Thanks, Delilah, for having me over today.
“Stop. Pull over here.”
How many times have I uttered those words on our car trips? My husband thinks of the journey one way, it’s the destination. The sooner he gets there, the more fun he can have.
I’m more about stopping and smelling the roses, so to speak. I want to know where we’re going and what’s happening in the towns we pass by. Or at least stop to pee.
He thinks stopping just slows down his timing.
A few years ago, when gas was inching or over the $4.00 mark, I wondered if leisurely car vacations were on their way to the history books. Like Mickey Mouse rotary phones and car hop drive ins. But the oil supply stabilized and prices went down, so much that the guy who sold me my most recent car was shocked when I asked about gas mileage. What he doesn’t know about me is I like to be prepared for the worse.
Anyway, back to roadside attractions. I’m particularly fond of gift shops, historical sites, and zoos. Like the big cat sanctuary, we found as part of a local winery in central Missouri. After touring the tiger enclosure, we went up to the restaurant/bar and gift shop to purchase souvenirs. Who doesn’t need another shot glass or too tight t-shirt?
The setting stuck with me for years and I finally wrote Wild Hearts, the first book in the Castle View series. Book 2, Roadside Attraction deals with what happens when you stay at one of these tourist traps just a little too long.
Of course, my fictional St. Josephs is in northern Idaho, a place I love to visit, as it feels magical. A place where even bad things can turn good. A place where happy ever after’s actually come true. Mix that with food, I’m in heaven.
What’s your favorite roadside attraction? Or are you a gas and go like my cowboy? We have the remnants of the first Illinois prison to claim here in our little Mississippi town.
Lynn
Roadside Attraction
Book 2 of the Castleview series
Maggie Castle never thought she’d be empty-nesting at 32. When her foster daughter leaves for college, Maggie’s at a loss on how to fill her time except managing her restaurant. Until Josh walks into her bar one night.
Josh Reyes, gave up on his father’s dreams and left the family business. Now Josh is living his own dream – riding his motorcycle through as much backcountry as possible. Until he breaks down outside a little northern Idaho town and meets Maggie.
One is tied to home by commitment and responsibility, one running from home and those ties, can they find common ground or will their attraction be just one more memory from the road?
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho native. If you’d visit the town where she grew up, you’d understand why her mysteries and romance novels focus around the depth and experience of small town life. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her husband and two fur babies.
