A warm welcome to author J.Leigh Bailey joining us for today to talk about her new release “Fox Hunt”.
Welcome J.Leigh 🙂
First, I’d like to give Dani a huge ‘thank you’ for letting me stop in today to celebrate the release of Fox Hunt.
One of my favorite aspects of a road trip storyline is that it allows the reader to play tourist and explore parts of the count (or the world) without having to actually go anywhere. I also ties into one of my favorite romance novel tropes: forced proximity. The two together are essentially my catnip. It was only a matter of time before I finally got to write a road trip romance incorporating forced proximity elements.
Some of my favorite memories come from road trips I’ve taken with family and friends. Shortly before my grandmother’s death, she, my aunt and I drove from Salt Lake City to the Grand Canyon, stopping at every national and state park along the way. Three generation of Bailey woman exploring Temple Square in Salt Lake City, driving through Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and spending a day at the Grand Canyon. Hoover Dam impressed us, and we all managed to win a little moolah in Vegas. It was one of the last occasions when I got to spend time with my grandmother before she passed. My aunt also has passed since, and I feel blessed for the time I got to spend with them, exploring some of the natural wonders the US has to offer.
When I was a little girl, I also got to take a trip with my other grandmother and my great grandmother from Wyoming to Carson City, NV. I remember sitting in the front seat between my grandmother and great grandmother (this was the early 80s and seatbelt laws were more casually enforced!). Grandma quizzed me on state capitals, and Great Grandma played hours upon hours of hangman with me. At one point, we got pulled over for speeding and I took out Grandma’s wallet to make sure she had enough cash to pay the fine. We still laugh about that.
Some of the best and most meaningful conversations between my mother and me happened while making the trip from Chicago to South Dakota.
I think long trips like that, ones that meant and still mean so much to me are why I still enjoy long road trips. The idea of driving for a few hours or even a few days, doesn’t phase me. It’s a great opportunity for self-reflection, self-discovery, and travel.
Do you have any fun/fond memories of family road trips? Or trips with friends? What are some of you favorite places to drive to?
Outfoxing their enemies will be a bear of a task.
Aspiring journalist and fox shifter David ends up with a target on his back after hacking the Moreau Initiative, the shifter world’s greatest enemy. But he won’t let that stop him from the campus tour road trip that’ll help him become the next Anderson Cooper… even if his family insists he travel with a grumpy grizzly bear bodyguard.
Buddy Brady is older, sexy, and too damn distracting for David, and as the sexual tension builds, so does the suspicion around the repeated attacks—first in Chicago, then in New York. Someone is tracking them, and all clues point to a traitor in the shifter ranks. Worst of all, they could be after David’s family….
Buy Links
I’ll be giving away a digital copy of the Shifter U novel of your choice (Stalking Buffalo Bill, Chasing Thunderbird, The Night Owl and the Insomniac, or Fox Hunt) to a random commenter! Giveaway will close on July 18.
Twenty minutes later the silence in the car—and the seemingly unchanging scenery—had me twitching. I mostly thrived under constant stimulation—mental or physical. Too much quiet gave me too much time to think. I hated unproductive thoughts. If I’d brought almost anyone else along, I’d make them distract me, either through conversation, or air guitar performances along with the radio, or, hell, philosophical discussions and NPR-worthy debates. I didn’t have that kind of relationship with Buddy.
I shot a look at my unwanted companion. The silence clearly didn’t bother him. His eyes were closed, and he didn’t fidget. His utter stillness told me he hadn’t dozed off, despite the closed eyes. I could read all these little pieces but couldn’t seem to translate them into meaning.
“Do you need to pull over?”
I glanced over at Buddy. “No, why?”
“You’re getting twitchy.”
“I’m not twitchy,” I objected automatically.
He reached over to touch the back of my hand, stopping me midfidget. I fisted my hand briefly before wrapping my fingers around the steering wheel again.
“Why don’t you tell me the plan? Your mom didn’t seem to have many specifics about your itinerary. Only that you wanted to visit some schools on the East Coast.”
I snorted. “Yeah, she was a little miffed that I planned the whole thing without consulting her.”
“Three weeks, she said. That seems like a long time to visit a few campuses.”
“Seven.”
“Seven?”
“Seven campuses,” I clarified. “I knew I’d only have the one shot to do it, so I packed as many as I could fit into the time I had.”
“That’s a lot. And you can do it in three weeks?”
“With the right route, sure. Driving takes longer, but it’s exponentially less expensive than flying would have been. I’ve got it mapped out. Madison, Wisconsin, then Chicago. Two schools in New York. Followed by Washington DC, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and ending in Nashville. Then back to Cody.”
He looked suitably impressed, which shouldn’t have pleased me, even though it totally did.
“So first stop Madison.” He pulled out his phone and started toying with the screen. “Roughly twelve hundred miles, and twenty hours of driving according to Mapquest. Are you planning on driving straight through?”
“Of course not. I planned on going alone, if you’ll recall. Give me a little credit. I’ve reserved a room in Mitchell, South Dakota for the night. It’s a decent halfway point. I’ll—we’ll—go the rest of the way tomorrow. And maybe we’ll get a glimpse of the Corn Palace.”
Buddy huffed. “The Corn Palace?”
“It’s some touristy thing. The outside is decorated in corn. They sell lots of corn-related things, and hold concerts and stuff. I don’t know.”
“And you want to visit it?”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think there’ll be much time, but if you’re itching for some popcorn balls or something, we could make it happen.”
“I think I’ll be good,” he said dryly.
“After my meeting at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, we’ll drive down to Chicago. That should only take a few hours. My appointment with the journalism professor is on Friday morning. Since I don’t have to be in Manhattan until Monday, I’d planned to stay in Chicago over the weekend—hit a couple of clubs, check out the city.”
Buddy scowled. “Not a good idea.”
“What’s not a good idea?”
“With everything that’s going on, you’ll need to avoid the clubs. It’ll be too hard to protect you. Too many people. Too loud.”
“I’m not changing my plans because Mom’s got some wild hair about me having some kind of target on my chest.”
“You should lie low—”
“I didn’t invite you along on this trip, so you’ll just have to deal if I want to have some fun while I’m away.”
He sighed. He didn’t sound disgusted at least. Only irritated. I could live with that. I tried to picture the burly man next to me walking into some flashy club with his “overslept before hitting the road” attire. Within seconds the picture morphed until I saw Buddy at a flashy gay club in leather pants and a harness, furry chest bare to the world. And, wow, grrr daddy!
In my distraction the car swerved a bit toward the center.
His eyes snapped open. “Eyes on the road.”
I almost rolled my eyes, but that would probably constitute taking my eyes off the road. I ground my teeth.
Five minutes later: “Don’t get so close to the center line.”
“What are you, a freaking driver’s ed instructor? Like, does the Department of Motor Vehicles hire you to write their safety manuals?”
“Distracted driving doesn’t just put you and your passengers at risk.” He glanced down meaningfully at his chest. “Anyone on the road with you is also in danger.”
I growled. “I’m not going to deal with this the whole time we’re gone. Why the hell are you so uptight?”
I didn’t think he would answer. He did. “An inattentive driver killed my parents.”
I nearly slammed on the brakes. Shit. If that didn’t make me feel like an ass. “Look, Buddy, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
He shifted away from me as much as he could in such a limited space. Crossing his arms over his chest, he closed his eyes like he was going to take a nap. “Just… be careful.”
I slowed my speed until I drove exactly five miles over the speed limit, and then I set the cruise control. I turned the volume back up to a low purr and focused on the road.
It was going to be a very long trip.
J. leigh bailey is an office drone by day and the author of Young Adult and New Adult LGBT Romance by night. She can usually be found with her nose in a book or pressed up against her computer monitor. A book-a-day reading habit sometimes gets in the way of… well, everything…but some habits aren’t worth breaking. She’s been reading romance novels since she was ten years old. The last twenty years or so have not changed her voracious appetite for stories of romance, relationships and achieving that vitally important Happy Ever After. She’s a firm believer that everyone, no matter their gender, age, sexual orientation or paranormal affiliation deserves a happy ending. For upcoming releases and appearances information, sign up for her newsletter at https://t.co/FfL9gFVJLQ.
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thank you for the chance and love the excerpt
jmarinich33 at aol dot com
Thank you so much for hosting me today! 💜
This one sounds so fun (though all MY family trips were nightmarish)!
vitajex(At)Aol(Dot)com
thank you so much for the excerpt. I really liked it!
susanaperez7140(at)gmail(dot)com
I wonder why bears and foxes just tick all the boxes for me… Maybe it’s the whole opposites attract thing going on. Definitely looking forward to this one!
I’ve never been on a road trips but do enjoy books that feature characters going on one and their own experience. Thanks for the post =)
I read the first one and loved it. I shall have to look for the others.