The Experimental Notebook of C.S. Boyack II with Lisa Burton #RRBC

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Guess what, gang? I’ve got a special guest today.

Lisa Burton, robot girl extraordinaire, and the personal assistant of author C. S. Boyack has dropped by to tell us about Craig’s latest book. For those of you who may not know Lisa, she made her debut in Craig’s novel Wild Concept and has been helping him around his writer’s cabin ever since. Lisa is currently on tour for Craig with a jam-packed schedule, so I was delighted to snag one of her stops. Please welcome Lisa as she shares a bit about Craig’s latest book and how it came about.

~ooOOoo~

Thanks for having me back, Mae. It’s great to get away from the writing cabin on occasion. You asked me to talk about the appeal of short stories. I think it’s nice to get a little bit of history behind them.

Short stories were once very popular. They were published in newspapers and magazines, and publishers readily sought them out. Even bigger publishers would put out the occasional anthology or collection.

When newspapers and magazines started to fail, so did short stories. Big publishing wanted novels, and series of novels, more than short fiction. The Internet, and the age of Amazon gave them a new lease on life though.

There have been some great short stories over the course of time. Movies were made, based upon a short story. I remember a great old black and white film called The Oxbow Incident, that said it was based on a short story. And we all know the legs The Legend of Sleepy Hollow took on. The Twilight Zone was really nothing more than short fiction, made for the television screen, and those stories were pretty darned good.

Today, we’ve been trained to read things in 140 characters or less. People want shorter content that respects their time. I don’t think novels will ever die, but short form stuff seems to be gaining in popularity. People can read an entire story during a coffee break.

My author, Craig, has a new collection of short fiction out. It’s called The Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack II. This includes short stories and micro-fiction across a range of speculative genres. There’s a little bit of paranormal, one that passes for fantasy, and some science fiction too. There are two murder tales in there, that aren’t exactly speculative. Craig made sure this book had more stories in it, so those who expect only spec tales can consider these two as free extras.

Book cover for The Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack II is rustic brown with gold alchemy rings

It’s important to Craig that I tell everyone it’s only 99¢. This is to encourage people to take a chance on it. Maybe they haven’t read Craig’s work before, or they would like to check out some short stuff. At this price, they get their money’s worth if even one of the stories clicks for them.

Part of my job as spokesmodel for Craig’s books is traveling around and talking about the stories. Another part involves handing out my posters. We try to make a couple of posters for each book. With a collection, like this one, we have to pick and choose.

This one is from a short story called Career Move. It doesn’t reflect the entire story, but just gives a hint.

Drawing of sexy blond woman in heels on a pier doing a backhanded wave to a sea-serpent that has two men clutched in tentacles. Election signs are sinking in water

We thought it was funny with the big election only a few months away. Your readers should feel free to use it as a background on their PCs, laptops, or whatever.

Thanks again for the invitation. Is there any fun shopping around your neck of the woods?

~ooOOoo~

Shopping! Oh, yes. That’s a girl after my own heart. My husband tells me I consider shopping a sport, LOL.

Lisa, thanks for dropping by and sharing the background on Craig’s book. Gang, I have to tell you I was a beta reader on this collection and it’s a 5-Star gem. I snatched up a copy as soon as it was available. You can find my review on Amazon. I have my favorites (The Last Flight of the Rocket Men, Documentary, Magpies) but the star for me is Holo-Barkers, a short little mirco fic that’s sheer brilliance.

This book is a cabinet of curiosities waiting to be discovered, and at .99c it’s a steal. Go confiscate a copy now!

~ooOOoo~

Purchase The Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack II HERE

Author C. S. BoyackConnect with the author at the following haunts:
Blog
Twitter 
Goodreads
Facebook
Craig’s books on Amazon 

61 thoughts on “The Experimental Notebook of C.S. Boyack II with Lisa Burton #RRBC”

  10. Oh, and I thought CS Boyack was Lisa’s assistant…..
    Nowadays all the hurry people are in and the explosion of Twitter with a limited number of characters and the SMS explain the rebirth of short stories.
    I envy you all for having read the collection. Hopefully one day I will be able to do it, too.
    Great sales and best of luck, Craig!

    See you soon Lisa!
    Thank you Mae for another interesting team – author/assistant!

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  12. I loved the book, and ‘retail therapy’ is so much fun. My fave story is ‘Magpies’, it’s so cleverly thought out and fast-paced. The book is such an enjoyable read. There is something here for all tastes. I enjoyed your post, Mae. And of course Lisa is a fab guest.

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  14. Mae – A delightful post to read. I started reading short stories a few years ago when Tom was becoming seriously ill. They allowed me the pleasure of laying the book down and getting back to it without feeling guilty. They are also great for tucking in my purse or have on my reading media for those long lines we all seem to catch ourselves in these days. I still enjoy the deep story embedded in a novel but when I’m out and about, I always carry a couple books of short stories with me.

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    • Hi, Sheri! So great to have you pop in. I’ve been enjoying collections of short stories more and more myself. They are so wonderful for a quick read whenever the mood strikes. Like you, I still enjoy a densely-layered story that I can disappear into, but sometimes I just want that short read. Craig’s collection has a lot of elements I like with the speculative slant. Thanks for checking it out 🙂

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  15. I love long books, but I want the ending. I am so disappointed with all the series out there that make you have to wait for the ending. A lot of times, I never find out because I am already on to something else and forget about it. My sister is a lover of shorts and I picked it up from her. I find it amazing when an author can wow me in a ‘few’ pages. Congrats and good luck.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    • Good points, Sherry. It’s especially true when it comes to a series. There are some that I’m totally committed to, but they’re kind of rare. I don’t mind a series if each volume has an ending, but I’ve stopped reading the ones that end on cliffhangers (unless I’m a fan of the author). By contrast, I know I’m always going to get an ending in a short! 🙂

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