I’m Quinn Anderson, author of Fourteen Summers and the Murmur Inc. series. Welcome to my blog tour for The Long Way Around! Stay tuned to get fun facts about this release, learn about our leading men, and hear about the many road trips I took in my antique car, Lou. Leave comments for a chance to win a $10 Riptide gift card. I look forward to chatting with you all!
Lou’s Death and Saying Goodbye
My first car was a junker named Louregard, “Lou” for short. I named him after the character Blooregard from “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.” When I say Lou was a junker, I mean it. He was older than I was, and as a broke high school student, I couldn’t afford to give him many of the nicer things in life. His white paint was peeling in places, and he made a lot of funny noises, but I adored him. I told everyone the same thing when they called him old. “He’s not old. He’s an antique.” It was technically true, and considering I’d bought him with my own money, I wasn’t going to let anyone trash-talk him.
He was only supposed to get me through high school. Then come graduation, I’d presumably buy some typical college-girl car, like a Honda Civic. But my father and I had taken to working on Lou together on the weekends, and the car was surprisingly running fine. I figured, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? And again, I was funding all of this, so as long as Lou wanted to run, I was happy to have him. Not having a car payment when I was starting my adult life was a huge blessing.
Lou took me to prom, and to college. To graduation, and then to my first real job. Despite a myriad of small repairs and the fact that he ran rougher every year, Lou was still kicking when I celebrated my twenty-sixth birthday. All my best memories were with him. Road trips. Packing all my possessions into his boat-like trunk every time I had to move. Late nights spent parked on the hilltop, looking at the stars. First loves and heartbreaks and vacations. And most importantly, a million hot summer afternoons spent bent over the motor with my dad. I think half the reason I didn’t have to eat ramen all through college is because my dad was there to help me whenever Lou broke down. And he broke down a lot. But he was a labor of love, and a good excuse to check up on my dad.
It’s funny sometimes how things work out. A couple of years ago, if you’d asked me if I believed in fate, I would have shrugged and said probably not. Coincidence, sure, but not fate. But after my father died this past year, I started seeing things differently. Lou died just a few months later, exactly on my father’s birthday—the first one I’d ever lived through without him—and it seemed like more than coincidence could explain.
My dad was always telling me Lou wasn’t going to last forever. “I’ll be surprised if that car gets you through high school,” he’d say. And later, “You’ll be lucky if he lasts all of college.” Despite that, Dad was always happy to work on him with me. I think Lou—whatever spirit that car had—held on until I didn’t need him as an excuse to see my dad anymore. After that, he knew it was finally okay for him to retire and leave me to fill a new car with memories.
No one ever forgets their first car, whether it was a piece of crap that broke down a week later, or a special “antique” that made it farther than anyone ever expected it to. I’ll certainly never forget mine, and that’s why I dedicated The Long Way Around to him:
Loureard “Lou” Kazoo
1989 – 2017
Title: The Long Way Around by Quinn Anderson
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, Gay, Romance
Length: 300 pages/Word Count: 80,200
Summary:
A wrong turn could lead to Mr. Right.
Sam Cooper is the definition of an introvert: shy, bookish, and the sort to think a wild Friday night involves ordering takeout. He enjoys his quiet life, but after a bad breakup, he’s been yearning for a change of scenery. Luckily, his best friend and former college roommate has the solution.
Wesley Reed—a jokester and expert Sam-handler—proposes an epic road trip to a wedding across the country. They’re both between jobs and boyfriends. Why not hit the open road and make some memories?
Stuck in close quarters for the first time since their dorm days, they’re both surprised at the heat that springs up between them. As best friends, they’ve shared so much over the years, so why does sharing a hotel room—and occasionally a bed—make them want more? Chemistry this smoldering is hard to ignore, but there are road blocks to their romance. Wesley’s keeping a secret, and Sam can’t rely on Wesley to drag him out of his comfort zone forever. If they’re not careful, their relationship may take the ultimate wrong turn.
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Author Bio
Quinn Anderson is an alumna of the University of Dublin in Ireland and has a master’s degree in psychology. She wrote her dissertation on sexuality in popular literature and continues to explore evolving themes in erotica in her professional life.
A nerd extraordinaire, she was raised on an unhealthy diet of video games, anime, pop culture, and comics from infancy. She stays true to her nerd roots in writing and in life and frequently draws inspiration from her many fandoms, which include Sherlock, Harry Potter, Supernatural, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Buffy, Marvel, and more. You will often find her interacting with fellow fans online and offline via conventions and tumblr, and she is happy to talk about anything from nerd life to writing tips. She has attended conventions on three separate continents and now considers herself a career geek. She advises anyone who attends pop culture events in the UK to watch out for Weeping Angels, as they are everywhere.
Her favorite television show is Avatar: the Last Airbender, her favorite film is Tangled, and her favorite book is Ella Enchanted. She can often be spotted at conventions, comic shops, and midnight book releases. If you’re at an event, and you see a 6’2” redhead wandering around with a vague look on her face, that’s probably her. Her favorite authors include J.K. Rowling, Gail Carson Levine, Libba Bray, and Tamora Pierce. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, cooking, spending too much time on the internet, screwing the rules, finding the Master Sword, guided falling, consulting for the NYPD, guarding the galaxy, boldly going, and catching ’em all.
Author Links: Tumblr * Facebook * Goodreads
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of The Long Way Around, Quinn is giving away a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on August 11, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
That some kind of eulogy. Now I doubly curious to read this book. RIP Lou. But you give Quinn quite some memories!
Thank you for sharing with us. And of course: happy release week!
puspitorinid AT yahoo DOT com
congrats on the new release
leetee2007(at)hotmail(dot)com
Sounds really good. Thanks for the chance.
My husband taught me to drive in a 59 Pontiac Catalina, we called it the tank lol ????
lacombejc (at) suddenlink (dot) net
I’m sorry about your dad! Mine died six years ago this month, and I’m noticing crazy coincidences even now…
vitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
I’m sorry to hear about your father and Lou. Thank you for sharing about your car and the great memories you had with it and your dad.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
Thank you for sharing, and congrats on the release
susanaperez7140@gmail.com
Congratulations on your new release.
sstrode at scrtc dot com
Sorry about your dad and Lou. I do think Lou hung on as long as he did so you could spend more quality time with your dad. Have fun making new memories.
Congrats on the new release. Thanks for the chance.
iluvthebeach13(at)gmail(dot)com