Eighteen-year-old Angeli doesn’t “fit in.” She’s never been on a single date, and she lives vicariously through an online world of storytelling. With the pressures of choosing a practical future path bearing down, she needs a drastic change. Too old to run away from home, she opts instead to embark on a solo 2-month road trip. But her freedom is tempered by loneliness — and anxiety tests her resolve as she comes face-to-face with her quirky internet friends.
Aside from contracting mono and repeatedly getting herself lost, Angeli’s adventure is mired by more unforeseen glitches — like being detained by Canadian authorities, and a near-death experience at the hands of an overzealous amateur wrestler. Her odyssey is complicated further when she unwittingly earns the affections of two young men. One a privileged martial artist; the other a talented techie with a colorful past.
Bewildered by the emotions they stir, Angeli spurns the idea of a doomed long-distance relationship. But she is unprepared for the determination of her hopeful suitors. In the wake of her refusal, one man will betray her, and the other will prove himself worthy of a place in her future.
Angeli sets off in search of a better understanding of herself, the world, and her place in it. What she finds is an impractical love, with the potential to restore her faith in happy endings.
A true story with an unapologetically honest outlook on life, love, faith, and adventure — Once Upon A Road Trip is a coming-of-age memoir.
Targeted Age Group:
14+
That’s a tricky question… While Once Upon A Road Trip is technically a memoir, my decision to tell it in third person gave it a distinctly Young Adult Fiction feel. If I’d changed details or made things up, I think it would have taken a lot away from it–particularly the authenticity.
What Advice Would You Give Aspiring Writers?
All of the staple advice is completely valid: Never give up, grow a thick skin, don’t write in a vacuum, write every day, read as much and as widely as you can, study writing craft, attend workshops…
One of the things I personally recommend, and don’t see handed out often, is this: Jump at the opportunity to review books and judge for contests. Take workshops and receive proper training first, of course…but don’t be too intimidated to analyze other people’s writing in depth. You will learn a great deal about your own writing by breaking down the works of others–what works, what doesn’t and why…what habits you may need to nix. We all have blind spots in our own writing styles. This is the best way I’ve found for helping me peel back the blinders–short of a few highly astute critique partners who aren’t afraid of hurting my feelings. ^_^
Author Bio:
Angela N. Blount is a Minnesota native, transplanted to the deep South-where she currently resides with her understanding husband, their two children, and a set of identity-confused cats. She is a former book reviewer for RT Book Reviews, a Memoirist, freelance editor, sporadic poet, and webcomic artist.
In her spare time, Angela enjoys reading, coffee shop loitering, questionable attempts at horticulture, and all things geeky.
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?In the week after graduating from high school, I set off on the most risky venture of my otherwise unexciting young life–an 8-week road trip. The people, sights, and experiences of that summer forever altered the course of my life…and made for one unusual story. ^_^
Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Buy Book On Amazon
Social Media:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6551820.Angela_N_Blount
https://www.facebook.com/AngelaNBlount
https://twitter.com/Perilous1
http://www.pinterest.com/perilous1/
