Today I am so pleased to welcome Elia Winters to Joyfully Jay. Elia has come to talk to us about her latest release, Hairpin Curves. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

 

The Magic of Old Quebec

Quebec isn’t the most obvious destination for a road trip. When I set out to write Hairpin Curves, I knew I wanted my characters to road trip along the eastern seaboard, because that’s the road trip I’ve taken countless times and the one I know best. But for a fitting destination, I wanted them to leave the country, and that meant locating their destination in one of my favorite places: Old Quebec.

I’ve traveled to Quebec City several times. My first trip was for a business conference that happened to occur during their summer music festival. All the downtown shops and restaurants stayed open late, and people were out walking through the city at all hours. One of my fondest memories is sitting on a chair at a sidewalk café after midnight, sipping red sangria and eating crème brulée, listening to jazz music wafting up the hill from the festival. I knew I was in the presence of something magical.

Since then, all my Quebec City trips have been in winter. My husband and I are skiers, and Quebec boasts several wonderful mountains nearby. After our first winter trip, we knew we had to come back to enjoy more of the city itself. The food is spectacular. We try new restaurants and cafés each visit, but we also keep ending up at our old favorites. Just beyond the wall of the old city, Le Billig serves delicious sweet and savory crepes. La Grolla serves swiss fondue and raclette in a charming atmosphere. (Raclette is that amazing thing you may have seen where they heat up one side of an entire slab of cheese and then shave down a pile of it onto a sandwich, or some bread, or my mouth.) Near the end of Hairpin Curves, Megan and Scarlett eat macarons and hot chocolate in a café based on La Maison Smith, which I remember for its delicious treats. And of course, no trip to Quebec would be complete without poutine, that near-ubiquitous heavenly combination of French fries, cheese curds, and gravy. (Seriously—we even got some at the movie theater.)

Quebec City is obviously not just food. There are countless experiences to enjoy, including Winter Carnival, a multi-week party full of games, music, mulled wine, ice sculptures, and more, where nobody cares that it’s below zero outside. My personal favorite winter experience was Spa des Neiges, a Nordic spa overlooking the St. Lawrence River where you can go from freezing cold pools to superhot thermal pools. If you’re my husband, you stay in the hot water…but how could I resist trying the cold pool in subzero temperatures? (It was quite…refreshing. I went back to the hot water immediately.) I will forever remember sitting in the steaming baths after dark, my breath condensing in the air, watching ice floes shifting down the St. Lawrence river.

Megan and Scarlett’s time in Quebec isn’t detailed in Hairpin Curves, but I imagine they took advantage of all the amazing features of the city while they were there. It’s a beautiful city filled with kind people, and I can’t wait to go back when it’s safe to travel again. Until then, I’ll content myself with memories, and with the fictional adventures of these two women determined to see somewhere new.


Blurb

RITA® Award—winning author Elia Winters delivers a sexy, playful frenemies-to-lovers road-trip romance.

Megan Harris had hopes of seeing the world, but at twenty-five she’s never even left Florida. Now a wedding invitation lures her to Quebec…in February. When her ex-friend Scarlett offers to be her plus-one (yeah, that’s a whole story) and suggests they turn the journey into an epic road trip, Megan reluctantly agrees to the biggest adventure of her life.

A week together in a car is a surefire way to kill a crush, and Scarlett Andrews has had a big one on Megan for years. The important thing is fixing their friendship.

As the miles roll away, what starts as harmless road-trip games and rest-stop dares escalates into something like intimacy. And when a surprise snowstorm forces Megan and Scarlett to hunker down without the open road as distraction, they’ve got a bigger challenge than making it to the church on time: facing the true nature of their feelings for each other.

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories featuring beloved romance tropes, where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

A new Carina Adores title is available each month in trade paperback, ebook and audiobook formats:

  • The Hideaway Inn by Philip William Stover (available now!)
  • The Girl Next Door by Chelsea M. Cameron (available now!)
  • Just Like That by Cole McCade (available now!)
  • Better Than People by Roan Parrish (available August 25)
  • The Love Study by Kris Ripper (available September 29)
  • The Secret Ingredient by KD Fisher (available October 27)
  • Just Like This by Cole McCade (available November 24)
  • Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love by Kim Fielding (December 29)

Bio

RITA™ Award-winning author Elia Winters is a fat, tattooed, polyamorous bisexual who loves petting cats and fighting the patriarchy. She holds a Master’s degree in English Literature and teaches at a small rural high school, where she also runs the drama club. In her spare time, she is equally likely to be found playing tabletop games, kneading bread, cross-stitching, or binge-watching Marie Kondo. A sex educator and kink-positive feminist, Elia reviews sex toys, speaks at kink conventions, and writes geeky, kinky, cozy erotic romance. She currently lives in western Massachusetts with her loving husband and their weird pets.


Connect with Elia Winters

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