Road and Beyond: The Expanded Book-Club Edition of The Road to You
Page 37
My deep gratitude, too, to all who help maintain historic sites, like those along The Mother Road/Route 66, and who strive to preserve for future generations this famous American highway with its unique connection to our country’s past.
Most of all, hugs and kisses to my family for being there for me every day through this rollercoaster ride of publishing. Special thanks to my dad for answering so many of my chemistry questions, to my husband Jeff for reliving the Chicago of the 1970s with me and to my son for being open to experiencing our own Route 66 travel adventure. I’m incredibly grateful to you all.
Other Bestselling & Award-Winning Novels by Marilyn Brant:
According to Jane
A young woman who is good at academics but struggles with finding true love gets two decades of dating advice from the spirit of Jane Austen.
Coming-of-Age/Contemporary Romantic Women’s Fiction. *For Mature Audiences Only.*
Friday Mornings at Nine
Three married suburban moms contemplate whether they wedded the right men in this deeply thought-provoking relationship drama.
Contemporary Women’s Fiction.
A Summer in Europe
A woman goes on a grand international journey of self-discovery with her eccentric aunt and their lively Sudoku and Mahjongg Club.
Humorous/Romantic Women’s Fiction/Travel Adventure.
On Any Given Sundae
A shy dessert cookbook writer and the guy she had a crush on as a teen—an ex-football player turned hot-shot restaurant owner—must run an ice cream shop together for the summer.
Light and Steamy Romantic Comedy.
Double Dipping
A dedicated second-grade teacher fights the school’s handsome and inscrutable new financial director to reinstate a much beloved fall festival.
Romantic Comedy with a Dash of Mystery.
Holiday Man
A love story told over a year of holidays between the lady owner of a scenic small-town inn and the big-city businessman who frequents the place just so he can see her.
Sexy Romantic Comedy.
The Sweet Temptations Collection
An anthology containing the complete trio of Wisconsin-set romantic comedies: On Any Given Sundae, Double Dipping and Holiday Man.
Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match
A modern, Austen-inspired story between an ER doc and a single mom who meet on an Internet dating site—both with motives other than the hope of meeting their perfect match.
Sweet Contemporary Romance.
Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Bet
The course of true love doesn’t run smooth when it comes to a wealthy flirtatious bachelor and a not-so-angelic psychologist in this lighthearted sequel to ‘Perfect Match.’
Sweet Contemporary Romance.
All I Ever Wanted: An Abbott Springs Anthology
Four modern romantic novellas written by four different authors that all take place in one small town during the weekend of their community’s annual winter festival.
Steamy New Adult Romance.
The Road to You
This is the story within the story from THE ROAD AND BEYOND—the mystery that takes place entirely in the late 1970s and is told without the present-day reflections. A young woman finds the journal of her missing brother and sets out on a road trip of discovery and danger with the only person she feels she can trust…a man who has just as much to gain, or lose, as she does.
Coming-of-Age Romantic Mystery.
Dedication
For my dear writing friends—Karen Dale Harris, Lisa Laing and Laura Moore—I’m so thankful to all of you for your thoughtful feedback on this novel, for your longstanding encouragement of my writing career and, most of all, for your friendship.
And, of course, for Andrew—this book was yours from the beginning.
About the Author
Marilyn Brant has been told she writes with honesty, liveliness and wit (descriptors she's grown terribly fond of) about complex, intelligent women—like her friends—and their significant personal relationships. Although her favorite pursuits undoubtedly involve books, she proves she's not just a literary snob by confessing her lifelong fascination (read: obsession) with popular music, especially from the '70s and '80s, most flavors of ice cream and a variety of sensuous body lotions/oils.
As a former teacher, library staff member, freelance magazine writer and national book reviewer, Marilyn has spent much of her life lost in literature. She is the New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of ten novels to date and, in 2013, the Illinois Association of Teachers of English (IATE) selected her as their Author of the Year.
Her debut coming-of-age novel, According to Jane (Kensington, 2009), featuring the ghost of Jane Austen giving a young woman dating advice, won the Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart Award and the Booksellers’ Best, and it was named one of the “Top 100 Romance Novels of All Time” by Buzzle.com. Her second novel, Friday Mornings at Nine (Kensington, 2010), was a Doubleday and Book-of-the-Month Club pick in women’s fiction. And A Summer in Europe (Kensington, 2011) was featured in the Literary Guild and BOMC2, and it became a Top 20 Bestseller in Fiction and Literature for the Rhapsody Book Club. The Polish translation of the novel was released in June 2013.
She’s also a #1 Kindle and #1 Nook bestseller, who writes fun and flirty romantic comedies, like her stories in The Sweet Temptations Collection, that involve sweet treats, unexpected love and large doses of humor. Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match and its sequel were also Amazon and B&N bestsellers. The Road to You—a coming-of-age romantic mystery—was selected as one of the Top 20 Best Books of the Year (December 2013) by The Reading Frenzy. Look for more romantic fiction coming soon!
Marilyn currently lives in the Chicago suburbs with her family. When she isn't reading her friends’ books or watching old movies, she's working on her next novel, eating chocolate indiscriminately and hiding from the laundry. Please visit her website: www.marilynbrant.com.