The Hat Series Visits Murder Blog
Join me in welcoming Lisa Burton. Did I mention Lisa isn’t human? She’s a robot girl and spokesmodel for my buddy Craig’s writing career. Shawnee Daniels and Lisa go way back to when Lisa hosted her own radio show. If memory serves, I believe I had to drag Shawnee out of there before these two went head-to-head. So, if you’re reading the Mayhem Series, please don’t tell Shawnee she’s here. 😉
Welcome to Murder Blog, Lisa!
Thanks for letting me visit, Sue. It’s been hard to get out over the last year, so I’m happy to be anywhere these days.
Craig sent me out on a new kind of blog tour. We’re promoting The Hat Series during October, because it’s got a Halloween theme. People seem to dig supernatural tales this time of year. We decided to promote one volume in the series every week, and I’m here to talk about Viral Blues. I’m actually in this story, so it’s super exciting for me.
Craig does all the crazy things in this series that he doesn’t include in other books. The basis of this story is the superhero team-up adventure. I was honored to be one of the characters that got some page time.
Someone, or something, has been tampering with the nation’s vaccine supply. A new kind of virus is spreading like wildfire, and the evidence has paranormal themes all over it. This is what brought us all together.
This is a story about Lizzie and the hat, so it includes a lot of dark humor, a rocking playlist, and enough blood to make it work. As a robot girl, I get to be the tech expert in the group, and I got some pretty good scenes out of the deal.
I also got to play into some more personal moments. Honestly, Lizzie needed a fashion consultant, and I was happy to help. Figuring out how to cover her shoulder holsters without looking boring was a personal adventure for me.
This series never takes itself too seriously. People are supposed to have fun, and I know I did.
I brought a couple of fun posters for your readers. They show me rocking out with Lizzie’s cover band, and me being a total badass in the story. People should feel free to use them as background screens on phones or whatever makes them happy.
Check out the series link and choose whichever ones appeal to you. There will be more coming soon.
The Hat Series is my opportunity to have a little fun, and readers seem to be enjoying themselves, too. The series fits into a variety of pigeonholes as all stories do. If you’re looking for supernatural, paranormal, or urban fantasy, with a dose of dark humor, this might be the series you’re looking for.
Blurb:
Lizzie St. Laurent is a hard working twenty-something. She’s struggling with the issues of being a young adult, but also dealing with the supernatural world. After her grandmother died, she tried to get a memento from the estate. Her greedy uncle refused to share, so in desperation, she stole a box from the moving van.
Her treasure turned out to be an old hat that belonged to her grandfather. Not exactly the knickknack she was hoping for. This isn’t any ordinary hat. He’s actually a being from another dimension who was brought here by witchcraft. He has a few magical skills, but also some more ordinary ones. He can transport her to a cabin, deep in the forest, among other things. A bit more ordinary is his ability to play the upright bass, but only if he has a human host to manipulate. He’s also a shapeshifter, but is limited to always being a hat of some kind.
The hat has been in Lizzie’s family for centuries, and all of his partners have been monster hunters. Their symbiotic relationship also created an additional income stream for Lizzie. They formed a small cover band, which tends gets them out at night when monster hunting is more productive.
I put all kinds of strange things into these stories to make them fun. My section breaks have all been replaced with a series of bass clefs. I also include silly graphics in various locations to enhance the tales. You’ll find tons of snark mixed in with your blood and adventure.
These are short novels, designed for a single afternoon. While it is a series, they can be read as stand-alone tales. If one of the other volumes is your entry-point, I don’t think you’ll feel lost.
If this sounds like something to make your October complete, I’d appreciate you checking it out.
Thank you, Lisa! I don’t read much fantasy, but I love this series. The Hat is so snarky and fun he cracks me up. So far, I’ve read two out of four. I bought the other two, just saving them for a quiet afternoon when I need a pick-me-up. Very few series I savor like this. If someone told me I would look forward to spending time with a hat, I’d say they’d lost their last marble. But it’s true! Don’t try to figure out why it works. It just does. The Hat Series rocks!
If you enjoyed this post, please share. Thank you!
Sue Coletta
Sue Coletta is an award-winning crime writer and an active member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Feedspot and Expertido.org named her Murder Blog as “Best 100 Crime Blogs on the Net.” She also blogs on the Kill Zone (Writer's Digest "101 Best Websites for Writers"), Writers Helping Writers, and StoryEmpire. Sue lives with her husband in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Her backlist includes psychological thrillers, the Mayhem Series (books 1-3) and Grafton County Series, and true crime/narrative nonfiction. Now, she exclusively writes eco-thrillers, Mayhem Series (books 4-9 and continuing). Sue's appeared on the Emmy award-winning true crime series, Storm of Suspicion, and three episodes of A Time to Kill on Investigation Discovery. When she's not writing, she loves spending time with her murder of crows, who live free but come when called by name. And nature feeds her soul.
40 Comments
Diana Peach
A fun introduction to the Hat series from Lisa. It looks like Mrs Molony is the next one for me to read. The first two were fabulous. Highly entertaining reads. 🙂
Diana Peach recently posted…The Benefits of a Blogging Break
Sue Coletta
I loved Mrs. Molony. Enjoy, Diana!
CS Boyack
Hang on until tomorrow. I have some free days coming up for this title.
Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Fantastic to see Craig here, Sue. I really enjoy Lisa, she is a favourite character.
CS Boyack
Thanks, Robbie. It’s nice to have Lisa cover some of these stops for me.
Sue Coletta
Lisa’s a favorite of mine, too, Robbie.
John Howell
So nice to see Lisa and Craig here, Sue. Thanks for supporting his promotion.
John Howell recently posted…Thursday – A Little Personal – Lucy and Twiggy Are Back
Sue Coletta
My pleasure, John. Craig and I go way back, to when I first started blogging while working on my first or second (trunk) novel. Seems like a lifetime ago now. He’s always super supportive. I’m not only honored to call him a friend, I’m thrilled to be able to join the Hat Series blog tour. Thanks for stopping by to support him!
CS Boyack
We did connect early on. We’re still here, so that has to count for something. (Stubbornness, in my case.)
CS Boyack
Thank you for following along, John.
D. L. Finn
Great post and I love seeing a teaser of the upcoming book. I loved Virual Blues and all the great characters 🙂
Sue Coletta
I’m looking forward to diving into Viral Blues. Thanks for stopping by, Denise!
CS Boyack
Hint: Don’t miss the secret last chapter after the author remarks. My poke at modern films.
CS Boyack
Thanks for stopping by Denise. I hope to keep them coming.
Teri Polen
Such a fantastic series – can’t wait for the next book, Craig. Thanks for hosting, Sue!
Teri Polen recently posted…#BadMoonRising Vinnie the Vegetarian by Victoria Zigler #childrensbooks #zombie
CS Boyack
Thank you, Teri.
Sue Coletta
Me neither, Teri! I love this series.
Judith L Post (Judi Lynn)
Whoa! Did I see a new book cover in the books of the series? The new book coming out about witches? It looks tantalizing!
Sue Coletta
I saw that, too, Judith, and was equally surprised. Went straight to Amazon to add it to my collection. 😉
CS Boyack
Since I have the cover, I decided to trickle it out. I’m still working on the story, but expect to be ready come Spring. Looks like the cover is doing its job.
Jan Sikes
This is an excellent series and I have enjoyed each segment. Dark humor and C.S. Boyack go hand-in-hand! Thank you for showcasing Lizzie and The Hat, Sue!
Sue Coletta
My pleasure, Jan! I love this series. That hat cracks me up!
CS Boyack
Thank you, Jan. Glad you’re enjoying the stories.
Noelle Granger
The Hat series is SO much fun!
Noelle Granger recently posted…A Celebration of the 400th Anniversary of the First Thanksgiving
Sue Coletta
Agreed, Noelle! I love that hat. 😀
CS Boyack
Thanks for saying so here, Noelle.
Mae Clair
I’ve enjoyed the entire Hat series. Viral Blues was a lot of fun with the team up of characters. Great reading for the Halloween season!
Mae Clair recently posted…Book Tour Day 6: Things Old and Forgotten by Mae Clair #speculativefiction #magicalrealism #fantasy #newrelease
Sue Coletta
Me too, Mae! I’m looking forward to diving in Viral Blues. It’s on my Kindle. 😉
CS Boyack
Thanks for visiting and that kind comment.
CS Boyack
Thank you so much for welcoming Lisa today. Means a lot to me that you would lend me your space. My door is always open if you’d like to borrow it. I shared this everywhere, and faked a reblog to drive us some traffic.
Sue Coletta
My pleasure, Craig. You’re always welcome here. 😀 Thanks for the reblog!
Staci Troilo
The Hat is a fun series. And Viral Blues was wonderful because of the cast from many of Craig’s works. So nice to see Lisa here talking about it. Thanks, Sue. Best wishes, Craig.
Staci Troilo recently posted…#bookreviews THINGS OLD AND FORGOTTEN and THE STOWAWAY #fantasy #thriller
CS Boyack
Thank you, Staci. I always have fun with these, but this one made me think about all those personalities and how to dole out page time for them.
Sue Coletta
I have Viral Blues on my Kindle. Can’t wait to dive in. Thanks, Staci!
Margot Kinberg
I have to admit, I’m not generally a fantasy reader, and not at all knowledgeable about the genre, but this does look interesting! And I love the idea of that hat!
Margot Kinberg recently posted…Don’t You Know I’m Human Too*
CS Boyack
Thank you, Margot. It’s October, so a bit of paranormal fun seemed in order.
Sue Coletta
That hat is hilarious, Margot!
Priscilla Bettis
Sounds like a fun series! A sentient, snarky hat from another dimension as a character, how cool is that?!
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…One-Sentence Reviews: My 3rd Quarter 2021 Reads
CS Boyack
Thank you, Priscilla. There’s no better time of year for me to promote this series.
Sue Coletta
He’s a great character, Priscilla. And so funny!