Abigail Roux
Dr. Wyatt Case is never happier than when he’s walking the halls of his
history museum. Playing wingman for his best friend at Gravedigger’s
Tavern throws him way out of his comfort zone, but not as much as the
eccentric man behind the bar, Ash Lucroix.
Ash is everything Wyatt doesn’t understand: exuberant, quirky, and elbow deep in a Gaslight lifestyle that weaves history into everyday life. He coordinates his suspenders with his tongue rings. Within hours, Wyatt and Ash are hooked.
But strange things are afoot at Gravedigger’s, and after a knock to the head, Ash starts seeing things that can’t be explained by old appliances or faulty wiring. Soon everyone at Gravedigger’s is wondering if they’re seeing ghosts, or just going crazy. The answer to that question could end more than just Wyatt and Ash’s fragile relationship—it might also end their lives.
Ash is everything Wyatt doesn’t understand: exuberant, quirky, and elbow deep in a Gaslight lifestyle that weaves history into everyday life. He coordinates his suspenders with his tongue rings. Within hours, Wyatt and Ash are hooked.
But strange things are afoot at Gravedigger’s, and after a knock to the head, Ash starts seeing things that can’t be explained by old appliances or faulty wiring. Soon everyone at Gravedigger’s is wondering if they’re seeing ghosts, or just going crazy. The answer to that question could end more than just Wyatt and Ash’s fragile relationship—it might also end their lives.
Welcome to The Gravedigger’s Brawl virtual book tour! Thank you for helping me celebrate the release of the most haunted book I’ve ever worked on. Over the course of the next few days I’ll be giving away prizes to help you get through the reading experiences, namely bundles of sage to cleanse your electronics after you download a cursed book! In addition, every stop along this tour is a chance to win $10 in store credit to Riptide Publishing as part of their first anniversary celebration! To enter to win one of the prizes, just leave a comment here and make sure you include your e-mail address. Many thanks to All I Want And More for helping me keep this spooky Riptide Publishing virtual book tour going!
Warning: This Book is Haunted! Part 3 by Abigail Roux
The first two stops on the tour, I let you in on a little secret. The Gravedigger’s Brawl is cursed. You may still be sceptical, and I understand. Plenty of people were at first when I began to insist that a story I was writing about ghosts was haunted. Ha ha, Abi, you’re funny. Now go take your meds.
But I knew in my heart that the story was cursed. And I went with it. I’m a writer, after all, I have to write. I have to see a story to fruition, even if it fights back. Even if it goes on the offensive and begins to haunt me.
Four years into its creation, the ghost story had now been responsible for the death of three laptops. It was fighting back, but so was I. I continued working on it, tweaking it, editing it, adding to it, taking from it.
I changed the ending.
The original ending was much darker and far more disturbing than it is now. It was scary, and I liked it. But it wasn’t satisfying. So I changed it. And the story did not like it. Lights in my home began to flicker. My brand new alarm system would go off at all times of the day. At one point I didn’t get to the code in time and the police were called. Try explaining that one to a guy with a gun and the ability to recommend you be institutionalized.
But I soldiered on. It was more out of curiosity at this point, though. I wanted to see what else this story was capable of doing. My iPhone began to make static noises when I’d make calls, and iPhones aren’t exactly known for static. When I would send a text message to the Canadian while she was in the process of giving the ghost story a read over, my text messages would go not to her phone, but to her iPod, something that is not capable of receiving or sending text messages. After bringing my computer to my mom’s house one evening to work, she began to be pelted in the back of the head with Valentine’s candy in an empty room.
When my laptop and I left, the candy stopped flying. When Canadian was done reading the story and sent it back, my text messages began to get to her phone again.
I started working harder to get rid of this thing. I convinced myself that as soon as I was done working on it and had it sent off, the curse would end. Sort of like construction and remodelling is supposed to wake spirits in buildings, I was hoping that when I completed the editing, it would all just go away.
The harder I worked, the more the story fought back. I lost another laptop to it before it was all said and done. That’s four in case you’ve lost count. The lamp in my living room would turn off and on as I worked into the night. Locked doors would open. Open windows would slam shut. I began sending my daughter to my mom’s house to sleep because I didn’t want her in the house at night while I was writing.
I was convinced that when the story was done, the curse would be too. I finished the book at 4 AM one morning in February and wasted no time in sending it off. I warned the editors that it might do odd things to their computers. They laughed about the oddities being good for promo (and here I am) and that was it. I was done.
The lights stopped flickering. My computer worked. The sun came out! All was right with the world! And then one night a few months later I received an e-mail. Return edits.
I opened up the e-mail and downloaded the file. And five minutes later, my television got struck by lightning. It wasn’t the end. Rewrites were just the beginning. Now I had wave after wave of edits and beta reads to get through, and it wasn’t just me involved now. There were others. So many others. And the next step would be releasing this story to the world.
You can haunt me at several places on the web, including Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and my website. I hope to see you around.
You can read the first two chapters and order The Gravedigger’s Brawl HERE.
And please do not forget Abigail's words........ In addition, every stop along this tour is a chance to win $10 in store credit to Riptide Publishing as part of their first anniversary celebration! To enter to win one of the prizes, just leave a comment here and make sure you include your e-mail address!!! So comment away!!! Good luck!
To learn more about this tour, please visit Riptide's website here!!!
I've had periods of time like that, where it's an electronics graveyard, one item after another.
ReplyDeleteThankfully *fingers very firmly crossed (or should I shake some sage over my keyboard, though that might end up with bits in the keys)* it's been a while...
Please add me to today's draw :)
Sue
corieltauviqueen(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)uk
Great post and kudos to Abi 'cause I would've given up. Yep get scared that easily. Happy to report that nothing weird has happened since downloading or reading the book. ;)
ReplyDeletePlease add me to the draw shirley_frances@hotmail.com
Downloaded but not read yet, but nothing stranger than 'normal' has happened here yet...
ReplyDeletepointycat(at)hotmail.co.uk
I cannot wait to start this book this weekend!
ReplyDeleteFangirlmom@gmail.com
Sounds like a great book. Can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeletegisu29(at)yahoo(dot)com
I have tried to leave a comment here four times. Nothing would load. The clock/hourglass/ passing time indicator never stopped spinning.
ReplyDeleteThe book is on my iPad, and my iPad is haunted! I'll bet I won't be able to leave this comment either!
brendurbanist at gmail dot com
Luckily I have been spared from the hauntings... apart from a few stray links in my kindle edition of the book nothing strange happened. And I'm so glad about that because the story was quite enough for my poor nerves :)
ReplyDeleteSherry
Codename_Sherry[@]hotmail.com
... it seems this post is haunted though... it wouldn't let me comment *mumbles*
So many goofy things have happened even BEFORE I started following this tour, that I don't wanna think about what else could go on now. :-) Sounds like a great story, though...
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(dot)com
Wow. So many strange and spooky things have happened to you in relation to this story. Your TV got struck by lightening? Weird indeed.
ReplyDeletestrive4bst(At) yahoo(Dot) com
Pelted with Valentine's candy?? HS, dude.
ReplyDeleteJacob
rioazul(at)me(dot)com
Given all the issues you've had in getting this one written and out to the masses do you think you'd ever write another scary story or has this put you off them for good?
ReplyDeletemelora.derryth(at)gmail(dot)com
I was actually really worried when I Downloaded Gravedigger's Brawl onto my Lappy and then my Nook. Knowing my luck something bad would happen. lol. But lucky nothing has *knocks on wood*
ReplyDeleteKunicorngirl@Yahoo.com
I enjoyed reading the post. I look forward in reading The Gravedigger's Brawl.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com
This sounds like a great read...thanks for the excerpt and the giveaway chance!
ReplyDeleteivegotmail8889@yahoo.com
Thanks for the post! Congrats on the release!
ReplyDeleteOceanAkers @ aol.com
LOL!! oh jeez, I simply cannot believe all this happened. Just... DAMN! Ahaha... Crazy book, I must read it. lol...
ReplyDeletethanks for the giveaway! Enjoyed this stop! ;)
Judi
arella3173_loveless@yahoo(dot)com
I just keeps getter better doen't it? Please count me in so I can by this crazy book! Thank you. Michelle
ReplyDeletechellebee66(at)gmail(dot)com
yeah... I still haven't worked up the courage to buy this one yet but I'm DYING to read it - I just don't want to be literally dying (or would that be literary-ily?). ;)
ReplyDeletebuttononthetop at gmail dot com
Oh boy, Abi's story about the haunting is just great and getting better and better. And I LOVED the ending, which means I'm now major curious about just what was scarier about the original ending! Inquiring Minds and all that...
ReplyDeleteCharlayne Denney
charlayned at swbell dot net
Stopping by on sketchy travelwireless to say hello to everyone and thank you for hosting me! I hope no one has problems with the book, but I can't guarantee anything.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds good.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
My internet kept crashing on my kindle after I downloaded it... but I'm sure it's not related. Yeah... It's... it's not related at all...
ReplyDeleteRachel_ann94 at yahoo dot Com
You are a rock star for getting through all that and giving us a great story at the same time. I have read the book and loved it and luckily nothing crazy happened to me as I was reading it. Hmm, hope I didn't just jinx myself ;)
ReplyDeleteOoo, now I have to read it! *is very intrigued*
ReplyDeleteMoriamccain @ gmail.com
I've downloaded it to my Kindle but haven't had a chance to read it yet since I'm at the end of my re-re-read of Stars & Stripes. I'll keep my fingers crossed when I start the book!
ReplyDeletelindaszoo@hawaii.rr.com
It hasn't killed my computer yet.
ReplyDeletemaggie9418@aol.com
Wow...I'll have to be careful when I read it.
ReplyDeletemorris.crissy@gmail.com
I can't help it, I love the haunting stories. Keep them coming!
ReplyDeletecojazzchick AT yahoo DOT com
Keep counting me in for this great prize. ;)
ReplyDeleteChris
ceagles48218@yahoo.com
I read it and luckily I was spared a haunting! samati75 at gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI’m a little bit scared to read this story…
ReplyDeletegoingtoreadnow (at) gmail (dot) com
not scared at all bring it on.
ReplyDeleteninatylee@yahoo.com
I am looking forward to reading this tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteAsanch18@yahoo.com
I wonder if anything happened to the editors as well... Ohh, this is exciting! ^^
ReplyDeletejapoki at inbox.lv
Kind of out of subject, but I really like the whole suspenders/tongue rings coordination. Sounds like awesome characters.
ReplyDeleteMC
contact at mchoule dot com