A warm welcome to author Abigail Roux visiting Love Bytes today on her blog tour for Crash & Burn the long awaited final part for her infamous Cut & Run series.
Abi talks about the Original plan for Cut & Run. She also brings with her a fabulous giveaway
So make sure to read this post and enter the compitition!
Welcome Abi 🙂
Hello and thank you for joining me as I bid a fond farewell to Ty and Zane on the Crash & Burn virtual tour! For the next five days, join me on my virtual stops to help me say goodbye to the Cut & Run series with cut scenes, playlists, behind the scenes looks at the process of writing this last book, and a peek at the original plan for the series and the twists and turns it took on its journey to the end.
Did I mention the prizes? I have incredible prizes for two winners; a go-bag put together by one B. Tyler Grady. Each bag has over $370 worth of goodies in it. For more detail on the contents, you can click the link at the end of this post! Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing to win one of these bags. Entries close at midnight, Eastern Time, on April 4th and winners will be announced on April 6th. Contest is valid worldwide.
Over the years of writing this series, I’ve seen a lot of questions from readers. Some of them I could answer, some I had to keep under wraps. I was never willing to give away plot secrets, and I was compelled to refrain from talking about the behind-the-scenes machinations of the earlier years. But now that the series has come to an end, there is one question I’ve received so often that I’d like to try to answer today. What was the original plan, and where would the characters have been now if that plan had been strictly adhered to?
Needless to say, don’t continue reading if you’re working to avoid spoilers!
The original plan for the series wasn’t a series at all. The first book was just that, one book. It was a long book, too, and it had a happy ending. It only took a day of letting that ending rest before we realized it wasn’t a good story the way he had wrapped it up. The idea for the series was born shortly thereafter, and that’s where the story truly began.
The plan was always nine books. There was a very general outline for each one, but I don’t work well with an outline, so it remained nebulous and easily changed. The end goal, though, remained the same. Ty had his arc, and Zane had his arc, and the two wound together above this backdrop of pain and betrayal that would culminate in the plot of the final book, which is not the final book you read (or are about to read). The original plot had nothing to do with the cartel. In fact, none of the series had anything to do with the cartel, because that was Zane’s background, and I didn’t know a thing about Zane’s background. I did 99% of the plotting, and I did it with the information I knew. In regards to Zane, I didn’t know much.
Until one day in November of 2011 when I had to take the series on by myself. I didn’t know Zane’s arc, and I didn’t know any of the details of his story. The only thing I had to go on was a final scene that had been written for the final book. It spoke to the state of mind in which the character was going to end this series, and frankly, I knew I couldn’t take Zane down his intended road if this was what he became. For the first and only time, I’m going to share this bit of scene, so all the people who’ve wondered over the years ‘where would Zane be now if . . .’ can have their answer.
Ty could be dead.
When his hand brushed against his Glock, Zane grasped at the cold, hard metal and all his drive and anger just drained out of him. The gun was so familiar to him, practically an extension of his arm. Like Ty. So familiar. Practically a part of him. And if Ty was gone–Ty could be dead–then a large part of Zane was dead too. The best part. The part that made it all worth it.
His breathing was loud in his ears as Zane wrapped both hands around the gun’s grip. His hands were shaking. He was losing it. He recognized it, and at that moment, he simply didn’t care.
‘Having an us makes living worth it.’
For once, Zane really wished he wasn’t such a goddamn closet romantic, because when he’d admitted that to Ty, it had become true.
Ty Grady could be dead and gone. Zane squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head over the gun as he rubbed his index finger along the trigger.
The Zane that was and the Zane that will never be. I couldn’t have this beautiful creature end his arc in a state of despair, where he still needed Ty like he was a drug, where giving up was his first thought when faced with heartbreak and grief. And that was when my original plan for the entire series went out the window. That was when I drew up a new plan and scrapped over 150,000 words of already written material that led us down a road I didn’t want to travel. That was when I wrote the line in Armed & Dangerous, where Ty called Zane a phoenix, because I needed the brand new Zane in my mind to believe that he was capable of rising again.
And he did.
Blurb:
It’s been five years since Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett first worked together to solve the Tri-State murders, and time has been both harsh and kind. Engaged now, they face the challenge of planning a deeply uncertain future together. Zane is at the pinnacle of his career with one last mystery to solve, while Ty is at sea in a world where he’s no longer the tip of a spear.
There’s just one more hurdle in the way of their happy ever after: a traitor from their inner circle who threatens to burn their world to the ground.
Squeezed between the Vega cartel, an unknown mole, and too many alphabet agencies to count, Ty and Zane must gather all their strength and resources to beat the longest odds they’ve ever faced. To make it out alive, they’ll need help from every friend they’ve got. Even the friends who might betray their trust.
Buy Links:
Follow this link to find detailed info on the go-bag prizes, but make sure you comment here to enter!
Read Amber’s Review HERE!
Abigail Roux was born and raised in North Carolina. A past volleyball star who specializes in sarcasm and painful historical accuracy, she currently spends her time coaching high school volleyball and investigating the mysteries of single motherhood. Any spare time is spent living and dying with every Atlanta Braves and Carolina Panthers game of the year.
Abigail has a daughter, Little Roux, who is the light of her life, a boxer, four rescued cats who play an ongoing live-action variation of Call of Duty throughout the house, a certifiable extended family down the road, and a cast of thousands in her head
Thanks for stopping by! You can follow the entire tour by going to Riptide Publishing. If you care to follow me more closely, you can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a great wrap-up to the series.
🙁 So glad we had a different Zane.
I am also glad Zane traveled down a different road. It made him a much stronger partner.
The way in which Zane grew into his own man is one of my favourite elements of this series. He didn’t stay lost, he didn’t get absorbed into Ty, who initially felt like the stronger, more charismatic character… Instead Zane grew into an outstanding character in his own right, and I love those little moments when he really shines, and Ty just has to step back and appreciate it. As do all the readers, because his journey has just been truly amazing.
love this series
I am so glad that Zane became a Phoenix. That you found a way for him to burn so bright and shake off that side of him.
Haven’t finished the book yet, but it’s epic so far. Sorry to see it end with such a set of great characters.. Kudos to you Miss Roux for giving so many hours of wonderful entertainment.
Wow, I’m so grateful that you changed Zane’s ending. I’ve enjoyed watching him grow and regain his confidence through this series.
Zane the phoenix was genius. Interesting the way plans change – appreciate the insight!
Loved the book! And I’m so glad that Zane got to grow into the person he did. Thanks so much for sharing the original plan. I love getting insights into the writing process.
wow such a different ending. glad we got the one we did.
There’s no words that can describe how grateful I am that Zane changed and that we got a series instead of just one book.
My heart is breaking just thinking about what Zane could have become. Thanks for having him rise from the ashes of that character and become the Zane that we all love so much.
Wow, thank you! That was very interesting. I love how the series turned out. Zane is one of my favorite characters of all time!
Wow! It’s amazing what you did for Zane’s arc and I am so glad you did, Zane is a wonderful character and truly is a phoenix. <3
So so glad you gave Zane the ending he deserved.
Oh god i just want to curl around Zane and hug him! I love reading deleted scenes but this was hard to read. I love the Phoenix arc
How do you say goodbye when you’re not ready to let go?
Thank you for giving Zane the ending that he deserved! He truly is a phoenix. Gonna miss the boys! But so glad they ended up where they did, perfection!
I’m so glad we got the Zane that we did.
My heart is breaking that the series is done. I’m having the biggest book hangover! Nothing else is matching my feelings for this series.
I love that Abi changed Zane. I would have been heartbroken if he ended up back where he was after Becky died at the end of the series. He deserved to be happy and he deserved to hold himself up no matter what happened.
Abi outdid herself as usual. Gonna miss the boys.
I will always be so grateful that this was a series and didn’t stop at 1 book. There was way too much to do with the boys and Abi was amazing writing their journey. I am heartbroken to see them go and so happy to witness their HEA.
Thank Goodness for the Phoenix!
So pleased with your efforts into finding the Zane see today. To me it made the journey with him and Ty so much more meaning full and satisfying. It would have been heartbreaking to realize we’ve come all this way and Zane would have remained unchanged for the better because of his love for Ty. Ty’s believe that he was a better man than he was in that cheep hotel mirror all those year ago. *sniff* Shut up! I have allergies…
The journey with Ty and Zane was short, but I will remeber it clearly!
Farewell and thank you Abi!
I absolutely love what Abi’s done with Zane. After Touch & Geaux, he learned to be his own person. Learned he didn’t have to lean on Ty for everything, that he could do so much on his own. That’s what a healthy relationship is all about.
I love Zane. Thanks for the great story and ending!
I love this behind the scenes glimpse. I’m so thrilled with the Zane we got. Not just a sidekick to Ty and his friends and his family, but a whole person who brings as much to the relationship as he gets out of it. My favorite phoenix ever.
Day 5 ACR (after cut & run) reader’s log: I still have not made peace with the world
good lord, the behind the scenes story has more twist and turns than the roads to my sister’s house. Love it!!!!!
I am enjoying following the tour. Hoe to keep on reading more.
I don’t want to say goodbye to the boys. I’m not ready for the series to be over.
I’m going to miss the boys so much …
Thank you so much for this blog tour, I’m enjoying every stop !
Zane’s beautiful transformation is my favorite part of the series. No matter how much he infuriates me at times, I always come back to the man who buried himself so deep. He truly is a phoenix. Thank you for seeing that in him, Abi.
I absolutely love the growth and transformation you see in Zane in the last two books. He is healthy and so totally devoted to Ty, it’s a beautiful sight.
I’ll have to come back and re-read this entry since I’m don’t want spoilers. It’s so rewarding to fans of a series to read the thoughts and background to the creation of a favorite series. Thanks, Abigail!
wow i am sooo glad Z’ s story went a different path! and i loved the man he was by the end of C&B
Loved this book…….can’t wait to start a reread!
I am forever grateful for the path Zane’s arc ultimately ended up taking.
Wow, I’m so glad Zane ended up differently! But it’s very interesting to know how the story could have been! Thanks for these revelations, Aby! x)
I’ve fallen in love with Ty and Zane. I’m so excited to read this final installment. Unfortunately I’m still playing catch up with the series as I was late to the game. But it’s been an incredible journey, that’s for sure!
So glad that Abi made Zane into the character he became. He was amazing in the last book! They say everything happens for a reason and I’m convinced it was meant for Abi to have the series because I don’t think it would have been nearly as awesome as it turned out to be. Thank you Abi!!
Wow! Thank you for sharing that! So very interesting!
Thank you for sharing, I love Ty and Zane! This tour is a great idea!
Oh *wow*. I’m am so glad Abi gave us Zane-the-phoenix and not… Broken-beyond-repair-Zane. That snippet was so hard to read. D: Zane (and everyone else) is so amazing now. I’m glad the series took the path that it did in the end!
Damn it Abi! I thought I was done crying over these boys and then just. You had to go and share that. I’m so glad you changed where the plot was going. So glad you made Zane a phoenix.
I’m so glad Abi didn’t take him down that road at all… I had no idea!
Thanks for sharing. I loved the book!
I thought Crash & Burn was the perfect ending to Ty and Zane’s story. Still sad to see them go.
Thanks for sharing that bit of Zane. I’m glad you took him in a different direction. He was always such a injured soul. And a beautiful one. 🙂
Wow! I’m surprised where Zane could have gone if you didn’t take over, or rewrite what you had. So glad to see Zane become this strong character you made him be. And that phoenix quote is still so perfect for him.
Thanks for sharing this, Abi!
I am so grateful that Zane took a different road. I think a lot of us can see ourselves in Zane. We’ve all lost someone near and dear to ourselves, we’ve made mistakes, self-destructive mistakes. We’ve seen ourselves turn into adults that child!us would run away from. To see Zane struggle and fight and ultimately better himself and turn into the warm, accomplished, loved, and loving person he became is an important message that no matter how deep your abyss, how dark your nights, the sun can and will come out tomorrow. You just gotta wait out the night, baby.
Ooh it’s interesting how the series has so changed so much for the original. Zane is definitely a phoenix now!
I love Zane, so glad you gave him a better direction.
Omg I’m so glad Abi altered the plans! Poor Zane 🙁
Oh god Abi, thank you for saving Zane. I know going through the split with MU was horrible but it truly was a blessing for you and your writing (and it turns out Zane)
So glad we didn’t get that Zane, he’s my favorite of the two.
Oh man, that blurb is heartbreaking. I’m so glad you chose to take Zane down a different path, even if you had to rewrite and change so much. I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
Thank goodness he didn’t end like that. For all I love Zane’s dark side I would never want him to go that dark.
I’ve been such a fan and this is just the best!! I’m glad that Zane didn’t end up filled with despair of what you wrote.
I am so proud of Zane for making it out of the books stronger than ever…and so grateful to Abi for giving him the chance.
And thank God you did! As much as I love Zane suffering, I LOVED how much he got to grow in his own skin! Those parts were frickin’ beautiful. 🙂 And it hurts a bit (okay, a lot) to know what it took for Zane to realize how many loyal friends he had of his own.
Wow. Thank you Abi for the happy ending I needed from this series. I’m not sure I could’ve survived that ending. I wouldn’t have been happy, that’s for sure. So thank goodness for the phoenix.
Oh, ouch, that ending… I’m so, so glad it didn’t come to that, I love the change Zane went through. It was so heartwarming when he stepped back and found himself, and made those changes because he wanted to /for himself/ and not just for Ty. I love that it wasn’t easy, and that things fell through, because in reality nothing every runs smoothly. Addictions are hard to break, and seeing Zane do that (and in a believable way, not a happily-ever-after perfect universe fiction kinda way) is beautiful. Phoenix is apt. Such a strong, amazing character, who endured his own battles and wars.
I had no idea what was originally in store…wow!
I ❤️ Zane!
“That was when I wrote the line in Armed & Dangerous, where Ty called Zane a phoenix, because I needed the brand new Zane in my mind to believe that he was capable of rising again.”
Excuse me, I’ll just be over here sobbing hysterically.
I’m glad things happened the way they did
I can never thank Abi enough for giving us her version of Zane. Crash & Burn was the perfect end to the Ty/Zane story.
Thank you for your version of Zane. I love this series and I’m glad that you were able to make him a phoenix. It’s great.
My heart is breaking for the possible road Zane could have taken, so glad his phoenix risen 🙂
I haven’t even had a chance to start it yet but I’m having a hard time waiting. I really want to have time to dig in and enjoy. Hopefully this weekend.
Hey Abi, thanks for saving Zane.
So glad you made those changes to Zane!
That ending of what could have been for Zane just ripped my heart out. So glad Abi took them down a different road!
Wow…what a difference. So interesting to see ‘behind the scenes’. Thanks for sharing.
You think I had a melt-down in Touch & Geaux, when I was so terrified for Ty, this one ending you put up would have had me depressed for months, if not years.
I’m glad he’s not going that direction.
Definitely glad we got a different Zane.I LOVE the Zane we have now. He became such a magnificent character and a true Phoenix.
I’ll miss this series
Wow…I am speechless. I’m forever grateful that Zane became a Phoenix and began anew!
the book info is interesting
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Best. Series. Ever! I’m sad that this was the final book in the Cut & Run series but it was awesome!
Zane’s an awesome character and I’m so glad to see we got a different Zane.
SO GLAD ZANE CHANGED. i don’t think i could have lived through reading that Zane, it would have hurt to much.
Thank you. Thank you for having the strength to discard 150,000 words in order to make THIS ending possible! As sad as it makes me to say goodbye to Ty and Zane, I’m happy with the ending they got. I really do hope we get some glimpses of them in future books, though – pretty please?
I’m really curious about how things would’ve been but I have to save this article for later when I had time to read #9. I’ll definitely come back at a later time!
Zane is my favorite character in the Cut and Run series, and I am very happy to know now that he’s entirely your Zane, Abi. I absolutely love your Zane. Thank you for writing him the way you did. <3
Wow, I seriously got chills reading about the Zane character arc we never saw. I’m so glad that we ended up with phoenix Zane in the end, he is so bad ass. Although I never did get the Snoopy line lol.
In the Peanuts comic and cartoons, when Snoopy is very happy he does an adorable goofy little dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFNLbAs3KAU
So I took that line to mean Zane was reflecting on how a few years ago, he’d have been so happy to have the promotion that he’d have been doing that goofy little dance inside, but now his priorities have sort of shifted.
I am so glad you took over and gave Zane the happy ending he deserves.
Best. Series. Ever!
I am sitting here crying now. Crying for the Zane that might have been. Crying for the Zane you gave us instead. Thank you, Abi, for keeping us all on our toes, keeping up entertained, keeping us guessing, but ultimately for giving us the HEA these two men deserved.
I love the changes you’ve made to Zane. The Zane from the original edit seemed to have no character growth and I liked where he eventually evolved. Thank you so much Abi for sharing and for years of enjoyment from these books! 🙂
So sad this series is over. Wonderful!!
I’m feeling the urge to just hug Zane. Why do we fall so hard for fictional characters?
Love it so hard <3 <3 🙂
That cut scene was so heart breaking. Zane’s character development is so heartbreakingly beautiful!
I’ve loved Zane’s arc and am so glad you changed his direction.
I love Zane’s arc so much. I’m so glad we got that Zane story in the end
Thank you for sharing that bit about Zane. I am glad you changed direction. Love this series.
This series will always hold a special place in my heart. I’m going to miss Ty & Zane. I’m glad the direction of his character changed. He’s always been my favorite of the two. And I love that he had some BAMF moments in this book. BAMF!Zane is my favorite of all Zane’s.
Very interesting, glad it changed!
I’m so glad we got to experience Zane’s character development, that scene just broke me. Thank you for not letting it end like this!
Great post, You see, I’m a Zane girl myself (sorry, Ty), so I’m really glad you decided to turn him into a Phoenix so he could be reborn as a better version of himself. Thank you very much!
I am so happy that you took a different direction with Zane, I love the Phoenix rising image for him, it gives us hope that anyone can emerge from horrible things into a stronger more beautiful, being.
I’m so glad Abi took over. I don’t know what I would have done if Madeline had been allowed to kill Zane.
WOW!! I am so glad that Zane was changed. One of my favorite parts of him is his growth by himself and with Ty.
I am so glad you changed Zane’s storyline, it was good for him to become his own man again.
Ty and Zane are one of the best couples I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and following along with their adventures. The dynamic duo will be sorely missed.
I am so glad we got Phoenix Zane!!
Hope we get to see more of zane and ty in the sidewinders books as there my two fav book characters 🙂
OMG!!! Abi, thank you so much for this! I have loved the Shit out of Zane since then. I know we’re not supposed to have favorites, but….. *blushes* Thanking you for sharing this with all of us.
Fantastic ending to my favorite series ever! So glad Zane tuned out different.
Fantastic post!! Cannot wait for Crash & Burn but so sad for the series to end!!
This series has stolen my heart ~ I have absolutely fallen in love with this cast of characters! Thank you for bringing them to life, Abi, and THANK YOU for allowing Zane to rise from the ashes rather than burn …
I can’t imagine not having the series in my life as it is. Thank you so much for keeping it going, Abi!!