An ode to road food
In my new release BETA TEST, the characters undertake a road trip from LA to Seattle. Now no road trip is complete without food. From early morning coffee to late night munchies, every trip needs snacks and food breaks. No good road trip is complete without sharing something fried and bad for you! And as is the case with a lot of my books, writing this one made me rather hungry at times!
I had fun personalizing the food to the characters too. Tristan secretly likes super-sweet drinks like frappuccinos, something Ravi discovers along the way and uses to his advantage later in the book. Tristan’s more of a planner, so he had snacks with him, while Ravi’s more of a seat-of-the-pants traveler and would forget to eat at times. I also seem to love hard-to-feed characters—Ravi’s a vegetarian and Tristan can be picky, so it was fun imagining the arguments they’d have about where to stop and what to get.
Along the way, they stop several times for food. It was really fun using a combination of my personal finds, google maps, and Yelp to decide where they would get food and what they would likely have—calculating which towns they would stop in and finding food they might like. Even where I don’t mention restaurants by name, I try to base my places off real spots with real menus. And man, do I ever love reading menus.
Whenever I personally travel, I try to experience local food as much as possible. From cream puffs bigger than a dinner plate on the Oregon Coast, to brunch at Harvey’s in San Francisco to local coffee shops, I’m always looking for my next big foodie find. And I try to bring my personal finds into my stories where I can too, and that’s a ton of fun for me!
How about you? Do you enjoy sampling new foods when you travel? What’s your favorite “road food” indulgence?
Beta Test
(#gaymers #2)
by Annabeth Albert
Blurb:
Player vs. Player. Fight!
Brilliant graphic designer Ravi Tandel is ahead of the game—he’s just been asked to present a top secret project at a huge conference in Seattle. All systems are go…until he learns his buttoned-up office nemesis is coming along for the ride.
Tristan Jones isn’t really the gamer type, but he knows the back end of the video game business inside out. Together, he and Ravi will give an awesome presentation. If they survive the cross-country trip first.
Tossed together in close quarters, Ravi’s shocked to see Tristan’s sexy, softer side emerge from such a conservative shell. He’s less shocked to learn his handsome colleague’s prominent family would never support an out-and-proud son. But Ravi didn’t struggle through his own coming out to hide who he is now. To be together, Tristan will have to push past his fear and ultimately decide: Does he want a future with Ravi? Or is it game over before they’ve even begun?
A sexy first kiss excerpt from Beta Test by Annabeth Albert
*****
Knock. Knock. A knock came from the connecting door, startling Ravi into hopping off the bed.
“Tristan?” he called before unlocking the door.
“Yeah,” came the muffled reply.
“What’s up?” As he opened the door, he realized that he didn’t even have a shirt on. After his shower, he’d pulled on a pair of Star Wars lounge pants that Avani had given him on his last birthday. He wasn’t a modest guy, but this was a bit…exposed for a late-night encounter.
“Um. Not much.” Tristan stood there in ridiculous blue plaid pajamas and bare feet, hair still damp and sticking up at weird angles. The overall effect should have been one of Tristan escaping from whatever retirement compound Elmer called home, but instead Ravi found it endearing.
You’re so screwed, man.
“Not much?” Ravi raised an eyebrow. “But you knocked?”
“Um. Yeah.” Tristan scratched his neck and shuffled one foot. “My room stinks.”
“Your room stinks?” Ravi had to stop himself from laughing. As far as pretexts went, that was pretty darn lame, high-school-campout-worthy stuff.
“It really does.” Tristan gestured, and Ravi followed him in and took a deep sniff. Yeah, the room did smell pretty funky.
“O-kay.” Ravi drew the word out. “Why don’t you call the front desk? This is a pretty big place, and it’s the middle of the week. I’m sure they can find you a different room.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.” Tristan did the shuffle thing with his foot again. “Never mind.”
“Tris.” Ravi grabbed Tristan’s shoulders when he tried to turn away, forced him to look at him. “What’s really up?”
“Nothing. I was thinking we could watch a movie in your room, but you’re right, I should call for a new room.”
“That’s what you want? To hang out with me?” Ravi took a step forward, not dropping his hands from Tristan’s shoulders. He could feel his warmth even through the soft blue cotton. Their bodies were mere inches apart now. Tristan’s gaze went straight to Ravi’s mouth before he licked his own lips.
Oh fuck. Killing me, Tris, you really are.
“I’ve got a movie on,” Ravi said softly, making no move toward his room or to step away from Tristan. There were a thousand reasons why he needed to step away, get Tristan to call for a new room, and stop the energy arcing between them, yet he couldn’t seem to find the one that would get his feet to move.
“Yeah.” Tristan’s exhale ghosted across Ravi’s face. His eyes continued to look as though they had a tractor beam on Ravi’s mouth. “That’s good.”
“I’ve got no clue what the movie is.” Ravi laughed shakily.
“That’s okay.” Tristan moved, subtly leaning forward before retreating a millimeter, like he wasn’t quite sure how to close the gap between them.
Ravi knew, but there were a whole host of reasons why he should retreat and lock the door behind him, put a hotel’s worth of distance between himself and temptation. But he didn’t move back, instead doing what Tristan was shuffling toward and closed the distance between them, claiming Tristan’s mouth like he’d been obsessing about for two days now.
Okay, okay, perhaps a bit longer than that, if he were honest with himself. Tristan was fussy and prissy and so not Ravi’s type, except he was cute and endearing and eager to please and…
Oh fuck it. They were so doing this thing.
Ravi’s lips slid softly over Tristan’s, hands coming up to cup Tristan’s face. His skin was smooth and slightly slippery, as if he’d shaved earlier. Tristan gave a little sigh as their lips collided, a happy noise that went straight to Ravi’s dick. Tristan tasted like a minty memory from Ravi’s teen years, a simple, classic taste that totally fit with the rest of Tristan’s persona.
And the way they fit together felt like a different kind of memory—like they’d done this before and yet never before in the same instant. Brand-new and achingly familiar. And far, far too sweet for Ravi’s blood.
So want to read this – my favorite type of guy (Tristan, although Ravi sounds pretty cool too!)
First off, congratulations and good luck on another new release, Annabeth!
I tend to stay off reading excerpt, BUT the blurb is interesting a sort of enemies (or competitors) to lovers? I’m in! Looking forward to read this! 🙂
I loved STATUS UPDATE, so I really want to read this!
I love Annabeth books. So Beta Test is already in my TBR list!
Congrats on the new book release! It looks like great read and I’ve added it to my wishlist.
congrats on your new release
sounds great!
Enjoyed the first book and looking forward to reading this one!
I was lucky that I was approved the ARC from Carina. I thought Beta Test is a case of opposites attract done right 🙂
congrats annabeth..loved this story
I love the blurb and the excerpt and can’t wait to read the book.
I’m looking forward to reading more. Thank you for sharing!
Congrats on the new release, I look forward to reading it!
So glad everyone else seems to be enjoying this book as much as I have! Looking forward to the next one 🙂