could control. No more of those nasty gangs converting the crops for the illegal opium trade.
I thought it was a horrible idea at the time, and used that in Grinders. Yeast is microscopic. It’s in our homes, environment, and the air we breathe. I just don’t see it staying confined to a lab, and it’s going to run wild at some point. I keep a thirty year old sourdough starter at home, so I know a little about this.
Again, it’s a leap of faith, but in the world of Grinders, the opiate yeast has become the dominant organism. Home brewers and bakers are a real problem, and those cops get the better equipment and headlines. It also gave me a chance to bring up San Francisco sourdough and the difficulty of finding opiate free yeast. Basic bread and beer now come from laboratory controlled producers. It’s a fun way of turning things on their heads as part of the setting for my story.
These are just a few of the things that make up the environment of Grinders. The story is fun, the characters are great, but I wanted to focus on the setting for today’s post. I hope I intrigued you enough to check out the book.
Thanks again for lending me your space today, Vashti. It means a lot to me.
It’s a pleasure to have you here, my friend. Your world building skills are amazing. Research is a huge part of fiction writing, especially in Sc-Fi and Fantasy. Many readers are not aware of the extensive research that goes into these books. Thank you for demonstrating that today.
***
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 back room 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 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:
A great post, Vashti and Craig. I love the innovative ideas described here.
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I really enjoyed putting this story together. It requires a bit of predicting the future, unlike some kinds of science fiction in deep space.
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Thank you for stopping by, Robbie. Craig has an incredible mind for this type of story. I’m sure it’ll be a hit. 😀
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I do enjoy Craig’s books.
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Thanks for hosting me today. I know you understand the research we do for our stories. Hope you fans enjoy the post today.
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It’s a pleasure having you on my blog, Craig. You’re always welcome. I relish the research part of the writing process, as I’m sure you do. I’m sure many will enjoy this post. 😀 xo
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It can be such a rabbit hole, but it gets so interesting.
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You’re so right. 😉
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Reblogged this on Entertaining Stories and commented:
I’m talking about the research that went into Grinders today. Stop over to Vashti’s and check it out. While you’re there, you might find a cool new blog to follow, and some wonder fiction of her own.
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Thanks for the reblog, Craig!
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Super post, Vashti and Craig! I just started Grinders last night, and so far am blown away by the world-building. Craig, your imagination is amazing, and your vision of the future very believable believable. I’m enjoying the heck out of this one! 🙂
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Look. It’s SO believable, I said it twice! 😀
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It certainly is a gift, Marcia. And the beauty of excellent researching skills, also. The researched details ground the story in reality. 🙂
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Thanks thanks, Marcia. Really glad you’re enjoying the story.
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Hi, Marcia! Thanks for stopping by and showing your support for Craig. I agree, his imagination knows no bounds. 😀 xo
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And yet, the amazing thing is, I can picture this future city with absolute clarity, AND it’s totally believable as I’m reading. That’s a gift, right there! 🙂
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Grinders was such a creative story. And an engaging read. Glad to see it spotlighted here.
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Thank you, Staci. So glad you enjoyed it.
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Hi, Staci! That’s great to know. Thank you. I’m happy to feature Craig and his book here. 😀
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I’m currently reading Grinders and the world building is exceptional. What a cool post getting a behind-the-scenes look at the research that went into this amazingly creative world! Congratulations to Craig!
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Some of us are research junkies. This post might have that kind of appeal. Glad you’re enjoying the book.
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Hi, Mae! I agree. I love reading posts about an author’s writing process, especially someone as creative as Craig. Thanks for the visit and comment! 😀
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Interesting research points, Craig. Thanks, Vashti for hosting Craig today.
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Thank you, John. We all have to do a bit of research, even in science fiction.
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Hello, John! It’s a pleasure to host Craig on my blog. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. 😀
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😁
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Great post, Craig! Best of luck with the launch. I’m looking forward to reading this one 😊
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Hi, Harmony! It’s delightful to see you here. Thanks for stopping by to show your support for Craig. 😀
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Thank you, Harmony. I hope it works for you when it’s time.
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The grid sounds like a good thing, but the yeast doesn’t:) I am looking forward to reading your future version of SF. Thanks for hosting, Vashti.
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Hi, Denise! I’m sure Grinders will be a fascinating cyberpunk read. 🙂 Thanks for the visit and comment! ❤
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I tried to have a mixture of good and bad. That seems to be how progress (and life) works out. There’s even mention of a Superfund cleanup site, but the pollutant is plastic. It just hints at what Congress may have been up to between now and then.
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This was a fun post. Never thought of replacing poppies with yeast. That would ruin The Great British Baking show:) And it might be popular far into the future. I’m reading GRINDERS now, and I’m not too brilliant with science but it all sounds believable to me. Great job, Craig. And thanks for hosting him, Vashti.
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Hi, Judi! It’s a pleasure to host Craig. Thanks for the visit and comment. 😀
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One of the things we speculative authors don’t talk about enough is a good line of BS. If things are peripheral to the story, BS might be good enough. If they’re more prominent, then a bit of research is needed.
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I’ve been following Craig’s cyber tour and already thought Grinders sounded amazing, but the new info of the solar cells and carbon-based electricity really make it sound futuristic and fun!
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Hi, Rachel! These are the details that make a book great which is why research is so important. Thanks for stopping by and for your comment. 😀
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Thanks, Rachel. So excited that you’re following the tour.
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I really enjoyed your world building and I especially liked the way you wrapped things up. Best of luck with the promo tour!
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Thanks for the visit and comment, Joan! ❤
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Thanks, Joan. I’ll stay mum on the ending, but glad you enjoyed it.
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What an interesting idea to make some geological change in San Francisco and incorporate some of your experiences in other places into this Sci-Fi book, Craig. The readers recognize the research you go into it. Now, it’s just me talking, when I read a book with good research info, I thank the author for respecting my intelligence. I think other readers may feel the same.
Great to read your post here, Craig, Thank you, Vashti for hosting. 🙂
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Thank you, Miriam. Nice to see you here today.
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You made a great point, Miriam. Doing good research and adding realistc details to a story is respecting the readers’ intellect. I personally can’t stand reading books (especially Sci-Fi & Fantasy) where the details are so implausible it’s difficult to get into the story. ❤
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Exactly, Vashti. Many times I watched the first season of Sci-Fi series, but then when they get buzzard, I just dropped it. ❤
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Vashti, an enthralling guest post by Craig! 😀
Craig, there I was just getting my head around steampunk and you mention cyberpunk! 😀 I’m captivated by the premise of your book… I used to read a lot of science fiction and I’m tempted to return to the genre with Grinders! Best of luck with your latest release!
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Happy I tempted you. If you take the plunge I’d like to know what you think.
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That’s fantastic, Annika! I love Sci-fi, but like you I haven’t read many lately. Grinders would be a great selection. Thanks for stopping by and for your delightful comment. ❤
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Thank you, Vashti, for helping spread the word about Craig’s new release!!
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It’s my pleasure, Jan. Craig is a fabulous writer, and I enjoy the genres he writes in. 😀 xo
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Thanks for the comment, Jan.
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Yeast?! I love the creativity. Congrats on the book, Craig. And thanks for reminder to read more Boyack, Vashti. 🙂
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Craig’s creativity knows no bounds. 😀 Thank you for stopping by to show your support for him.
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You’re too kind. Thank you for everything.
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It’s always a pleasure having you on my blog as a guest author, Craig. You’re welcome anytime. 😀 xo
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The respect is mutual. Stop over at my place any time.
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Thank you so much. I should buy a billboard with that line on it.
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Congratulations on the new book, Craig! I love the cover! 🙂
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Hi, Yvette! Thanks for coming by to support Craig! It is a great cover. 😀 xo
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this is simply a creative and wonderful post…amazing!!
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Hi, Mino! Thanks for stopping by to support Craig! 😀
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So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
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Congratulations on the new book, Craig! Thanks for hosting, Vashti.
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It’s my pleasure, Mark! Thanks for the visit and comment. 😀 xo
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Thank you, Mark.
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