TBG: Marie Sexton is here on The Blogger Girls today, making a stop on her Normal Enough Blog Tour, to talk about classic cars and generously offering up a chance to win an ebook copy of her new release Normal Enough and $50 ARe gift certificate for books from her backlist.

Classic Muscle Cars of My Youth

by Marie Sexton

I can’t speak for today’s youth (and just typing those words made me feel older than dirt), but back in my high school days, classic muscle cars were sort of a thing. Especially for boys.

Now, I’m going to make a vast generalization here, but the one girl I knew who drove a classic Mustang did so because it was her father’s and he gave it to her when she turned sixteen. It was absolutely mint, because her father kept it that way. But the boys I knew who drove classic muscle cars were a different breed. They might be jocks, or burnouts, or nerds, or they might be just average guys. But what they all had in common was an unbridled enthusiasm for old cars, and the mechanical knowledge to keep them running. After all, nobody in high school had the money to take these cars into a shop. If your classic Mustang or Trans Am or Camaro was running (and almost nobody had anything as fancy as a Cougar or a GTO), it was because you made it happen through blood, sweat, and tears.

And gallons and gallons of oil.

Based on my not-so-expert observation, these guys seemed to fall into one of two categories: either their car looked awesome but didn’t run for shit, or it looked like crap but had it where it counted – under the hood. (I’m sure Freud would have something to say about that.) I definitely leaned toward the latter. I once dated a guy whose Camaro seemed to be held together by primer and duct tape. I could hear it coming from a block away (that’s not an exaggeration). But in a race, he’d beat his brother (who had a lovely, un-dented Camaro with a perfect, shiny paint job) every damn time.

My best friend Jon was the ultimate car guy. A Ford man, to this very day. He had multiple Mustangs and one or two Cougars, all of which he bought with his own money (earned working at Taco Bell and Checker). Some of his cars ran. Others, not so much. But he knew how to fix cars, and so if one of his cars wasn’t running now, you could bet it would be soon. Some of the happiest moments of my life were spent in his passenger seat, cruising around town. (I actually wrote a post for Jessewave years ago about some of our adventures. You can still find that here.)

Jon’s cars hold a special place in my memory. I remember one particular afternoon in his back yard, him working on something under the hood of a Cougar he’d just bought while I cleaned the interior (and discovered a rat’s nest under the console). One weekend, we hit every yard sale we could find in search of an eight-track tape, just so he could figure out whether the eight-track player in his newest car still worked. We trolled junkyards together, looking for vintage parts. I can remember countless conversations in one or another of his cars. And through it all, no matter which of his many cars we were in, what I remember most was a particular feel to the interiors. A certain smell that hinted at sweat and oil. The strain of the lap belt across my hips. The feel of the leather seats under my hands.

So, when it came to writing Normal Enough, I had a bit of knowledge of classic muscle cars. Not as much as either of my characters, mind you. I had to call on Jon, and my brother-in-law (who’s a mechanic), and I relied heavily on good old-fashioned research. But the one thing I had coming in was a very clear memory of what it felt like to be in the passenger seats of these cars. And while I can’t claim to be as turned on by old Mustangs and Cougars as my protagonist, Kasey, I can certainly say with a fair amount of authority: classic muscle cars really can be damn sexy.

So, what about you? Any classic muscle cars in your past? What car might have the power to turn you on?

About Normal Enough

When Brandon Kenner shows up at Kasey Ralston’s garage with a 1970 Chevelle SS 454, Kasey is smitten by both the man and his car. Between what Kasey considers a shameful fetish and his long estrangement from his family, Kasey finds it easiest to be alone, even distancing himself from his coworkers. But Brandon doesn’t think Kasey’s fetish is weird. In fact, he likes it.

Kasey doesn’t know how to resist a man as charming as Brandon, and he’s more than willing to be seduced. But what are Brandon’s long-term intentions? Kasey is afraid of hoping for too much, but equally afraid that when all is said and done, Brandon will leave, and Kasey will be left alone once again.

Length:  24k words
Publisher:   Ambur Allure
Release Date: March 16, 2014
Purchase Link: Amber Allure

About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado.  She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other.  In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband.  Her imaginary friends often tag along.  Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity.  She loves them anyway.

Follow Marie on her Website, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest

The prize is an ebook copy of Normal Enough and a $50 ARe gift certificate for some of Marie Sexton’s backlist books.

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter image above.  Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway.

Good luck!