Interview and Giveaway with Abigail Roux

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!

 

Hi Abi! Welcome back to UTC! Ty and Zane have quickly become my all-time favourite couple. They have come so far in the series, but in BALL & CHAIN, a significant change in their lives can alter the dynamics of their relationship. How do you think Ty and Zane will cope?

Ha! Nice try, but I already know how they’ll cope. I will spill that there is a proposal in this book. But then, it’s about a wedding so is that really such a big surprise? You’ll have to keep reading to find out how Ty and Zane cope, though.

In comparison to the other books in this series, how would you describe BALL & CHAIN?

Ball & Chain is smaller in scale. The other books have been expansive, either in scope of plot, location, or character arc. Ball & Chain really only gives Ty and Zane a tiny island to move around on, and a small sampling of people to interact with. They’re forced to deal with people they can’t get away from, from circumstances they can’t hand over, and the mystery is, on the surface, a simple one. It feels more intimate than the other books, which is what you want for a wedding, right?!

I have to say that pretty much all the books in this series have made me heart break in one way or the other. I would like to know which book has been the most emotionally difficult book to write and why.

I know people expect me to say Touch & Geaux, but I cackled my way through most of that book. Divide & Conquer was the hardest for me to write, emotionally. I knew how people would receive Ty’s actions, and I knew there would be backlash, and it was hard for me to stick to the way it was supposed to go.

Along with the heartbreaking and the sweet moments, there are also a handful of laugh-out-loud moments. Which character would you say has the best one-liners and do you mind sharing that with the readers?

I honestly try to spread out the witticisms between the characters, and still keep them in character. Ty probably has the most one-liners, but I believe Kelly might have surpassed him in this book. Ty’s humor is anchored in cynicism and sarcasm. Kelly, on the other hand, is more lighthearted. He can say something completely off the wall and crazy and the other characters can just shrug at him because that’s just his personality. No other character can do that without being wildly out of character. Overall, Liam Bell takes the prize for best one-liners, though. He’s so snarky and I love him.

The series has many, many wonderful sex scenes between the boys. They can get really hot, really quick. Which sex scene has stood out for you and why?

I think it’s a tie between the jealous door sex in Divide & Conquer and the cowboy hat sex in Stars & Stripes. Those seem to be the two that readers mention the most.

Do you mind sharing us a little about your daily writing routine? What are some items that you absolutely need to write? How many hours a day do you sit in your chair and type away?

Lately, I’ve been writing for about 8 hours a day. I’ll admit that’s not normal production for me. I blame knee surgery and the snow. A typical writing day starts with going through messages and mail, wandering around my house like a zombie for a few minutes, and then settling in the living room. Probably 45 minutes out of every hour is spent on legitimate work. Sometimes I have to switch venues, so I’ll head for the sunroom and sit at my dining table. The only thing I really need to write is the internet. Even if I’m not talking to anyone, or doing anything online, just knowing that connection to the outside world is there keeps from getting too restless or lonely while I’m working. It’s all mental, but then, so is writing.

How much pleasure do you take in torturing your minions? Between your Tumblr posts and editors tweeting quotes from the upcoming book, you have minions pining for the next release. What’s going through your mind as we sob with need?

Evil, evil laughter.

Let’s do a little bit of word association. Tell us the first word that comes to mind…

Ty: Jackass.

Zane: Patience.

Deuce: Long-suffering.

M/M: Growing.

Ball & Chain: Mischief.

Minions: Hilarious.

 

About Ball & Chain

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.

 

[about-author author=”Abigail Roux”]