Have Baggage, Will Travel: a novel

Kate Larabee is Los Angeles' leading travel expert under thirty-five, and everything in her life is going according to plan. When her handsome lawyer boyfriend, Charlie whisks her away for their anniversary weekend, Kate is sure he's going to propose. But when he breaks up with her instead, Kate's perfectly planned out life is thrown into immediate chaos.Unsure of her next move, Kate travels home to Kansas City to see her family and recalibrate. It's there in her childhood bedroom that she finds a love letter diary she kept with her first love, Rob-the one that got away. Contained within the pages is the person Kate used to be-a free-spirited adventurer that she's lost over time, and one she is eager to return to being.Armed with the diary in hand, and a helpful nudge from her sympathetic editor, Kate hits the road on assignment for the magazine. As she makes her way across the country, stopping in places like, Sedona, Santa Fe, Austin, New Orleans, and Savannah, Kate battles mosquitos, humidity and summer thunderstorms in search of the perfect fried southern delicacy, but discovers so much more in the process:A fried shrimp po'boy should always be served with a cold Barqs root beer. If you're going to reach out to the ex you haven't spoken to in a decade, make sure you have the right address?and for goodness sake, keep stirring the roux so it doesn't burn.