Blog Tour with Karen Mueller Bryson

Hello Tasty Readers,


We have another GREAT Guest Blogger here today making a stop on her Blog Tour, Karen Mueller Bryson is hanging out today and she has planned her perfect road trip to go along with one of her Short Romantic Comedies. 


We get DOUBLE the Romance on this stop since Karen is promoting her TWO Shorts, Twyla's Last Trip and One Last Class.  After reading about Karen's Dream Road Trip, make sure to LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW in order to be entered into the Drawing for a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card, and keep following Karen on the rest of the tour for more chances to enter.


Karen....Take the Floor....

A Tasty Read asked me to plan my Dream Road Trip, so here we go:

Where is your Destination?

My husband and I would like to take an extended trip along the Oregon Coast.  We drove the coast last year on our way back home to Arizona from a vacation in British Columbia. Unfortunately, we did not have much time to stop and enjoy the sites and beauty of the 363 mile coastline. On my dream road trip, I would take a few weeks for the drive and make plenty of extended stops!

What Car would you drive?

It might be fun to take a convertible and enjoy the Pacific Ocean breezes as we drive. Since it’s a dream road trip, I’ll take a Tesla Sport Roadster.

What songs would be on your Road Mix?

When I was in college, I spent many hours driving from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois back to my parents’ home in New Jersey, where I spent my breaks. I played many different types of music, which back them, was on cassette tapes! I discovered some of the best road trip music: Simon and Garfunkel (America, Cecilia, The 59^th Street Bridge Song, Homeward Bound, I am a Rock, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard); old REM (Drive 8, Fall on Me and Superman); Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music (Slave to Love and More than This); Elvis Costello (Alison, Pump it Up and Watching the Detectives); Peter Gabriel (Solsbury Hill, Games without Frontiers, Biko, In Your Eyes and Red Rain); Howard Jones (New Song, What is Love, Things Can Only Get Better and No One is To Blame); Katrina and the Waves (Walking on Sunshine); The Church (Under the Milky Way); Echo and the Bunnymen (The Killing Moon, Bring on the Dancing Horses and People are Strange); Violent Femmes (Blister in the Sun); Neil Young (Heart of Gold and Old Man); America (Ventura Highway, Sister Golden Hair and a Horse with No Name).  I would still play those classics but now the music would be stored electronically on an IPod.

Where would you stop along the way?

There are so many exciting places to visit along the Oregon Coast. I would want to explore the land of Lewis and Clark and see the historical landmarks in their honor. I would be interested in seeing the Tillamook Head Lighthouse. I would view the Forbidden Cliffs near Manzanita. I would also like to see Elephant Rock, Seal Rock, the Devil’s Punchbowl and Cape Perpetua and the Devil’s Churn. Driftwood Beach would also be on my list. I would also do whale watching at Depoe Bay.

Sounds like a GREAT TRIP!!  If you have a bit of room left in the car....I think this Tasty Reader would love to come along.  Ill bring the snacks!!

In the romantic comedy, One Last Class, thirty-two year old, Zak Spencer, is a washed-up teen idol, who decides to rebuild his life by returning to college in Arizona. Trouble ensues when Zak falls in love with the young professor, Amy Campbell, who teaches the one class he needs to complete his degree.

In the romantic comedy, Twyla’s Last Trip, twenty eight-year old, Lucinda Starr is an uptight research psychologist, whose deadline to complete her doctoral dissertation is completely derailed by her estranged mother, Twyla Starr's sudden death. Lucinda must take her mother's ashes on a road trip on Route 66, in order to fulfill the requirements of her will and inherit her fortune. To make matters worse, Lucinda finds herself forced to travel across the country with her mother's easygoing country lawyer, T.J. Yates, who drives her crazy, and his drooling bloodhound, Dakota, who Lucinda finds revolting.

Excerpt from “Twyla’s Last Trip:

Lucinda peered intently into her microscope until Bunny's voice blared from the intercom—again. “I'm sorry to bother you, Lucinda, but Mr. Yates is on the phone. He says he won't hang up until he speaks with you personally.”

Lucinda took a deep breath, stood and exited the lab. She marched over to the reception desk and ripped the phone from Bunny's grasp.

“Lucinda Starr,” she growled into the phone. “How may I help you?”

Thirty-year old T.J. Yates, the epitome of all things country, spoke to Lucinda from his cell phone. “Miss Starr,” he said. “I know we've never met but I've been your mom's attorney now for nearly a decade.”

“Will you please get to the point?” Lucinda interrupted. “I'm in the middle of an extremely important experiment.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your mom has passed away.”

Lucinda flinched slightly but then it was back to business. “And what does this have to do with me?” she asked.

“Well, Miss Starr, you are the sole beneficiary of your mom's estate.”

“Estate?” Lucinda snorted. “My mother was a cat lady, who lived in a trailer.” 

“Miss Starr,” T.J. continued. “I don't think you understand.”

Before T.J. could finish, Lucinda slammed the phone into the receiver and hurried away.

T.J. looked at his cell phone dumbfounded. People never hung up on him, especially women.

Dakota, his two-year old bloodhound, glanced up from her doggie pillow and gave her head a tilt.

“I think this requires a little trip up to Chicago,” T.J. said.

Dakota just yawned and plopped her head back down on her bed. 

I was slightly disappointed with the two shorts and I'll tell you why.  I wanted MORE...I think this is why Shorts always drive me crazy.  I just don't seem to get enough of what I want, which is the romance, the getting to know one another, the flirty banter, which Karen does give a bit of, but I as a romance reader need more.  And It wouldn't hurt to have a few more intimate scenes, even if the bedroom door is closed, a little groping never hurt anyone.

For Shorts, they were good, especially if you are a fan of the Romantic Comedy, which I am.  The characters could have been a bit more three dimensional, but with so little pages, I know that sometimes they can fall flat. 

I think my favorite character was T.J. from Twyla's Last Trip.  He is country boy, which I love, especially since he contrasts so much with Lucinda, and he is charming, which is how he worms his way into her heart.  And he has Dakota, his bloodhound pup, who actually takes a liking to Lucinda.  Don't they say that dogs are a great judge of character?  I believe Dakota saw something in Lucinda that we all get to see by the end of the story.

All in all, I enjoyed both of the quick reads, and would recommend them to anyone looking for a quick romance read, with plenty of laughs and four opposites attract characters.

Make sure to leave a comment for Karen, maybe share a road trip experience or just tell her how much you enjoyed her post, or give us a song from your "Road Trip Mix". 

About The Author

Karen Mueller Bryson is an award-winning screenwriter, produced playwright and published novelist. She has been writing since she learned to read and fell in love with books! Karen is the creator of Short on Time Books, a series of fast-paced and fun novels for readers on the go. When she’s not at her computer creating new stories, Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and their bloodhounds.

Website: http://www.ahorsewithnoname.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/karenmuellerbryson

Twitter: http://twitter.com/karenmbryson

Blog: http://shortontimebooks.tumblr.com/

Short on Time Books: http://www.shortontimebooks.com