The idea for my new book, Set Your Life on Fire, came to me in the shower, which,
to be honest, is where most of my book ideas show up. I think they’re lurking up near the ceiling fan waiting for me to be open to them. This idea said: What would happen if two heartbroken, semi-bonkers strangers undertook a road trip together after they got stranded at O’Hare Airport in a snowstorm? (My shower might have been a little too cold that day.)
The shower left it to me to figure out why they were heartbroken, where they were going, and what was going to happen to them. The characters themselves stepped right up. Tasha told me she was leaving a cheating husband and heading out after clearing out all their bank accounts. Carter, a passive, sad assistant professor, had decided to win back his ex-wife and convince her he’d changed by derailing her wedding, in the style of Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate.
So they both think the other is insane, yet they rent a van and head to California. Along the way, they banter and argue and cry and share secrets and even end up adopting a dog. There are breakdowns, both physical and emotional. And there are plenty of laughs. And a grandmother. And then — well, I’ll stop now. You need to read it to find out.
I’m not the only one who’s realized that characters on a road trip give readers lots of reasons to relate to them, even fall in love with them. There are so many fabulous ones out there. Here are some I especially recommend.
Closer Home by Kerry Anne King
Closer Home, the debut novel by Kerry Anne King, is the story of a woman who inherits her estranged country pop-star sister’s massive estate as well as the guardianship of her 16-year-old niece, who is practically a stranger. It’s grief that sets these two on the road, setting out to escape the sudden blitz of media attention and to find the girl’s father. Yes, there are long-buried secrets lying in wait, as well as the need for forgiveness, and because this is a Kerry Anne King novel, there is also plenty of humor.
She’s Up to No Good by Sara Goodman Confino
She’s Up to No Good, by Sara Goodman Confino, is a funny, poignant novel about what happens when Jenna, who is newly separated from her husband, joins with her eccentric grandmother, Evelyn, to take a trip back to the seaside Massachusetts town where most of their family history was shaped. Along the way, the grandmother talks about her unforgettable and forbidden first love, and not only does Jenna discover a new side of her grandmother, but she also learns something about healing and some new possibilities awaiting her.
The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
The Road Trip, by Beth O’Leary, also involves an ex. (So many characters are running to or from exes!) In this case, Addie and her sister are setting out on a road trip to attend a friend’s wedding. But soon after setting out, a car slams into theirs — and the driver happens to be Addie’s ex, Dylan, who she’s avoided since their breakup two years earlier. Dylan and his friend are also heading to the wedding, and since their car is totaled…well, Addie offers them a ride. What follows is 300 miles of secrets and the story of a very messy relationship that might not be altogether over.
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett, is a dark comedy about PJ Halliday, an old man from Massachusetts who is on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush, who is newly single and living in the Tender Hearts Retirement Community in Arizona. PJ has had three heart attacks, and he wants to find some happiness before he dies. Before he can hit the road, he discovers he needs to bring along his adult daughter and two recently orphaned kids (his estranged brother’s grandchildren who are suddenly left to him after a tragic accident), and a nursing home therapy cat who can predict death. It’s a warm-hearted novel about possible second chances and the limitations our hearts can take.
Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler
In Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, by Sarah Adler, a starry-eyed romantic named Millie and a cynical writer take a road trip to fulfill Millie’s promise to deliver the ashes of an elderly woman to the love of her life, a woman she fell in love with nearly eighty years before. Once again, airports are to blame, and when flights are grounded, Millie catches a ride with Hollis Hollenbeck, a man who definitely does not believe in romance. As they navigate the trials of being confined together in a trip from Washington DC to Key West, they come to realize that they’re both invested in this mission of love.
