Amy & Roger's Epic Blog Tour - Morgan Matson on the Americanisms in A&R!

When I saw Amy and Roger over at Jenny's blog last year, I just knew that I had to have a copy RIGHT NOW.  Thanks to Amazon one click and a speedy delivery service, I only had to wait a 2 days before this fabulous book was in my hands.  And let me tell you something you've probably heard numerous times....I LOVED IT.  A book about this epic road trip with these funny and real and likeable characters! and most importantly MUSIC! (HOLLA), well is a book that I can put my full force of book loving pusher behind.  And guess what? Amy and Roger was published here in the UK on Thursday and I for one and SO happy that this book will get into more people hands and I can't think of a better publisher! So when I was asked to join in the tour, you can bet I was on it like a bonnet!! The tour has been going on all week, so go visit the schedule here.  Yesterday was the fabulous Book Smugglers and tomorrow the tour will be heading to Book Babblers.

So without further ado, I give you the lady herself.

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Americanisms in Amy & Roger

One of the most fun parts of writing Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour – and taking the road trip across America that served as research and inspiration for the trip – was going to all the different states, and soaking up all the cultural differences from state to state.
But when it came time for the book to be published in the UK, I realized that a guide to some of the more regional American aspects might be in order.  America is such a huge country with so many different regionalisms and slang, that I’ve had to answer questions from American readers as to what some tings mean.  So here’s a handy guide to some of the more specific and puzzling American aspects of Amy & Roger.

Y’all
This is a southern expression that just means “you all.”  A lot of Southern characters pop up in Amy & Roger (even in places like Colorado, where you might not expect them) and so, this phrase is used liberally.  It’s pronounced as one word, and rhymes with “call.”


Frozen Custard

This is a dessert that’s not even familiar to all Americans. It’s found primarily in the American Midwest, and I seriously considered moving there after trying it.  It’s like ice cream, but with the consistency of frozen yogurt – except much richer and creamier. YUM.

AAA
This is the standard American roadside assistance organization – it stands for American Automobile Association, but most people just call it Triple A.


Sweet Tea
Sweet Tea is a beverage found primarily in the South. It’s iced tea, but brewed with sugar (generally, a lot of sugar) so that, like the name suggests, the tea itself is sweet.  It’s the absolutely perfect thing to drink on a hot day.


Drive-Ins
Drive-in restaurants used to be a lot more common in the US, but there are still quite a few of them – there’s a pretty big chain, Sonic Drive-In, that gets a shout-out in the book.  Drive-in restaurants are pretty much what they sound like.  You order through a speaker, and then pull around to a designated space.  And then your food is brought out, and you eat it in your car.


Grits
Grits are a traditional Southern breakfast food.  It’s thinner than oatmeal, more like polenta, but much better and more breakfast-y. A necessity if you’re ever having breakfast in the American South.There are probably many others, but I hope this helped a bit.  Happy reading!

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YAY!!! Thank you so much Morgan.  As you guys will probably already know, I love love LOVE saying y'all even though I am british and when I say it I sound like a fool.  And you all probably know that I went on my OWN american road trip and having experienced it for myself, I can truly say that Morgan managed to translate into words something so amazingly exciting and fun.  Amy and Roger have the right idea.  Road trips are the BEST.