Guest Post: Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters

Posted July 29, 2020 by Dale

I’m excited to welcome Elia Winters on Queer Books Unbound to share 5 Tips for an Epic Road Trip with us!

RITA® Award—winning author Elia Winters delivers a sexy, playful frenemies-to-lovers road-trip romance.

Megan Harris had hopes of seeing the world, but at twenty-five she’s never even left Florida. Now a wedding invitation lures her to Quebec…in February. When her ex-friend Scarlett offers to be her plus-one (yeah, that’s a whole story) and suggests they turn the journey into an epic road trip, Megan reluctantly agrees to the biggest adventure of her life.

A week together in a car is a surefire way to kill a crush, and Scarlett Andrews has had a big one on Megan for years. The important thing is fixing their friendship.

As the miles roll away, what starts as harmless road-trip games and rest-stop dares escalates into something like intimacy. And when a surprise snowstorm forces Megan and Scarlett to hunker down without the open road as distraction, they’ve got a bigger challenge than making it to the church on time: facing the true nature of their feelings for each other.

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Release Date: July 28th

Five Tips For An Epic Road Trip

Road-tripping has been part of my DNA since before I can remember. I practically grew up in the car; my parents were fond of travel but didn’t like to fly, and so we drove. When I left home, I started to do most of my travel by plane, but I never lost my love of the road trip and continue to adore the roll of the highway beneath my tires.

I set Hairpin Curves in a road trip because road trips are a special place to discover new things about yourself and the people you travel with. Some discoveries are fun (learning what road trip snacks your friends enjoy) and some are less fun (learning someone’s an incurable backseat driver). For Megan and Scarlett, the main characters of Hairpin Curves, the discoveries aren’t limited to the mundane. They’re former best friends who had a major falling-out years ago, and along their epic drive from Florida to Quebec for a mutual friend’s wedding, they discover an intense attraction simmering beneath all those hurt feelings.

In honor of Megan and Scarlett, and Hairpin Curves, and all the travel we want to take when it’s safe to do so again, here are my five tips for an epic road trip.

Have a schedule, but be open to changing it. You’ll be happier if you plan to hit traffic h0tspots at off-times. You don’t want to be trying to get through D.C. at rush hour, for example. But don’t be so beholden to your schedule that you turn down amazing opportunities along the way. The least interesting part of the road trip is the highway, so take detours for cool sights, even if it changes your schedule.

Food fuels happiness. You need a lot of snacks in the car. I love road trip junk food, but protein and fruit goes great with your five sleeves of Pringles and Oreos. Beyond snacks, try to eat some real meals. You can’t subsist on drive-thru food for an entire road trip without feeling pretty terrible. We like finding diners on our road trips: diners are pretty reliable, decently inexpensive, and they always have good pie.

Playlists make the world go ‘round. There are several states on the eastern seaboard where you’re not going to find much on the radio except gospel and country music, so if that’s not your jam, you’d better be prepared with your own tunes. Megan and Scarlett listen to CDs, but digital music is far more efficient. I got some flak for the “old” music mentioned in the book, mostly hits from the 80s and before, but I can’t resist classic rock on a road trip.

Sleeping in the car sounds like a better idea than it actually is. If you’ve got the funds, getting a motel room for the night is always better than trying to sleep in the car. Driving for twelve hours is uncomfortable, and sleeping in a car after all that driving is not going to make anyone cheerful for the next day.

Fashion is overrated. Wear what’s comfortable when you’re on a road trip: pajamas, yoga pants, running shorts, oversized t-shirts, whatever’s cozy. The people at the rest areas have definitely seen worse, and your comfort is paramount. Nobody cares if you match. Lean in to that coze life.

Writing Hairpin Curves made me long for road trips again, and I know they’re in our future. Have fun, be safe, and I’ll see you all out on the highways.

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories featuring beloved romance tropes, where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

A new Carina Adores title is available each month in trade paperback, ebook and audiobook formats.

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The Love Study by Kris Ripper (available September 29)
The Secret Ingredient by KD Fisher (available October 27)
Just Like This by Cole McCade (available November 24)
Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love by Kim Fielding (December 29)

RITA™ Award-winning author Elia Winters is a fat, tattooed, polyamorous bisexual who loves petting cats and fighting the patriarchy. She holds a Master’s degree in English Literature and teaches at a small rural high school, where she also runs the drama club. In her spare time, she is equally likely to be found playing tabletop games, kneading bread, cross-stitching, or binge-watching Marie Kondo. A sex educator and kink-positive feminist, Elia reviews sex toys, speaks at kink conventions, and writes geeky, kinky, cozy erotic romance. She currently lives in western Massachusetts with her loving husband and their weird pets.