I'm excited to have the On The Road To Find Out Blog Tour stopping by today! Author Rachel Toor is here with a Guest Post (where she makes a most shocking confession!) and you have the chance to win a copy of her new YA book...
On The Road To Find Out
by Rachel Toor
June 10, 2014
Macmillan
A funny, uplifting debut about running, romance—and dealing with college rejection and other hurdles
On New Year’s Day, Alice Davis goes for a run. Her first ever. It’s painful and embarrassing, but so was getting denied by the only college she cares about. Alice knows she has to stop sitting around and complaining to her best friend, Jenni, and her pet rat, Walter, about what a loser she is. But what doesn’t know is that by taking those first steps out the door, she is setting off down a road filled with new challenges—including vicious side stitches, chafing in unmentionable places, and race-paced first love—and strengthening herself to endure when the going suddenly gets tougher than she ever imagined.
On New Year’s Day, Alice Davis goes for a run. Her first ever. It’s painful and embarrassing, but so was getting denied by the only college she cares about. Alice knows she has to stop sitting around and complaining to her best friend, Jenni, and her pet rat, Walter, about what a loser she is. But what doesn’t know is that by taking those first steps out the door, she is setting off down a road filled with new challenges—including vicious side stitches, chafing in unmentionable places, and race-paced first love—and strengthening herself to endure when the going suddenly gets tougher than she ever imagined.
by Rachel Toor
True confession: I hate cupcakes.
I’m not a frosting girl, and with cupcakes, I’m sorry, the proportions are usually way off. The good news is that I have a number of friends who like frosting as much as I like cake and we can usually work something out.
My character, Alice, has very definite ideas about food, and I have to say, she has exquisite taste. For example, she loves all things mini. Mini Oreos have a better ratio of cookie to cream than regular Oreos, and are certainly much tastier than those atrocities, Double Stuffs. Alice is a big fan of candy corn, particularly Indian corn, but hates the nasty pumpkins. Shape affects taste, as we all know. Alice loves marshmallow Peeps, but only if they’re stale, and only the yellow chicks. (Everything else is a pretender.) And you have to eat the butt first, and then bite off the head. One of the really fun parts of writing this novel was to set the record straight on these important matters.
Recently I went out for a candlelit dinner at a nice restaurant with a staggeringly handsome man. The conversation was sparkly and, yes, we drank some wine. The only problem was that the food wasn’t very good. The dessert choices were blah and so, sadly, we left without a sugar fix.
In perhaps the most romantic gesture in the history of the world, this man stopped the car and ran into a convenience store while I waited, a little buzzed, a lot happy. When he came back I was even happier. He carried bags of the perfect cap for the evening: Hostess Cupcakes.
So I guess I lied. I don’t hate all cupcakes.
And that’s the thing—about books, about men, about treats—there’s something for everyone and it’s usually just a matter of knowing what you like. Of taste there is no disputing.
*slowly recovers from the shock of anyone hating cupcakes*
Thank you so much, Rachel, for stopping by today!
Rachel Toor is the author of three previous books. She was an admissions officer at Duke University, a high school cross country coach, and a teacher of SAT prep classes. A senior writer at Running Times magazine, she teaches at Eastern Washington University in Spokane.
Win a finished copy of
On The Road To Find Out!
The awesome peeps at Macmillan have generously offered up one copy for one winner.
DETAILS
-(US/CAN only)
-ends 6/15
-must be 13+, one free entry per person
-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours
-Word Spelunking is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes
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6 comments:
Your book looks like it would be a real good read. I can't believe you hate cupcakes!!! I don't eat them because they are really not good for you!!!
Christina R. in the rafflecopter
LOVE your thoughts about food and life!!
Your book sounds awesome!!
Thank you :)
Your book sounds like it would be a lot of fun to read. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
reading excerpt to novels that will be soon released helps me to know more about the storyline and the author, thanks for sharing and the fun contests
Thanks for the giveaway! The book sounds great.
A few years ago, I decided it was time to take off some weight. I began a walking regimen and after a couple of months had worked up to being able to trot for minutes at a time, so I can relate to Alice's journey. I'm not going to win any marathons any time soon, but I'm in much better physical condition that I used to be. Sweets have never been a draw for me, though; salty treats are my weakness.
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