On the Road with YA Authors, featuring Jessica Love!

In less than a month, IN HONOR will be out in the world!It’s a story of a letter, a mistaken last request, and the road trip those things lead to.As a countdown to its release on May 8^th, I’m hosting a Road Trip Interview Series featuring all of my favorite author friends!Stop by daily for dream cars, playlists, and tales from the road!

Today I have with me fellow Bookanista AND English Teacher, Jessica Love.  Jessica is also a contemporary YA author repped by Jill Corcoran of Herman Agency, and can often be found on Facebook and Twitter too!

Thanks so much for stopping by Jess! Let's get down to the road trip dishing...

All road trips begin with a set of wheels. Close your eyes. Imagine your ideal road-trippin’ vehicle. What do you see? Why?

I'm a tall drink of water and I'm all about comfort, so really the only thing that matters to me is leg room. I know it't not particularly cool, but I honestly picture myself in one of those full-sized vans, because it would be the one ride where I wouldn't feel like my legs were stuck up under my chin. Maybe I could find a really awesome van...like The Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo.

http://toomanysebastians.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/mystery_machine.jpg

Next up: travel companions. The right ones can make or break the whole thing. Who would you hit the road with? You can choose anyone—alive or dead, real or fictional. As many or few as you like.

My bff is always my favorite road trip companion. We drove up the California coast to see Incubus together at a state fair back in the day, and since then there is no one I would rather be stuck in a car with for hours. We have no shortage of inside jokes, crazy stories, and songs to sing along with. She is so much fun.

It’s true that road trips are about the journey, but what’s your ideal destination?

I have been trying to plan an east coast road trip for awhile now. Some good friends just moved to DC, and bff and her husband live in CT. So I really want to do a DC, NYC, CT, Boston road trip, and hit up any other exciting stops on the way. I also really want to do Portland, Seattle, Vancouver one of these days.

Is your style more ‘map it out’ or ‘meandering route’?

I'm a little more of a map it out type because there are always places I definitely want to hit and things I definitely want to see. I would be way irritated if I ended up missing something I was looking forward to because we took a seat-of-our-pants detour to see the world's largest ball of twine.

What 5 songs are absolutely necessary on your perfect road trip playlist?

Big Casino - Jimmy Eat World
Because every road trip needs to start with this song

Drumming Song - Florence and the Machine
Because you need music that gets to the core of you

Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis
Because you need that song to just sing and dance around to

Sad Sad City - Ghostland Observatory
Because you need that awesome song that no one else has really hard of before

I'm A Slave 4 U - Britney Spears
Because you need that guilty pleasure song that everyone loves

La Vie Boheme - RENT
Because no soundtrack is complete without showtunes

Here is this little playlist on Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/user/jessrlove/playlist/3JgIRGxl6cuhJDFAfcYOq7

We all know that food consumed while on the road never counts against you. That being said, what are your favorite road snacks and/or eating establishments?

I love snacks that are salty AND sweet, so chocolate covered pretzels are a must have. And when it comes to stopping for food on the road, nothing is better than In-N-Out. Nothing!

Well, the original Del Taco in Barstow on the way to Vegas is close...but not quite. They dont have Animal Fries there.

Problems sometimes happen and inquiring minds want to know: Can you change a tire?

In theory...yes. I have not been put to the test and I hope I never will be.

Best road trip memory:

Driving up to Lake Tahoe with my parents and my brother. My dad would always play Simon and Garfunkel and Billy Joel and my brother and I would play games like Slug Bug and I Spy. I had something I called The Bag O' Fun that I filled with crossword puzzles and games to keep us entertained. I honestly feel bad for kids who have DVD players in their cars now...my family and I made so many fun memories together by actually talking and playing together on the road.

Worst road trip memory:

Driving home from Vegas with my then-boyfriend (now husband) and his three friends. Five of us, all close to or over six feet tall, squeezed into my tiny Toyota Tercel. And then there was an accident on the 15. So we were stuck in there, clown car style, for close to seven hours. Talk about my knees in my chin...I could hardly move. It was a miserable experience. We all hated each other after that drive. I didn't speak to any of them for months.

Any road trip pictures you want to share?

I took a solo road trip to Big Sur on the central California coast for the Big Sur Children's Writing Workshop, and I made sure to do the 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach. There was a storm brewing, and it made for some pretty dramatic photos!

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing Jess!  Happy road trippin'!