RTW - Day 4 with Nina LaCour Post and Giveaway!

 The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

 Releases: February 16th, 2012

Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she's abandoning their plans - and Colby - to start college in the fall.

But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with Bev's already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what's next?

Author Bio: Nina LaCour grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her first job was at fourteen in an independent bookstore, and she has since worked in two others. She has tutored and taught in various places, from a juvenile hall to a private college. She now teaches English at an independent high school. Nina lives in Oakland, California with her wife and their two cute cats.

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Creating the Perfect Road Trip Soundtrack:

When I realized that The Disenchantments would be a road trip story, I knew I would end up on the road myself. I set out hoping to get the facts right: the hours between Medford and Portland, the scenery out the window, the looks of the Greyhound station where I knew my characters would spend a tense few hours, and so on.

But once on the road, the trip became about much more than fact-gathering.

Colby and his friends came to life in ways I hadn’t yet imagined, and their journey became more significant. Because ultimately, what is more symbolic of growing up than roads going in all directions and maps that sometimes guide you and sometimes fail you, leaving you to navigate unfamiliar landscapes on your own?

I believe that everyone should go on a road trip when they’re young. And a road trip would never feel complete without a soundtrack. When I was a teenager I put hours into making what we then called “mixes” to capture what I hoped being on the road would feel like. So, while everyone’s taste in music is different, I can share the components of what makes a road trip soundtrack perfect:

A song that inspires you

A song that wrecks you

A song that makes you nostalgic

A song you know every word of

A song that makes you dance while driving

A slow song

A song about a place

A love song

A new song

A song about change

My soundtrack for The Disenchantments would be pages and pages long. I listened to a lot of music while writing it and while driving up and down the west coast a couple times, making sure I knew the places my characters go well enough to capture them. In case you’re curious, these nine songs were essential:

“Come See About Me” by The Supremes

“Shake a Shot” by Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

“School Days” by The Runaways

“Modern Girl” by Sleater-Kinney

“Alright You Restless” by Ages and Ages

“Skinny Love” by Bon Iver

“Fake Empire” by The National

“What About Love?” by Heart

and, finally, “Forests and Sands” by Camera Obscura, a beautiful song by one of my favorite bands that captures so much of what The Disenchantments is about—friendship and heartbreak and travel. I’ll sign off with this video, and wish you all safe and fulfilling travels, and the most inspiring of soundtracks.

Question time:

If you could road trip with any 3 people (alive or dead) who would you choose and why?

My three people:

My wife Kristyn, who is a swift driver and the queen of playlists, my brother Jules, who is my definition of fun, and a stranger we picked up on the way, who would tell us all the stories of his or her life.

RW: I love how you included what components are neede to make the perfect soundtrack! I'll definitely keep that in mind next time I go on a roadtrip!

P.S - Happy book birthday!! Yes, today is the release of, The Disenchantments, so go wish Nina well wishes!

And now onto the giveaway!!!

- Giveaway ends February 23, 2012.

- Open to US/Canada

- Winners will be contacted via email. If you do not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

- By entering this giveaway, you are agreeing to the terms listed above.

- I do not take any responsibility for items lost in the mail

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