I’m thrilled to have a friend and fellow Story Empire Contributor here, C. S. Boyack. I have read and loved all six of The Hat Series. My review of The Midnight Rambler: LINK
It means a lot to me that you’d open your doors to my blog tour, Denise. I’d love to help you promote your next publication whenever that might be.
There’s a cover and blurb down below that will give you some specifics into this story, but I want to talk about the series itself. This is a collection of stand-alone stories that don’t have any required reading before diving in. If The Midnight Rambler is your first exposure to the series, I promise you won’t feel lost.
One of the things that’s come up with this series is reader expectations. They’re dark humor and corny on purpose. Readers have developed their favorite features and it’s important for me to remember those. As the series grows, I can’t be shackled by them. We have new areas to explore and characters to meet.
People seemed to love Kevin the vampire, who is a kind of street informant for Lizzie and the hat. They love Noodles the crazy pet creature one of the local witches owns. Star St. Laurent, Lizzie’s mother has plenty of fans. Then there are things that seem to be regular features like the silly graphics and Night Bump Radio.
I dropped a few of these here, because I can’t pay homage to all of them in every book. There are times when a girl needs to talk to her mother, perfect for Star. Maybe she needs a street informant, great for Kevin. Detective Yoder and his deceased wife have their fans. I will continue to use these characters, but only when it’s appropriate for the story.
It seems like Night Bump Radio and the legend of Hellpox are finding their way into every tale, but even then it may be a major or minor appearance as the plot dictates. I can’t cover everyone’s favorite in every story. We have new characters to meet and new situations to delve into.
These peripheral characters are around for a reason. I can use them when it helps advance the plot. I can’t revisit them just because they were so much fun in previous volumes. It makes Lizzie’s world more realistic and complete.
Lizzie needs people like her mother to interact with. Her band, The Pythons, and a couple of her employers also fill this role. She can’t talk to them about the supernatural world, so we have Kevin the vampire, the local coven, or even Detective Yoder to fill those roles.
The Midnight Rambler features Elgin the magpie, and Ray C. Adair. These are new characters to love. It doesn’t mean I’m abandoning anyone, and they could reappear at any time in future volumes.
Just in case you’re worried, Dash Goodman and Detective Yoder appear in this story. Even Cyrus Yoder and Noodles are here, but in minimal form. I even revisited a nameless red headed vampire who’s more of a frenemy at this point.
I am honored that people enjoyed the peripheral characters in this series. Unless they’ve been killed any of them could reappear when the need arises. Of course, it’s a paranormal series so they might return even if they’re dead. Who knows? Kevin and the redhead are already dead, so never say never.
Cover Blurb:
Something evil is after the hat. The ageless enemies have battled many times, but this time Lizzie is wearing the hat. She’s also up against a ticking clock, in that if she can’t find the maker of her new friend’s medicine he will die.
The Rambler has kidnapped the only witch capable of making Ray’s medicine in an attempt to make the hat sloppy in his efforts. He’s also flooded the streets with deadly minions to impede any progress our heroes might make.
As if that weren’t enough, Lizzie is facing more of life’s struggles, both financially and mechanically. This all goes down in the middle of a huge flood event that she’s ill equipped to handle.
Join Lizzie and the hat as they battle the elements, the paranormal, and a being of pure evil. Lizzie might be battling some personal demons along the way as she and Ray grow closer.
Get your copy here: https://mybook.to/TheMidnightRambler
