The Long Way Home (27 page)
Authors: Karen McQuestion
Carson drove the Corolla, while Jazzy was in charge of the GPS, music, and snacks. She thought it was a good arrangement, and he didn’t seem to mind a bit. “Fifteen and a half hours from my house to Manhattan,” she told him.
“That’s driving time,” he said.
“Yeah. If you had a bunch of middle-aged women in the car you’d have to add ten more hours for bathroom breaks.”
“That’s a lot of bathroom breaks.”
“Tell me about it.”
Carson apparently appreciated Jazzy’s taste in song choices, because he grinned and nodded his head in time to the music as he drove. He wasn’t one of those people who felt the constant need to talk. She could be quiet with him and just enjoy the ride. She needed that.
The view going east was different from the trip westward she’d taken with the ladies, but the sense of anticipation and new beginnings was the same. At Marnie’s house the other night, she’d planned on telling Rita that Davis would eventually confess to killing Melinda, and that he would get the sentence he deserved. She knew because she’d woken one night from a sound sleep and seen it all in a vision: the courtroom scene with the slamming of the judge’s gavel, and Davis being led off, his head down. She knew other things too—that Troy would live with Marnie all through high school and that Laverne would finally be able to sleep with the CPAP mask on all night. After a few weeks she would be amazed at how much energy she had. “I feel twenty years younger,” she would crow to anyone who would listen.
Jazzy knew all these things and wanted to share them with her friends, but when she opened her mouth to talk, her grandmother’s spirit advised her to keep it to herself.
Let them find out on their own.
“So, psychic girl,” Carson said, interrupting her thoughts. “Any new predictions? I’d be interested in knowing what you see for the two of us.”
“For the two of us?”
“That’s what I said. For the two of us,” he said cheerfully.
“Hmmm, give me a minute,” Jazzy said, closing her eyes. Almost immediately she saw their lives stretched forward in front of her, a series of road trips. Like a movie in fast-forward she saw it clearly: the two of them driving to the church to get married and then, three years later, a trip to the hospital—Carson driving, Jazzy nine months pregnant and urging him to hurry. Family vacations with one, now two, now three children strapped into car seats in the back of a silver minivan. Visits to friends and family. A collage of driving expeditions to graduations and weddings and births and funerals. “As a matter of fact, I do have a prediction,” Jazzy said, opening her eyes and giving him a smile. “I see us going on a road trip.”
Ahead of them, a ribbon of concrete stretched endlessly forward. Anything could happen.
Once again, my eternal gratitude goes to Terry Goodman. He’s a good man and terrific publishing partner, and I really like him too. Maybe someday I’ll drive a convertible and be as cool as Terry. Probably not, though.
When I think of Amazon Publishing, it’s the people who come to mind. The team has always gone the extra mile for my books, and what author wouldn’t love that? Kudos to the always efficient and personable Jessica Poore. She assures me I’m never a bother, which can’t possibly be true, but I appreciate her saying so. A big thank you to publisher Victoria Griffith, who once said I’m
one
of her favorite authors. Now my goal in life is to become her absolute favorite. Thanks also to Jeff Belle, whose signature I treasure. I’d like to acknowledge other members of the team including Jacque Ben-Zekry, Sarah Tomashek, Katy Ball, Katie Finch, Brooke Gilbert, Rory Connell, and Nikki Sprinkle. My apologies to anyone I inadvertently excluded. My gratitude is enormous even if my memory is faulty.
When it comes to this novel, Jeannée Sacken started it all by using the phrase “women on a road trip” in the context of a different conversation. Thanks, Jeannée. I always cherish our talks, but this one was particularly helpful.
Early readers Geri Erickson, Gail Grenier Sweet, Alice L. Kent, Neve Maslakovic, and Jon Olson gave me valuable feedback and needed reassurance, and I owe them all, big time. Thanks, guys! Your collective wisdom made this a better novel. (And Jon—I really do know the difference between the hood and the trunk of a car. I have no idea how
that
particular snafu happened. Someone must have snuck in during the night and changed it on me.)
Charlotte Herscher read every word of the manuscript multiple times, suggested improvements, and caught numerous errors, thus saving me from certain humiliation. She’s an editing wizard, and I’m happy this novel received the benefit of her skill and care. Any remaining mistakes, however, are really and truly mine.
To Jennifer Williams and Jessica R. Fogleman, copyeditors extraordinaire—thank you for lending your expertise to this book! Your dedication to the written word did not go unnoticed.
Publicist Kathleen Carter Zrelak is an absolute wonder. She got me past security and in front of a camera at ABC Studios, something I still can’t get over. There’s no one I’d rather have lunch with at the restaurant in the Trump Tower, even if we did have to sit at the bar because we didn’t have reservations.
I raise a glass to Kimberly Einiger who thinks I’m funny and who also allowed me to use her name for one of my characters. Kim-ber-ly. Three syllables of awesomeness.
My husband, Greg, always supportive, was particularly so with this book when he did the majority of the driving from Wisconsin to Colorado and back again, in just four days, so I could fact-check some of the more pertinent details. My driving makes him a little nervous, so I suspect he wasn’t being completely altruistic, but that doesn’t diminish the joy of getting to be a passenger for thirty hours. Thanks, Greg!
I love my kids beyond measure, and I’m lucky they keep me up to date on so many things. Credit goes to Jack, Maria, and Charlie, just for existing, and also for making Mother’s Day the best holiday of all.
Book bloggers are the unsung heroes of the publishing industry. I’ve been the recipient of many thoughtful reviews, and I don’t take any of them for granted. My thanks to book bloggers everywhere, now and forever.
And finally, if you’re one of those people who respond to my books, connect with my characters, and enjoy my stories, you have my heart. Because of you, I get to write for a living. I am sending infinite thanks your way. I hope you can feel the love.
Photo by Greg McQuestion, 2011
Karen McQuestion writes books for adults as well as for kids and teens. She is a bestselling author on Kindle. Two of her novels placed in the top 100 Customer Kindle books for 2010, based on sales and reader reviews. Originally self-published, she now writes for Amazon Publishing and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. McQuestion lives in Wisconsin with her family.
The Long Way Home
by Karen McQuestion
1) The four women in the book become friends based more on circumstances than commonalities. How likely is this to happen in the real world?
2) Laverne’s son thought she didn’t leave the house because she was afraid, something she didn’t agree with. Why do you think she became homebound after her husband died?
3) Is the ending of the novel satisfying? If not, what would you have changed?
4) Of the four women, which one could you most identify with, and why?
5) Jazzy’s motto, “Do the thing you long to do and become the person you’re destined to be,” spurs the women in the grief group to share their hopes and dreams. What hopes and dreams have gone unrealized in your life, and why?
6) If this novel is made into a movie, how would you cast it?
7) Have you ever gone on a road trip with a group of friends? If so, did the experience bring you closer?
8) At the beginning of the novel, Marnie suffers from a lack of confidence. By the end of the novel, with help from the group, she’s grown as a person and has taken charge of her life. Where do you see her going from there?
9) Kimberly seems to lack a maternal instinct. How realistic is this? Do you know any women who fall into this category?
10) Rita is convinced that the deer are the conduit through which her daughter, Melinda, communicates with her. Do you believe deceased loved ones can send messages to friends and family? Do you have any stories you’d like to share?