U.S Virtual Road Trip- Day 20- Maryland

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• Yesterday we where in Maine with author E.J. Stevens with a giveaway. You can check it out here
• Today we are in Maryland with author Leah Scheier lets check out Maryland.
• Places to visit in Maryland
• Washington DC is the obvious choice (The White House, the Natural History Museum etc...) But I've listed some lesser known areas:
• Historic Ellicott City. Lots of little shops made out of old stone and brick, coffee houses, ice cream stores, restaurants, weird nooks and crannies in the stones, a tea parlor where they do a high tea.
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  Clark's Elioak Farm-- A farm with an enchanted forest (fairy-tale buildings etc), petting zoos.
• Fells Point and Little Italy in Baltimore. In the summer Little Italy has an outdoor film festival with awesome music. 
• Ford's Theatre where Lincoln was assassinated. Across the street from Ford's Theater is an actual gum tree where hundreds of passersby and visitors to the theatre (where no chewing gum is allowed) have posted their gum on the tree. It's a rather colorful tree, besides being utterly disgusting, but it's worth a look and photo.
• The International Spy Museum in DC and of course The Edgar Allan Poe House.
• Places to eat in Maryland
• Papermoon Diner in Baltimore (google image and you will see why)
• Red Maple (great food, cool atmosphere, live music/sometimes dancing. They'll bring different dancers (bellydancers etc) to dance around the tables while you eat)
• Victoria's Gastro Pub in Columbia. Known for their duck fat fries and poutine.
• Frisco's in Columbia: People come from far and wide to sample their huge selection of beer (over 50 taps)
• Bar Mini in DC. They are famous for making crazy drinks.
• Georgetown Cupcake. There is literally a line around the block at all times in front of this shop. For a cupcake.
• Quirky/fun facts about Maryland
• The Baltimore Ravens are named after Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, The Raven. 
• There is a town in Maryland named Chevy Chase. However, the town was named in the 1800’s, long before the former "Saturday Night Live" star was born.
• The John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore employed the first female professor of medicine in 1901.
•  Famous People from Maryland: 
• Sylvester Stallone, Jada Pinkett-Smith (she went to the Baltimore School for the Arts, my alma mater), Philip Glass (composer), Frank Zappa

Authors from Maryland

• Tom Clancy was born at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore in 1947 and grew up in Northwood. He wrote The Hunt For Red October while working at an insurance company in MD which went on to sell over five million copies. More authors: Edgar Allan Poe, Dashiell Hammett, Upton Sinclair, Ogden Nash, Anne Tyler, Nora Roberts
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@leahscheier/ Facebook / Website

What do you think of Maryland? I want to go to Georgetown Cupcake. 

Leave us a comment below.

Check out Massachusetts stop with author Daniela Ark here

Follow a the raid trip posts here

U.S Virtual Road Trip- Day 19- Maine & #Giveaway

Note; Day 17 & 18 are missing due to current issues I am having with my downloading documents from my email therefore I have been finding it difficult to download posts to schedule. The missing days will be up this week.

Today we are in Maine with author E.J Stevens. Lets see what awaits us in Maine.

Places to visit in Maine

Maine is a very large state.  We have over 3,748 miles of coastline (over 5,000 miles of coast if you include our islands), over 500,000 acres of State and National Parks, over 50 breweries, over 20 wineries, and many top rated white sand beaches. 

I highly recommend a coastal drive, including stops in Bar Harbor, Camden, Portland, and Kennebunkport. You will see influences for my Spirit Guide and Ivy Granger series along the way.

Places to eat in Maine

Maine is known for its lobster, but I’m vegetarian.  Happily, there are many wonderful places to find delicious vegetarian snacks and meals in Portland, and just over the border in Portsmouth, NH. Mekhong Thai, Kon Asian Bistro, Shalimar India, The Holy Donut, and The Green Elephant vegetarian bistro are just a few of my favorite local restaurants and cafes.

Quirky things about Maine

Maine has a large number of haunted homes and lighthouses.  We also produce 99% of all blueberries in the US.  Hmmm…maybe they should be called BOO-berries!

Famous people from Maine

Famous Mainiacs include, Bette Davis, John Ford, Hannibal Hamlin, Winslow Homer, Andrew Wyeth, Linda Lavin, Judd Nelson, Liv Tyler, Patrick Dempsey, and Anna Kendrick.

Authors or books set in Maine

Stephen King is not only from Maine, he set many of his books in fictional Maine towns, including It, Pet Sematary, Cujo, Different Seasons, Tommyknockers, Bag of Bones, Under the Dome, and Needful Things. 

In fact, there are many books set in Maine.  Here are just a few:

The Cider House Rules by John Irving

Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Need by Carrie Jones

Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

I have two series set in fictional Maine towns.  My Spirit Guide YA paranormal romance series is set in the fictional town of Wakefield, Maine, and the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series is set in the fictional city of Harborsmouth, Maine.

About the Author

E.J. Stevens is the author of the Spirit Guide young adult paranormal romance series, the Hunters’ Guild urban fantasy series, and the award-winning Ivy Granger urban fantasy series. She is known for filling pages with quirky characters, bloodsucking vampires, psychotic faeries, and snarky, kick-butt heroines.

When E.J. isn't at her writing desk, she enjoys dancing along seaside cliffs, singing in graveyards, and sleeping in faerie circles. E.J. currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing.

Connect with E.J. on Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, and on her Blog.

Want to meet E.J. Stevens, but can’t make the trip to Maine?  You’re in luck!  E.J. is currently on tour promoting the upcoming release of Birthright, the fourth full-length novel in the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series. 

Author Reader Con, New Orleans July 30-August 1, 2015
Authors After Dark, Atlanta Aug 12-16, 2015
In-CON-Ceivable, Northampton, MA August 28-30, 2015
Speculative Fiction Con: SE, Orlando Sept 25-27, 2015
Hallowread, Ellicott City, MD October 23-24, 2015
The Novel Experience, Atlanta April 6-10, 2016

Thanks for telling us all about Maine. It sounds great. Haunted houses are not my thing or any thing ghost related so I don't think I would be staying in one of the many haunted houses. What do you think of Maine?

Check out Maryland's stop with author Leah Scheier here

Follow all the road trip stops here

Giveaway

Author E.J. Stevens is offering the winner a choice of an Ebook from her spirit Guide YA paranormal romance series or an ebook from her Ivy Granger urban fantasy series.  The giveaway can be international.  Giveaway Ends 10th August. 

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Interview- author Jayne Frost

Blurb:

As the guitarist for the rock band Caged, I know the rules: no relationships. No complications. Leave ‘em smiling when you go, but always go. Besides, it’s not like I’m ever in one place for more than a few days at a time. As the next hottest thing out of Austin, the band and I are riding the wave, and the music is all that matters. 

Until her… 

Lily Tennison has “complication” written across her beautiful face. But I can’t get involved. The timing’s all wrong. But she’s under my skin, and I can’t resist her troubled eyes and sweet smile. And I do have a little time to kill. Not much, just a few days in Dallas. 

So I’ll scratch the itch and move on, like I always do. 

Simple, right?

You can read Gone for You at:

Amazon

Goodreads

Length: 160 pages

Genre: Sexy romance, erotic romance

Heat rating: Get out your summer wardrobe—things are about to get hot!

Tell me a little about yourself and your writing career so far.

Well, I’ve always written. I know most authors say that. In my bio it says that I wrote my first book at ten, and it’s true. But I didn’t choose writing as a vocation when I began my career. I was in finance. I didn’t like it, but I was good at it. A few years ago I began a short story for my husband that turned into a 240,000-word trilogy. And that is when I decided to pursue writing as a career. That book has not been published. I decided to go for something a little more reader friendly at the beginning. That’s when the first Sixth Street Bands book, Gone for You, was written. I already had the series knocking around in my head, but I decided to take a chance on it after I wrote my first book. I was completely comfortable with the subject matter in my yet-to-be-published manuscript. But, since I don’t know any rockstars personally, Sixth Street Bands was a stretch for me. And I’m really happy with how it has come together so far.

Tell us about Gone For You.

Gone for You is the introduction to the Sixth Street Bands music scene. My idea behind the book, and the series, was to write about a whole group of bands that came from my hometown (adopted hometown)—Austin, Texas. I wanted the series to be more than the typical “Rockstar Romance.” The relationships between the bands and their members is integral to the story lines. 

Gone for You was my way of introducing the series in a very lighthearted manner. While there is conflict, it is not major. It’s a very humorous and hopefully engaging story about a rockstar falling in love. And since he’s a rockstar, there are problems inherently involved with falling in love with someone. 

Describe your Protagonists Cage and Lily in 140 characters or less.

If I were to sum up Cameron Knight in a few sentences, the first thing I’d say is that he is a surprisingly romantic guy. Surprising, because he didn’t even know he was capable of this before he met Lily. He’s a bit of a goof ball. Very alpha. And extremely charismatic. He has no problem with the ladies. Which is a problem, in and of itself. When he finally meets the one person that is immune to his charms it’s intriguing to find out how he deals with that. 

As for Lily, she is smart, artistic and very well grounded, considering her past. She is the perfect partner for Cameron. She doesn’t fall for the rockstar. She falls for the man. Not the man he is, the one she knows he can be. 

So for the 140 characters: Hot alpha rockstar meets sassy level-headed professional. Opposites attract and sparks fly.

Why should we pick up Gone For You?

Why should your readers pick Gone for You? While the book itself is a “rockstar romance,” I hope that I’ve given the readers a little something different in the story. Sure, Cameron is a rockstar. But he’s a person. He is loyal to his friends and especially to the woman he falls for. The story deals very little with his lifestyle as a star, and more with him as a person. What it’s like to find that one person that he truly connects with and how he is going to get her to take a chance on him. Because, unlike some books in the genre, Lily is not his “fan.” She knows very little about him as a musician, and that's something that Cameron has always relied on to get women in the past. Cameron quickly learns that the people that are after him because of “what” he is, care very little about “who” he is. And when it’s said and done, and the music is gone, that’s what he needs. That’s what we all need. Someone who loves us for who we are, not what we can give them. Because the only gift that you can give someone that is really worth having is free. And it’s more valuable than anything money or fame can afford. It’s love. Yeah, love is the most valuable commodity on the planet. And you can’t buy it, leverage it, or trade it. You can only give it away and hope it comes back to you. 

 You can find me at Twitter at @jaynefrostbooks, Facebook , Website

The List Blog Tour: Review & #Giveaway

The List by Kate L. Mary 

Published by: Lyrical Press

Publication date: May 26th 2015)

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

The List. Twenty things every girl must do before she turns twenty. . .

Body piercing

Get drunk

First kiss

But thanks to her crazy, over-protective father, Annie Roth is way behind schedule. Good thing it’s her first semester of college, because Annie is more than ready to start checking off items. . .

Fake ID

Skinny dipping

Road trip!!!

Where it gets complicated? Ryan and Chris. Best friends. Both sweet, funny, totally hot, and totally into Annie.

But there are some things on The List that Annie only wants to do with Ryan. . .

Lose it

Get Heart Broken

Fall in love

Goodreads * Amazon * B&N

Review

✪✪✪✪✪ 

Going into The List it sounded like a book I knew I would enjoy. And I'm happy to say I did. I absolutely loved it, so much I couldn't put it down. I would have read it in one sitting if I had the time but I did end up reading it in a day. It's a quick, fun read that also has serious points though out. 

Annie the female protagonist was such a great character, she has been sheltered all her life and just wants to be a teenager, she even goes as far away from her family as possible to a college half way around the country. Annie has a list of things she wants to do before she leaves her teenage years and there all silly things we may take for granted like, buy make up, get our ears pieced to more serious one's like have a first kiss and lose it :) she really wasn't allowed to do anything. Seeing Annie become who she is and achieve her list and learn and make mistakes was something I enjoyed reading about. 

The romance was swoon worthy. Now we have two guys who both like Annie but the issue is they are best friends. I definitely rooted for one over the other and am really happy the way the book ended. I won't tell you which guy I loved more because it would give away who she ends up with but I did like both guys but for different reasons, they where real, engaging characters. I just have to mention Annie's friend, Cami, who she meets on her first day at college. She is so funny and girly and carefree and they both balanced each other out. I can't wait to find out more about her story in the next book, as I can tell underneath there's more to her than meets the eye.

Overall The List was fantastic. The reason behind why Annie was so protected and didn't really have a life before college and how she bonded with one guy because of similar situation's between them had me intrigued thought out. I loved Annie as a character, the romance, the setting, everything, this was just a perfect read. :)

 

Author Bio

Kate L. Mary is a stay-at-home mother of four and an Air Force wife. She grew up in a small town just north of Dayton, Ohio where she and her husband met at the age of twelve. Since their marriage in 2002, they have lived in Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and California.

Kate enjoys any post-apocalyptic story – especially if zombies are involved – as long as there is a romantic twist to give the story hope. Kate prefers nerdy, non-traditional heroes who can make you laugh to hunky pieces of man-meat, and her love of wine and chocolate is legendary among her friends and family. She currently resides in Oklahoma with her husband and children.

Be sure to check out her bestselling BROKEN WORLD series, now on the top 100 book in dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction on Amazon.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

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U.S. Virtual Road Trip- Day 16- Kansas

Today we are in Kansas with author Tessa Gratton. Let's see what awaits us in Kansas.

Check out Yesterday's stop in Iowa with blogger Terri @ Second Run Reviews here

Welcome to Kansas, the Sunflower State! 

We are a state of bloody history, big blue skies, buffalo, cottonwood trees, amazing storms, rolling green hills, semi-arid steps, all the prairie you could ask for in between. We are farmers and industrialists, inventors, students, and hippies. We love our barbeque and personal space, but won’t forget to smile and wave when we pass on the street. Kansas also provided women the right to vote in 1912 nearly 10 years before it was adopted by the rest of the country!

I might be biased, but the best city in Kansas is Lawrence. It’s between Kansas City and the capitol Topeka, with some of the best restaurants and a very intense history. During the Civil War it was burned down (again) by Quantril, and we still have markers up around town pointing out the original bricks that survived. The Lawrence Massacre was an important part of why Kansas is sometimes called Bloody Kansas: in the 1850s and 60s settlers moved to Kansas from all over, trying to affect whether the state would join the Union as a slave or free state. The Free Staters (also known as Jayhawkers) won, but for decades after (and even today, I could argue) there’s a harsh competition between Kansas and Missouri (a slave state). 

In Lawrence you should check out Free State Brewery and the Natural History Museum on the University of Kansas Campus. Watch a storm roll in from the top of the hill! 

Nearby Stull Cemetery is supposedly home to a gateway to Hell – just ask the Winchester brothers. Alas, the cemetery is closed to the public now, but you can still drive by.

For more great history and frontier town fun, head down to Dodge City, KS, where Wyatt Earp spent some time as a lawman before heading down to Arizona. Visit the Boot Hill Museum and nearby Boot Hill Cemetery.

Here are some other great places of interest:

Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchison, KS:

Underground Salt Museum

World’s Largest Ball of Twine

Mushroom Rock State Park

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve:

Places to eat:

- Joe's Kansas City for the best barbeque in the USA

- The Corner Pharmacy in Leavenworth, KS

- Trail Days Café in Council Grove, KS

And I recommend finding a small, Mexican restaurant with bright décor and formica tables. Sometimes the best are even in strip-malls! Guaranteed to be delicious in any town.

Here are some famous people associated with or from Kansas:

• John Brown, violent abolitionist
• Carry Nation, temperance advocate
• Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th POTUS
• Janelle Monae, amazing music artist
• Astronaut Steve Hawley
• Bob Dole
• Erin Brockovich
• Clark Kent

And these actors: 

• Ed Asner
• Buster Keaton
• Rob Riggle
• Paul Ruddd

Books that take place in Kansas: 

IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ 

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE Laura Ingalls Wilder

MOON OVER MANIFEST by Clare Vanderpool

MAY B by Caroline Starr Rose

LANDRY PARK by Bethany Hagen

THE BLOOD KEEPER by Tessa Gratton

And these famous writers spent a lot of time in our great state: 

William Burroughs

Langston Hughes

Thanks for stopping by my home state! 

Check out Tessa's website here 

Thanks Tessa. Kansas sounds like it has some amazing history. What do you think of Kansas? Leave me a comment below.

Tomorrow's stop is in Kentucky with author Karen Ann Hopkins & a giveaway.

Follow all the road trip posts here

U.S. Virtual Road Trip- Day 15- Iowa

Today we are in Iowa a state I don't know much about but am excited to find out. Our tour guide today is, Terri from Second Run Reviews. Over to Terri.

Check out yesterday's stop in Indiana with author Mike Mullin here

Welcome to Iowa! Land of dreams, corn and college football. A small confession here, folks, I'm not a native Iowan. I'm from Minnesota originally. I came down here to attend Cornell College (the older, better Cornell) and never left.

I live in eastern Iowa in a suburb of Cedar Rapids, the City of Five Seasons. We have tons of things to do in this part of Iowa.

Things To Do

1. Mount Vernon and Marion. Wonderful, friendly downtown areas with lots of walkable shopping. Mount Vernon hosts a Chalk the Walk event and Marion hosts an art festival. Both of them happen in May.
   
   This is the painting I bought at the Marion Art Festival this past May.




2. The Field of Dreams. That's right, folks, you can run the bases and enjoy an old fashion day in the sun. This is a fun site to visit and sit and watch the families play ball.
   

   "Is this heaven?" "No, it's Iowa."





3. The Amana Colonies. If you like small breweries, crafts, fruit wines and antiques, the Colonies are a must stop. It's fun to venture to this area and just wander through the shops. Don't forget to grab some local root beer (or beer if you are of age) and some fresh pastries. Oh, so good!

Things To Eat

Oh my goodness, I could do an entire post on my favorite places to eat. I love food. I love trying new food. Our local community college has culinary arts program and there are so many great restaurants, I'm not sure where to start!

1. Ramsey's Metro Market. My go to place for sandwiches, wine and local music. It's my Cheers. Just tell Conrad, LuAnn and Josh that half of the Dynamic Duo sent you in.
2. Zoey's for pizza. I eat here once a year on my birthday. The place is tiny and always packed. Everyone raves about the Zookie, a dessert item. Unfortunately, I've never had one as I'm always stuffed with pizza.
3. Villa's Patio or El Perico for Mexican. It's a toss up for me. Villa's is a cheaper and faster than El Perico, but both of them have excellent food that I crave.
4. NewBo Market. I love venture down to the Market in the summer. There are permanent vendors and visiting ones so you have the option to choose from lots of great local food as well as arts and crafts.
5. Hy-Vee Chinese. Okay, laugh at me. I love the sesame chicken from Hy-Vee, our locally owned grocery store. I do love sushi as well and if that's what I'm craving, I head to The Sushi House.

Other traditional Iowa food...sweet corn, pork tenderloins the size of dinner plates (Season 2, Episode 5 of Feasting on Asphalt, kolaches and Blue Bunny Ice Cream!

Quirky Things about Iowa

These might only be quirky to me since I'm not a native Iowa, but coming from a state with lots of lakes, snow and professional sports teams these things are weird to me.

• It's all about the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones. College football is big here. I don't get it, but apparently it is a requirement to cheer for one of these two teams. I refuse and just wear my dad's Vikings jersey on the Hawkeye vs. Cyclones day at work.
• The lack of snow. That's right folks, there's isn't much snow here in Iowa. Not compared to Minnesota. It's also not as cold here. It's not Hawaii here in December, but I remember colder days growing up just a few hours north. And while there is a lack of snow and it's not as cold, I don't complain any less!
• It's all about the Presidential Race. Yes, folks, our little state is the home of the Presidential Caucuses. We endure the brunt of who is gonna win that coveted seat in the Oval Office every 4 years. We've got a sense of humor about it. Check out these Iowa made t-shirts for sale in Des Moines.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Here's a short list of famous people from Iowa...

John Wayne. Herbert Hoover. Ashton Kutcher. Tom Arnold. Johnny Carson. Donna Reed. Glenn Miller. Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren. Meredith Wilson. Kate Mulgrew. George Reeves (Superman). Elijah Wood.

The Reading and Writing Famous People

The University of Iowa is home to The Writers Workshop, a pretty famous writing program that has produced some pretty famous authors like Joe Haldeman. And since I started volunteering and attending ICON, I've gotten to know some Iowa based authors. I'm sticking to authors I've actually read, but I've had the chance to interview quite a few Iowa authors via my In the Spotlight feature.

• Dennis W. Green. Genre: Science fiction crime thrillers. Read: Traveler.
• A.R. Miller. Genre: Urban fantasy. Read: Disenchanted.
• Tamara Siler Jones. Genre: Horror. Read: Spore.
• Jolene Buchheit. Genre: Young Adult Contemporary. Read: Best Foot Forward.

And if you are looking for an excellent book set in Iowa, check out Ashfall by Mike Mullin. Set in Iowa and Illinois after the super volcano blows under Yellowstone, it will give you a new perspective on young adult survival fiction. It is an amazing series.

What's So Great About Iowa?

So what's so great about Iowa? Well, I live here. Isn't that enough? All joking aside, it really is about the people, who are warm and welcoming. It's a pretty easy state to get around. We've got lots of farmland and a few larger cities. The weather is nice most of the time (just ignore the winter cold and summer humidity). It's a great place to visit (or so my relatives tell me). I think it is an even better place to live. So give me a holler if you are driving through my neck of the woods. I'd love to take you for coffee at Wit's End or for a glass of wine (or beer) at Ramsey's.


Terri M., the Director at Second Run Reviews
Home of Scenic Sundays and In the Spotlight


By day, Terri M. is a project manager and software specialist. By night, she’s a reading wizard. Residing in eastern Iowa, in her spare time, she spends time with Jezebel, takes pictures and watches movies with her equally nerdy husband and adorable cats.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Subscribe by Email

All the images in this post are owned by Terri M. LeBlanc.
This post was originally published on Reading the Days Away on July 15, 2015.

Thanks Terri, Iowa sounds like a great place. The field of dreams I need to visit. Love that movie. What do you think of IOWA. Leave me a comment below.

Check out Day 16 in Kansas with author Tessa Gratton here

Follow all the road tripstops here

U.S. Virtual Road Trip - Day 14- Indiana

Don't forget to check out yesterday's stop in Illinois with author Julie Cross and a giveaway here

We are on day 14 of our U.S. Road Trip and we are in Indiana with author Mike Mullin. Over to Mike :)

My top five favorite places in Indiana:

Pine Hills Nature Preserve – Think Indiana doesn’t have spectacular scenery? Hike along the bare rock ridge scarcely five feet wide with a 130’ drop on one side and a 100’ drop on the other and then try to talk smack about my state. Yeah, didn’t think so.

The Indiana Dunes – Great beach, great camping, and all the wild blueberries you can eat when they’re in season.

Wyandotte Caverns – Take the four hour spelunking tour, paths are for wimps, and lights ought to be on your helmet, not strung through the cave.

Spring Hill State Park – The only stand of never logged timber in Indiana. Forest 

behemoths loom more than 300’ over your head like buttresses supporting the sky.

McCormick’s Creek State Park – Not the flashiest park in Indiana, but the inn is lovely and cheap, and the hiking trails are numerous and gorgeous.

My top 5 favorite Indiana restaurants:

Joe Huber’s Family Farm and Restaurant – Second best fried chicken in Indiana.

Hollyhock Hill – Best fried chicken in Indiana. Yes, I’ve tried them all. Don’t judge.

The Mayberry Café – Everything is homemade and the place oozes weird charm. T.V.s play old episodes of Andy Griffith non-stop. Normally, I hate a restaurant with televisions. (You know they put them in there so you’ll eat more, right?) But I make an exception for this place based on its kitschy charm.

Fogo de Chao – It’s a chain, but I love Brazilian-style churrasco so much that I have to included it. All the meat you can eat carved tableside. To get better churrasco than this, you’ll need to board a nine-hour flight to Rio.

Punch Burger – half as expensive, twice as good, and four times nicer than the better known Bru Burger nearby.

My top five quirky things in Indiana

Spencer Apple Butter festival – apple butter cooked in a giant copper pot on the square, parades, a craft fair, and random other stuff. One year they had a raptor rescue expert bring eagles, hawks, falcons and owls.

Feast of the Hunter’s Moon. THE Indiana renaissance fair. Jousting, damsels in distress, greasy finger food, and everything else that you could imagine at a medieval reenactment.

Rockler Armor Museum – Tanks, helicopter, army vehicles and more all lovingly restored by a proud Korea vet.

Candles Holocaust Museum –What’s a holocaust museum doing in hick country? Visit and find out. The founder and holocaust survivor Eva Kor is a force of nature. If you can’t go, read her book Surviving the Angel of Death. If you don’t cry during the epilogue, you should return to your home planet.

Duckpin Bowling – 1920’s style small ball bowling in Fountain Square in Indianapolis

My top five favorite famous people from Indiana

David Letterman – Johnny Carson’s true heir.

George Rogers Clark – Explored the west.

Ryan White – Showed that not only are their assholes in Indiana, there are also a lot of people who will work really hard to do the right thing.

James Dean – Perfected the movie slouch.

Michael Jackson – Yeah, it got weird toward the end. But you can’t deny the brilliance of his music.

Top six favorite Indiana authors

John Green (duh). The teens at Pike High School tell me that if you hang out at the Chipotle near their school long enough, eventually you’ll meet him. I’m not stalkerish enough to try it, I swear.

Saundra Mitchell – My favorite is The Springsweet, but all her books are the bomb.

Christine Johnson – If you love werewolves and you haven’t read Claire De Lune, get yourself a copy, stat.

Julia Karr – Chilling feminist dystopian fiction, XVI and Truth.

Shannon Lee Alexander – Everyone who loved The Fault in Our Stars should read her debut, Love and Other Unknown Variables. It’s better.

Robert Kent – All Together Now, a Zombie Story is packed with insider references to The Walking Dead. It’s by turns disgusting, beautiful, and heart-wrenching.

Goodreads

About Mike Mullin

Mike Mullin’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really glad this writing thing seems to be working out.

Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and her three cats. Sunrise is his third novel.  Ashfall, the first novel of the trilogy, was named one of the top five young adult novels of 2011 by National Public Radio, a Best Teen Book of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews, and a New Voices selection by the American Booksellers Association.

Website / Facebook / @Mike_Mullin

Thanks Mike. Indiana sounds interesting. I love my food so Hollyhock Hill sounds nice. I want to go Duckpin bowling. What do you think of Indiana? Leave me a comment below.

Check out Day 15 in Iowa with Teri @ Second Run Reviews here

Follow are the road trip stops here