Get Your Kicks (and Nostalgia) In the Desert
by Mark Bacon
Route 66 was constructed in the 1920s. Bobby Troup wrote the song lyrics in the 1940s, and by the 1960s, the Mother Road had taken on mythic proportions, becoming the best-known highway in the country. A TV series took its name and sent two young men on adventures down the road. Rock stars recorded Troup’s song. For me, growing up in Southern California, Route 66 represented the appeal of the open road, the wide open spaces of the West, and the pull of days gone by. So when I looked for a setting for a retro-themed suspense novel, it was natural for me to follow the yellow-striped road.
