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Live from the Road
LIVE FROM THE ROAD has been published with a new cover under the original ASIN: B00839H5QW
Meg Newton and Sally Sutton seek a change in the mundane routine of their lives. “Is this all there is?” Sally asks Meg after visiting a dying friend in the hospital. That’s when Meg suggests they take a journey to discover the answer. Joined by their daughters, they set off on a journey of salvation enhanced by the glories of the Mother Road. Along the way, they are joined by a Chicago bluesman, a Pakistani liquor storeowner from Illinois, a Marine from Missouri, a gun-toting momma from Oklahoma, and a motel clerk from New Mexico. Meg, mourning for her dead son, learns to share her pain with her daughter CC. When Sally’s husband of almost thirty years leaves a voice mail telling her he’s leaving, both Sally and her daughter Ramona discover some truths about love and independence.
Live from the Road takes the reader on an often humorous, yet harrowing, journey. Death, divorce and deception help to reveal the inner journey taking place under the blazing desert sun as a Route 66 motel owner reads the Bhagavad-Gita and an eagle provides the sign they’ve all been seeking. Enlightenment comes tiptoeing in at dawn in a Tucumcari laundromat, while singing karaoke at a bar in Gallup, New Mexico, and during dinner at the Roadkill Café in Seligman, Arizona. The four women’s lives will never be the same after the road leads them to their hearts – the true destination for these road warriors.
Meg Newton and Sally Sutton seek a change in the mundane routine of their lives. “Is this all there is?” Sally asks Meg after visiting a dying friend in the hospital. That’s when Meg suggests they take a journey to discover the answer. Joined by their daughters, they set off on a journey of salvation enhanced by the glories of the Mother Road. Along the way, they are joined by a Chicago bluesman, a Pakistani liquor storeowner from Illinois, a Marine from Missouri, a gun-toting momma from Oklahoma, and a motel clerk from New Mexico. Meg, mourning for her dead son, learns to share her pain with her daughter CC. When Sally’s husband of almost thirty years leaves a voice mail telling her he’s leaving, both Sally and her daughter Ramona discover some truths about love and independence.
Live from the Road takes the reader on an often humorous, yet harrowing, journey. Death, divorce and deception help to reveal the inner journey taking place under the blazing desert sun as a Route 66 motel owner reads the Bhagavad-Gita and an eagle provides the sign they’ve all been seeking. Enlightenment comes tiptoeing in at dawn in a Tucumcari laundromat, while singing karaoke at a bar in Gallup, New Mexico, and during dinner at the Roadkill Café in Seligman, Arizona. The four women’s lives will never be the same after the road leads them to their hearts – the true destination for these road warriors.
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2012
62 people are currently reading
729 people want to read
About the author
P.C. Zick
51 books144 followersP.C. Zick describes herself as a storyteller no matter what she writes. And she writes in a variety of genres, including romance, contemporary fiction, and nonfiction. She's won various awards for her essays, columns, editorials, articles, and fiction. Currently, crafting fiction—mostly romances—occupies her time.
The three novels in her Florida Fiction Series contain stories of Florida and its people and environment, which she credits as giving her a rich base for her storytelling. "Florida's quirky and abundant wildlife—both human and animal—supply my fiction with tales almost too weird to be believable."
Her contemporary romances in the Behind the Love series are also set in Florida. The novels in her most recent series, Smoky Mountain Romances, are set in the fictional town of Laurel, North Carolina. She is currently working on a new romance series, Rivals in Love. Join the Crandall family of Chicago as the siblings find love despite their focus on successful careers. Her Montauk Romances are set in and around Long Island and feature simple, yet sophisticated beach houses designed with romantic intent.
Civil War Journal from the 2nd Michigan contains the reminiscences of her great-grandfather, Harmon Camburn, who joined the Union Army on April 20, 1861. The book contains his journal as well as annotations about the war in general. She’s also included several appendices that add local context to the journal. This is an expanded version of Civil War Journal of a Union Soldier published in 2013.
She has written several books of nonfiction on topics from gardening to travel to memoir. Her body of work contain stories set in a variety of places. Along with writing contemporary fiction and romances and creative nonfiction, Ms. Zick is also an editor, book formatter, and publisher.
She and her husband live in Tallahassee, Florida, during the winter. In the spring, they enjoy life in the Smoky Mountains near Murphy, North Carolina, where they enjoy gardening, kayaking, and golfing. And of course, in both locations,
Ms. Zick weaves stories that share her philosophy of living lightly upon this earth with love, laughter, and passion.
The three novels in her Florida Fiction Series contain stories of Florida and its people and environment, which she credits as giving her a rich base for her storytelling. "Florida's quirky and abundant wildlife—both human and animal—supply my fiction with tales almost too weird to be believable."
Her contemporary romances in the Behind the Love series are also set in Florida. The novels in her most recent series, Smoky Mountain Romances, are set in the fictional town of Laurel, North Carolina. She is currently working on a new romance series, Rivals in Love. Join the Crandall family of Chicago as the siblings find love despite their focus on successful careers. Her Montauk Romances are set in and around Long Island and feature simple, yet sophisticated beach houses designed with romantic intent.
Civil War Journal from the 2nd Michigan contains the reminiscences of her great-grandfather, Harmon Camburn, who joined the Union Army on April 20, 1861. The book contains his journal as well as annotations about the war in general. She’s also included several appendices that add local context to the journal. This is an expanded version of Civil War Journal of a Union Soldier published in 2013.
She has written several books of nonfiction on topics from gardening to travel to memoir. Her body of work contain stories set in a variety of places. Along with writing contemporary fiction and romances and creative nonfiction, Ms. Zick is also an editor, book formatter, and publisher.
She and her husband live in Tallahassee, Florida, during the winter. In the spring, they enjoy life in the Smoky Mountains near Murphy, North Carolina, where they enjoy gardening, kayaking, and golfing. And of course, in both locations,
Ms. Zick weaves stories that share her philosophy of living lightly upon this earth with love, laughter, and passion.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 18, 2012
Enjoy the Ride on Route 66
When I began reading this book, I assumed it might be a travel story about the places visited. Thankfully the engaging story dragged me into the lives of these four women from the first chapter, and I became one of their stragglers on the adventure. Two best friends (Sally and Meg) decide to take a trip along the old Route 66 from Chicago to L.A., and their daughters (Ramona and CC) go along for the ride. Of course the daughters have ulterior motives. They plan to enter a talent contest in L.A. or I'm sure they’d never agree to travel with their moms!
No one expected that this road trip would be more than a pleasant ride through the country. The four women stop at interesting road side attractions, but they also explore their pasts and their relationships during the journey. Their excitement about traveling Route 66 is contagious and the “Road Warriors” eventually attract a caravan of cars that follow them across country. The crazy characters they meet are odd, funny, and absolutely outrageous.
I once traveled with my grown daughter for three months, doing research for a Caribbean guide book. During that trip I saw my daughter as an adult, a woman who I was proud to know. The four women in this book laughed and cried together (many times), told secrets that kept them apart, and examined failed relationships with the men in their lives. It’s a well-told story that cuts away the layers to get to the core of personal realities, serious stuff.
Lucky for readers, it's not all serious. We get to watch while they shoot grandpa’s ashes off in a bottle rocket, meet Looza, the lady whose husband brought an alligator to bed, and laugh at the “kiss of death.” The author creates her own platitudes like: “You’re not lost if you travel the direction you’re going,” or "Don't trust a man who wears a white cowboy hat, because he's hiding something." She also creates memorable characters with personal stories worth exploring. Travel Route 66 with these women and enjoy the ride.
When I began reading this book, I assumed it might be a travel story about the places visited. Thankfully the engaging story dragged me into the lives of these four women from the first chapter, and I became one of their stragglers on the adventure. Two best friends (Sally and Meg) decide to take a trip along the old Route 66 from Chicago to L.A., and their daughters (Ramona and CC) go along for the ride. Of course the daughters have ulterior motives. They plan to enter a talent contest in L.A. or I'm sure they’d never agree to travel with their moms!
No one expected that this road trip would be more than a pleasant ride through the country. The four women stop at interesting road side attractions, but they also explore their pasts and their relationships during the journey. Their excitement about traveling Route 66 is contagious and the “Road Warriors” eventually attract a caravan of cars that follow them across country. The crazy characters they meet are odd, funny, and absolutely outrageous.
I once traveled with my grown daughter for three months, doing research for a Caribbean guide book. During that trip I saw my daughter as an adult, a woman who I was proud to know. The four women in this book laughed and cried together (many times), told secrets that kept them apart, and examined failed relationships with the men in their lives. It’s a well-told story that cuts away the layers to get to the core of personal realities, serious stuff.
Lucky for readers, it's not all serious. We get to watch while they shoot grandpa’s ashes off in a bottle rocket, meet Looza, the lady whose husband brought an alligator to bed, and laugh at the “kiss of death.” The author creates her own platitudes like: “You’re not lost if you travel the direction you’re going,” or "Don't trust a man who wears a white cowboy hat, because he's hiding something." She also creates memorable characters with personal stories worth exploring. Travel Route 66 with these women and enjoy the ride.
March 1, 2013
I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway.
When I started the book, I thought, this sounds like it is going to be a fun book, adventures on the road, maybe a few hijinks, and I might be in for a bumpy, eventful ride.
Well, I got part of it right.
Although I enjoyed the author's writing style, and thought her execution was good, the story ~ not so much. I have a hard time believing in this day and age (or anytime for that matter) that as they are traveling down the road, they stop, meet someone, and within minutes their new acquaintances would drop everything, and decide to join their caravan to travel Route 66! I wasn't buying it.
I didn't really care for the character Meg. It seemed as though the author was trying to squeeze too much into one character. One minute she was independent, the next, needy, revealing/closed off, up/down, decided/undecided, you get the picture ~ just too conflicting. During the trip she was forever having "Epiphany moments". It made me wonder if this woman ever had any real connection with herself before. And for that matter, there were just too many life altering moments for all of them. I don't see that happening in real life.
Some of the antics that happened on the trip were funny, and others not very realistic. Again, I think the author was just trying to squeeze too much into one book, and after while the whole story became just too unbelievable.
When I started the book, I thought, this sounds like it is going to be a fun book, adventures on the road, maybe a few hijinks, and I might be in for a bumpy, eventful ride.
Well, I got part of it right.
Although I enjoyed the author's writing style, and thought her execution was good, the story ~ not so much. I have a hard time believing in this day and age (or anytime for that matter) that as they are traveling down the road, they stop, meet someone, and within minutes their new acquaintances would drop everything, and decide to join their caravan to travel Route 66! I wasn't buying it.
I didn't really care for the character Meg. It seemed as though the author was trying to squeeze too much into one character. One minute she was independent, the next, needy, revealing/closed off, up/down, decided/undecided, you get the picture ~ just too conflicting. During the trip she was forever having "Epiphany moments". It made me wonder if this woman ever had any real connection with herself before. And for that matter, there were just too many life altering moments for all of them. I don't see that happening in real life.
Some of the antics that happened on the trip were funny, and others not very realistic. Again, I think the author was just trying to squeeze too much into one book, and after while the whole story became just too unbelievable.
November 19, 2013
A Wonderful, Funny, Zen-Searching, Heart-warming Read!
Part Thelma & Louise, part Robin Hood and his band of merry men, part the Pied Piper of Hamlin, P. C. Zick hits a homerun with Live On The Road. The cast of characters starts out with two mothers and their twenty something daughters as they travel across the U. S. on the old Route 66 and ends up including a whole host of interesting, displaced people, longing for adventure alongside these four “Road Warriors”. The book is a wonderful cavalcade of life––laughter, charming and clever bantering between the daughters and their moms, pent-up feelings, divorce, wild flings, karaoke, tragedy, emotional and spiritual discoveries, and some tidbits about the history of Route 66, coincidentally known as the “Mother Road”. In short, this is an extremely well-written book that, through its very believable characters and vivid descriptions of the beauties they encounter gives you something for everyone, as the group keeps chorusing, “May we always go where we’re headed and be content with the journey no matter where it leads!” A thoroughly enjoyable read! Definitely recommended…
S. R. Mallery, author
Part Thelma & Louise, part Robin Hood and his band of merry men, part the Pied Piper of Hamlin, P. C. Zick hits a homerun with Live On The Road. The cast of characters starts out with two mothers and their twenty something daughters as they travel across the U. S. on the old Route 66 and ends up including a whole host of interesting, displaced people, longing for adventure alongside these four “Road Warriors”. The book is a wonderful cavalcade of life––laughter, charming and clever bantering between the daughters and their moms, pent-up feelings, divorce, wild flings, karaoke, tragedy, emotional and spiritual discoveries, and some tidbits about the history of Route 66, coincidentally known as the “Mother Road”. In short, this is an extremely well-written book that, through its very believable characters and vivid descriptions of the beauties they encounter gives you something for everyone, as the group keeps chorusing, “May we always go where we’re headed and be content with the journey no matter where it leads!” A thoroughly enjoyable read! Definitely recommended…
S. R. Mallery, author
January 6, 2013
Read my full review @ http://bit.ly/10fdT08
My rating: 2.5 (will be rounded to 3 for the purpose of Goodreads and Amazon)
My opinion: I could never warm up to this book and found myself rushing to get through it. The characters almost felt forced to me and with the storyline had a feeling of "...and then" meaning that it jumped from one scene to another simply for dramatic effect versus a well laid out storyline.
Would I recommend? : To be honest with the reader of this review, I am on the fence with recommending this book. As a women's lit book, almost bordering on chick lit, I think there is an audience for this book. I have read and reviewed a number of books along this line, but this one there was simply a split for me. I would encourage those considering to purchase this book to seek out other reviews on Goodreads and Amazon and make your decision looking at your compilation of reviews.
My rating: 2.5 (will be rounded to 3 for the purpose of Goodreads and Amazon)
My opinion: I could never warm up to this book and found myself rushing to get through it. The characters almost felt forced to me and with the storyline had a feeling of "...and then" meaning that it jumped from one scene to another simply for dramatic effect versus a well laid out storyline.
Would I recommend? : To be honest with the reader of this review, I am on the fence with recommending this book. As a women's lit book, almost bordering on chick lit, I think there is an audience for this book. I have read and reviewed a number of books along this line, but this one there was simply a split for me. I would encourage those considering to purchase this book to seek out other reviews on Goodreads and Amazon and make your decision looking at your compilation of reviews.
March 18, 2013
"Live from the Road" by P.C.Zick is the story of a road trip from Chicago to California on Route 66 as taken by two mothers and two daughters. In parts it is a simple and fun-filled road trip with great humour and material for future anecdotes; in other parts this book is a more serious look at the escapism of thr trip and the reality of their journey in more than just one meaning of the word.
The four women live through tragedy, past and present, and come out at the end of their journey as different women.
For my personal taste some of the book was a little too 'girlie' for me but I am sure for many others it will be quite the opposite as this is by no means meaningless chick lit. I particularly enjoyed the depth that Zick gives her characters and the great reflectiveness in her writing which is always very poignant and observant in style.
The four women live through tragedy, past and present, and come out at the end of their journey as different women.
For my personal taste some of the book was a little too 'girlie' for me but I am sure for many others it will be quite the opposite as this is by no means meaningless chick lit. I particularly enjoyed the depth that Zick gives her characters and the great reflectiveness in her writing which is always very poignant and observant in style.
June 30, 2012
I read it at the suggestion of a friend who just loved it. I think there were some excellent characters here - Looza and Slick come to mind first and the former Marine definately. This was a look at four women related by birth and friendship as they traveled down Route 66 and the changes each one undergoes during the trip. It was well written and flowed nicely for the most part. There were a couple of points that I felt were random deviations from the overall point of the story and took away from the existential angst the women were trying to come to grips with. Overall, if you're looking for a feel good, fun romp of a roadtrip, this book probably isn't what you want.
October 28, 2012
I really enjoyed this book, which was the chosen book for our Book Club discussion this month. It was funny yet heartbreaking. It made me get up and go hug my children a few times. I do wish there would have been more to the ending as I feel a few things were left unanswered for me.
I'd love to do exactly what these women did when my children are grown. It would be so exciting to take a road trip and have no worries for a few weeks.
I'd love to do exactly what these women did when my children are grown. It would be so exciting to take a road trip and have no worries for a few weeks.
August 5, 2012
Good story. Makes me want to hit the road!
September 25, 2012
This was a great book! It was an easy read; with a great message & a great way to spend an afternoon.
Read
October 28, 2012Humorous yet heart wrenching at times. Really good novel and very inspiring.
July 30, 2014
You'll laugh. You'll cry. Then you'll reread!
April 8, 2020
Great tale of two friends and their two daughters, all strong women, traveling Rt 66 as road warriors finding truth and acceptance together. Their experiences are full of adventure, mayhem and tragedy. I read this book along with four of my friends in anticipation of and to get ready for our own “Road Warriors” trip on Rt 66. What a surprise to find that one of the goals in this book was resolving grief. As I also am dealing with complicated grief, I found solace in what I read. An added bonus to a fun book.
May 12, 2019
I’m currently on a road trip on Route 66 and this book has been so entertaining. A great companion for the trip. I loved the quirky characters and there is a lot of info about the trip itself. I don’t think my trip will be as “interesting” as theirs. It’s a fun read, especially if you are traveling the Mother Road.
April 14, 2018
A trip of discovery
A trip of discovery in the lives of four women. They are a pair of long-time friends an their daughters. Life has been difficult for each of them and much comes to a head and bursts during this trip.
A trip of discovery in the lives of four women. They are a pair of long-time friends an their daughters. Life has been difficult for each of them and much comes to a head and bursts during this trip.
May 21, 2020
Great Book
Loved this story. Very empowering for women of all ages. I’d recommend it in a heartbeat. I took that trip from Chicago to Arizona. Didn’t make as many stops but enjoyed reading about places I’d just been.
Loved this story. Very empowering for women of all ages. I’d recommend it in a heartbeat. I took that trip from Chicago to Arizona. Didn’t make as many stops but enjoyed reading about places I’d just been.
August 6, 2017
60% in a month. They stop four times, people are inhappy they keep attracting losers who reshoot
September 1, 2018
Read this in preparation for my Rte 66 trip. So enjoyed very icy.
January 11, 2015
“Live from the Road” is a story of two friends, Meg and Sally, and their road trip across Route 66. They are escorted by their grown daughters, and the four women each have their own personal demons to face during the trip. Some of their struggles are shared with each other, some kept private.
There were idiosyncrasies in this story that made me giggle. At each stop, they invite whomever they ran into to join them, and a lot of people strangely took them up on the offer. I would never be that open to invite strangers to join my vacation, but I have some girlfriends who would do something that crazy, so it’s not all-together impossible. At one point, they had four or five cars in their caravan. I thought the concept of strangers joining on one’s vacation was a little weird, but then I realized I had joined them, too. I was traveling the Route with them, experiencing the sites and sorting through the personal problems. The road trip mimicked the trip through life – the inner journey. The part I loved best was Meg’s 50-year-old brain struggling with her own mid-life crisis. I found myself thinking her thoughts many times. Perhaps these are the thoughts of every mature woman.
There were idiosyncrasies in this story that made me giggle. At each stop, they invite whomever they ran into to join them, and a lot of people strangely took them up on the offer. I would never be that open to invite strangers to join my vacation, but I have some girlfriends who would do something that crazy, so it’s not all-together impossible. At one point, they had four or five cars in their caravan. I thought the concept of strangers joining on one’s vacation was a little weird, but then I realized I had joined them, too. I was traveling the Route with them, experiencing the sites and sorting through the personal problems. The road trip mimicked the trip through life – the inner journey. The part I loved best was Meg’s 50-year-old brain struggling with her own mid-life crisis. I found myself thinking her thoughts many times. Perhaps these are the thoughts of every mature woman.
February 2, 2016
Two best friends and their daughters on a road trip from Chicago to LA – the author had plenty of opportunity to create a mixed bag of adventures for the trip—and she did. This book held my interest the whole way with its vast array of characters (I had to keep a cheat sheet) involved in a variety of situations that touched every emotion. Thelma and Louise have nothing on these two.
May 23, 2014
Having enjoyed multiple cross-country road trips, I looked forward to this book. However, I found the story unbelievable, the characters unlikable, and had to force myself to finish the book. Very disappointing.
January 21, 2016
A memoir-style novel of four women who take a cross-country trip across Route 66, to look for meaning and come to terms with past events. They meet several entertaining characters along the way and each woman undergoes a transformation or emotional realization. Made me want to take a road trip!
July 12, 2016
Loved this book. It is one that I could read over and over again because it was so thought provoking. It was like having a meaningful conversation with a friend. And I loved the trip down rte 66 which is on my bucket list.
June 20, 2012
A mediocre attempt at a "On the Road" adventure. The two best friends and their twenty-somethings daughter trek on Old 66 could have been a great story. Too bad that it was a failure to me.
July 5, 2012
This was enjoyable even if it wasn't very realistic. I love the nostagalia of Route 66 so the setting was a bonus to me.
Read
February 25, 2016kindle chic lit
Read
August 9, 2012Great summer read! It helps that I know the author of this one! :)
October 14, 2012
Great premise. Sadly I couldn't turn my mind off and enjoy the ride.
February 21, 2013
I wasn’t very happy with the ending; it seemed like all of a sudden they ran out of pages and needed to wrap the story up fast. However, I liked the story.
May 7, 2013
I think maybe you need to be a little bit depressed in order to enjoy this story.
funny & corny a decent read.
funny & corny a decent read.
February 27, 2016
Fun read. Enjoyed their adventure.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews