Spotlight: Wrong Highway

Two things stand out to me about Wendy Gordon and her debut novel, Wrong Highway. The first is that this book takes place in the 1980's. Such an incredible decade for pop culture. (I watch The Goldbergs a lot, which takes me back big time! Funny enough, the main character of this novel is named Erica!) The second is that Wendy is originally from Bethesda, Maryland, which is close to where I live. 

In honor of this novel, I am sharing my top five favorite 80's songs. 

1. "Material Girl," Madonna (I made a project in third grade and did a theme song for it parodying this song. That's all I need to say.)
2. "Let's Hear it for the Boy," Deniece Williams (Cute song. Cuter video. Now it makes me think of "Let's Go to the Mall.")
3. "Something About You," Level 42 (I just liked the way it sounded. It has such an 80's feel that carries over even to the present day.)
4. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (Because I picture Patrick Swayze wrinkling his nose toward the end...but really, such a great song!)
5. "The Power of Love," Huey Lewis and the News (It will always remind me of Back to the Future.)

Now that you're in an 80's mood...

It is 1986. Erica Richards lives in West Meadow, Long Island with her three young boys, newborn baby girl, and successful Wall Street analyst husband. But don’t be fooled by her seemingly placid suburban lifestyle. Erica is fierce, curious, uncompromising, and often impulsive. When her teenage nephew Jared rebels against his straight-laced parents Ron and Debbie, he turns to Erica for help, setting in motion a chain of events that will take all of them careening down a dangerous and twisty highway. Buckle your seat belt, crank up the 80’s soundtrack, and learn how stunningly easy it is to keep BIG SECRETS.

Wendy Gordon grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, and has lived in Boston, Chicago, and New York before finding her true home on the West Coast. She received a B.S. from Simmons College in Boston and an M.S. from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She has been a journalist for over twenty-five years, publishing in newspapers, magazines, and electronic formats. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and children. Visit Wendy at her website and follow her on Twitter.


~Introduction by Melissa Amster

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for including us in Wendy's blog tour. Visit the rest of their stops here.