Booklaunch for Murder on Route 66

At last, my mystery novel, Murder on Route 66 has been officially launched. Lesley Diehl, author of A Deadly Draught, was there to help. We enjoyed a good turnout and had a lot of fun. In this story, Bobby Navarro, a bad-boy biker with a heart of gold, promises a young boy he’ll find who killed his father and left his body lying in a parking lot along old Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico. The victim was Bobby’s friend, and temporary employer. The boy is the victim’s son.  With his working vacation turned into a sleuthing quest, Bobby must deal with a hostile ranch foreman, suspicious police detective, and worried girlfriend to track down the killer before the victim’s widow, son, or Bobby himself become the murderer’s next victim.
Next on the agenda, completing arrangements and getting ready for my cross-country motorcycle trip to visit towns on Old Route 66 and promote my book. I look forward to sharing the adventure.

Southwest tour countdown

With less than three weeks until departure time, I feel like I'm in a whirlwind of last minute details and projects. I did manage to take a short ride on my bike the other day, wanting to get used to being on a motorcycle again. It seems ironic, but I've been too busy trying to get set up for my ride to actually do any. No big surprise, I got caught in a thunderstorm, a real downpour. Actually, "downpour" seems a poor choice of words. With the strong gusts of wind and my location, the rain was reddish brown, and nearer to horizontal. I saw it coming in time to pull onto a gravel lot and drop the kickstand before it hit. I even managed to throw on a rain jacket, but not the pants. Then it showed me just how much an upstate NY thunderstorm can be like a southwest torrential downpour, the kind I've been caught in before, flooding and all.  I waited it out under some pine trees on a nearby slope, trying to ignore the fact that my jeans were soaked through and my ride home was going to be wet and chilly. The good thing was, it didn't last long, and I got home just fine. A good reminder of what a cross country ride can be like sometimes. The other good thing-when it's not bad, it can really be great!!  Got any storm stories to share from your trips?

Welcome to Murder on the Road

Welcome to my blog, Murder on the Road. This blog is designed to share my cross-country motorcycle tour along parts of Route 66, starting mid-August 2011. The ride is to celebrate my novel, Murder on Route 66.  I will be visiting a number of towns along the old route, enjoying the sights, doing signings, meeting new friends. I'll try to include a picture here and there, and relate whatever adventures come up. I hope others who read the blog posts will share some of their travels as well. Have you ever ridden on Route 66? Have you seen any reruns of the old television show? Are you a member of one of the Route 66 organizations keeping the romance of the Mother Road alive? Post a comment and share your experience.