Hello everyone! I am so excited to welcome Abi Roux here today to talk to us more about the latest book in her amazing Cut & Run series, Ball & Chain. I reviewed this one earlier in the week and it is one of my favorites of the series. Abi is also answering some questions from me about the book, and has also brought a great giveaway to share! So please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Welcome to the Ball & Chain virtual tour! If you’re following along, you’ll be able to win yourself some goodies that might just save your life! I’ve got five Survival Kits in a Sardine Can, perfect for traveling and hiking or taking with you to remote island weddings where people might be dying. And I’ve got five sets of trading cards with original artwork and character work-ups for the less adventurous readers!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing to win one of five Survival Kits in a Sardine Can or one of five sets of trading cards with original artwork. Entries close at midnight, Eastern Time, on April 1, and winners will be announced on April 3rd. Contest is valid worldwide.

Welcome Abi!

Thank you for having me!

So I reviewed this book earlier in the week, but for folks who haven’t read the book or the review, can you give us a little overview of the story?

Ball & Chain is a more intimate story than the others in the series. I modeled it after the classic cozy mystery formula, an isolated community with a limited number of players. I wanted it to contrast to the more overarching feel of the previous books. Basically, if you ever saw the movie Clue, you’ll know what I was going for!

This is the first book after Ty and the Sidewinder team get unexpectedly deployed at the end of Touch & Geaux. Since I didn’t get a chance to ask when that book was out, can you talk more about what made you choose such an unexpected move?

That’s where I needed them to be, at that moment. They had a job to go do. Mechanics wise, I needed Zane to have that time for himself. I needed him to have months and months to realize that Ty is not a drug for him, that Zane doesn’t need someone to help him fly. So while it was a plot move, and something that has repercussion for Ty and the Sidewinder boys, at its core it was about Zane and releasing all the potential he has. He used that time to reach a very Zen place, and I think readers are going to love this version of Zane.

Now that the guys are home, what kind of fallout can we expect? Are there a lot of changes for Ty and Zane adjusting to Ty’s return?

There will definitely be some adjustments for them, both as a couple and as individuals. Zane has made a lot of changes in his life, and Ty’s going to have to learn him all over again. Ty went through changes as well, and the repercussions of those are going to play into his decisions and actions a great deal in this book. Basically, both men are going to have to do some reevaluating and see where they land.

In between Touch & Geaux and Ball & Chain you published the first Sidewinder book that is a spin off focusing on other members of the team.  Can you talk about the future of that series, and how it will connect with Cut & Run? 

I am so excited about the Sidewinder Series! It’s going to tie in and add a layer of richness for fans of the Cut & Run Series, but it’s also a separate entity. If you don’t ever read the Sidewinder books, you won’t miss anything plot wise in Ball & Chain, or in book 9.

The next Sidewinder book, Cross & Crown, comes out in June and it focuses on Nick and Kelly. Their love story is going to be a different format than Ty and Zane’s, mostly because Nick and Kelly aren’t nearly as stubborn as Ty and Zane! Their romance isn’t the focus of the series, which opens it up to so many more opportunities. I think anyone who enjoys adventure type novels is going to like these more episodic books.

This story takes place partly in Scotland during Ty’s brother’s wedding.  What made you decide to bring these guys there?  I know you work hard for accuracy of your settings. What kind of research did you need to do for this story?

Picking the location was a matter of Googling the term ‘isolated wedding locations’ and picking one that sounded fun. Once I landed on Scotland, I traveled there last summer with two friends. We spent three weeks trekking through the England, Scotland, and Ireland, scouting locations, testing the local ciders, getting trapped in castle ruins. It was an amazing trip, and I could not have created the location of the book without being there and seeing it.

Can you talk more about the future of the Cut & Run series? Do you have a firm end in terms of the number of books planned? Do you know how the series will conclude?

Book 9 will be the last of the Cut & Run series. I know how I want the story to end on a very basic level, but as for the perfect send off to Ty and Zane, the end that will allow readers to walk away feeling good about the time they’ve spent with Ty and Zane in their lives, I’m still searching for that perfect end note. No pressure, though!

I know there is a new Sidewinder book coming up. Can you tell us more about that and when it releases, and if there is anything else you are working on?

Cross & Crown lands in June. Nick and Kelly reunite with Julian Cross and try to solve a mystery that’s a few hundred years old. I took a weekend trip to Boston and spent all my research time drinking because I was there during a blizzard, but anyone who knows Boston history will immediately think Revolutionary War, am I right? It’s a fun book, and I cannot wait for readers to get their hands on it. It’s also my favorite cover of all time!

What I’m working on now is the third Sidewinder book, Lost & Found. It’s going to be a Christmas special type of book, and for anyone missing Ty and Zane, they’re splitting page time with Nick and Kelly in this one. Readers will also finally meet Elias Sanchez, the only character I’ve ever regretted killing. I’m also working on some rewrites of backlist titles that Riptide is planning on releasing. According to Hoyle, the western that is still the love of my life will be the first one released, and I’m spiffing it up and adding some new bonus scenes to make it worth a repurchase. I’m pretty thrilled about the rewrites; actually, I can’t wait until all the books are the same size on my bookshelf!

If readers want to learn more about you and your work, where can they find you?

If you care to follow me more closely, you can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.

Thanks so much for stopping by today Abi!  It was great to have you!

Thank you so much!

Home from their unexpected deployment, the former members of Marine Force Recon team Sidewinder rejoin their loved ones and try to pick up the pieces of the lives they were forced to leave behind. Ty Grady comes home to Zane Garrett, only to find that everything around him has changed—even the men he went to war with. He barely has time to adjust before his brother, Deuce, asks Ty to be his best man. But that isn’t all Deuce asks Ty to do, and Ty must call for backup to deal with the business issues of Deuce’s future father-in-law.

Nick O’Flaherty and Kelly Abbott join Ty and Zane at the wedding on an island in Scotland, thinking they’re there to assuage Deuce’s paranoia. But when bodies start dropping and boats start sinking, the four men get more involved with the festivities than they’d ever planned to.

With the clock ticking and the killer just as stuck on the isolated island as they are, Ty and Zane must navigate a veritable minefield of family, friends, and foes to stop the whole island from being destroyed.

Giveaway

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing to win one of five Survival Kits in a Sardine Can or one of five sets of trading cards with original artwork. Entries close at midnight, Eastern Time, on April 1, and winners will be announced on April 3rd. Contest is valid worldwide.

• By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
• Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
• If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
• Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
• Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
• By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
• Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
• Void where prohibited by law.