Sunday Spotlight is a feature we began in 2016. This year we’re spotlighting our favorite books, old and new. We’ll be raving about the books we love and being total fangirls. You’ve been warned. 🙂
This week’s Sunday Spotlight is a little different. Normally, we spotlight a romance novel but this week, we’re spotlighting Brooding YA Hero: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me by Carrie Ann DiRisio. I have followed Brooding YA Hero on Twitter for a while now and I have laughed quite a few times while reading “his” tweets and that’s quite the accomplishment considering Twitter has been so negative as of late. So when I found out that Brooding YA Hero was getting his own book, I was stoked.
What a fun writing guide this book promises to be. Check it out.
Brooding YA Hero: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me by Carrie Ann DiRisio
Release Date: October 17, 2017
Publisher: Skypony Press
Have you ever wished you could receive a little guidance from your favorite book boyfriend? Ever dreamed of being the Chosen One in a YA novel? Want to know all the secrets of surviving the dreaded plot twist?
Or maybe you’re just really confused about what “opal-tinted, luminous cerulean orbs” actually are?
Well, popular Twitter personality @broodingYAhero is here to help as he tackles the final frontier in his media dominance: writing a book. Join Broody McHottiepants as he attempts to pen Brooding YA Hero: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me, a “self-help” guide (with activities–you always need activities) that lovingly pokes fun at the YA tropes that we roll our eyes at, but secretly love.
As his nefarious ex, Blondie DeMeani, attempts to thwart him at every turn, Broody overcomes to detail, among other topics, how to choose your genre, how to keep your love interest engaged (while maintaining lead character status), his secret formula for guaranteed love triangle success, and how to make sure you secure that sequel, all while keeping his hair perfectly coiffed and never breaking a sweat.
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Excerpt
Narrative Interlude: Evil Appears!
There. It was done. With at least twenty-seven beautiful adjectives and more than thirty perfectly necessary adverbs, it was certain to be a bestseller. Broody smiled at his masterpiece, his work of art, his autobiography. It was perfect. He should frame it. Or publish it. Maybe both.
But the room suddenly went cold, washed in a foreboding doom that smelled faintly of strawberry lipgloss. The air carried with it the sweet sounds of last year’s biggest pop hit, layered with that female vocalist whose lyrics always got stuck in your head. Broody gasped, grabbed his book, and leapt to his feet. Only one character could be identified by her makeup right from the start of the novel. Good female characters always waited until after the plot dictated a makeover to start dressing up.
Only one character could make Broody quake in his (manly, and metaphorical) boots.
Blondie DeMeani appeared. He’d been right to be afraid.
As always, she was dressed flawlessly, perfectly made up, her blonde hair in lovely ringlets. No matter the time period or setting, Blondie always shone like a radioactive star that would probably kill you if you got too close. Broody would know. Blondie was . . . his evil ex-girlfriend.
Unlike a heroine, Blondie knew she was beautiful and flaunted it. Not one for nondescript adjectives, or mousey hair, she held her head high, like she deserved to be noticed.
That, in part, was one of the many reasons why she was pure evil. Self-confidence in a female character was just horrifying. And if that wasn’t evil enough, Blondie had also been known to have her own motivations, which sometimes included ignoring Broody’s own goals. And she’d even kissed multiple guys other than Broody! Sometimes, she became stronger and more powerful after she’d gotten dumped. Totally was ridiculous. Everyone knows that a woman with a broken heart should melt into a soft, mushy puddle of complete passivity in order to let plot happen.
Truly, Blondie was an archvillain.
“What are you doing?” she asked Broody.
“I—I am . . .” He set his chin. “I am writing a book about how to become the most broody you can be.” He folded his arms. “And about being a hero. Which you would know nothing about.”
But when her eyebrow arched, Broody stepped back. He wasn’t scared. It would be ridiculous to be scared of a girl. He just moved backward because it was a cool thing to do, not
because he was retreating.“Sure,” Blondie purred. She was always purring. He sometimes wondered if she was a werekitten. “Of course you can write a book about yourself. That’s your favorite topic.”
“It is not!” he thundered, his eyes flashing. Broody was 5 percent raincloud, on his mother’s side. “I . . . have lots of other favorite topics.”
Her eyebrow quirked even higher. Broody cursed the fact she had gotten better marks than him in Eyebrow Expressions 101. Finally, she said, “Like what?”
“True love?”
“So you’re supportive of your love interest and that other guy in the love triangle finding happiness? Or your love interest running off with some other character who isn’t you?”
Broody clenched his fists. No. That wasn’t okay at all. How could he appear in the sequel if he was written out of the love triangle? He needed to be the hero of all relationships. It wasn’t about his ego; it was about preserving the main character status quo.
“Maybe,” Blondie said, “you should tell the reader how to become a main character.”
“What?” Broody’s eyebrows knitted together. Good. Finally, he’d remembered an expression from Eyebrow Class. Now, Blondie would remember he was a character not to be trifled with. Only the most badass characters got to have dynamic eyebrows. “Why would I do that?”
“Have you ever spoken to a supporting character?”
“Uh. Sure. Lots of times. You know, I ask them things like “Hey, what’s that cute new girl’s name?” or “Yo, dude, give me a compliment.”
Blondie’s eyebrow stayed lifted like a golden arch of judgment. “Wow. Those must be some fascinating conversations.”
“What else am I supposed to ask a supporting character about?” They weren’t main characters, after all. They didn’t have hopes or dreams or even the possibility of becoming a love interest.
“I don’t know. Have you ever considered treating them like every other character?”
Blondie drawled, studying her nails. They were, of course, painted the perfect shade for her— the blood red of her enemies. Broody would know. He was usually her enemy.
“No, because they’re supporting characters.” Broody spoke the words slowly, confused why Blondie was finding this such a hard concept to grasp.
Oh.
Right.
Though she sometimes played the role of the antagonist, usually Blondie was just a supporting character. She never had an arc or plot points or any character growth. Once in a while, the narrative taught her a lesson or punished her for partying and being a badly behaved teen.
Of course the story never did that to him. Mainly because he was a dude, and therefore infinitely better than any female character.
Blondie made a great show of checking her nonexistent watch. “You done interior monologuing? Honestly, you main characters spend longer doing that than actually solving plot problems.”
“Yeah, well, at least we get to actually have plot,” he shot back, and was surprised to see her flinch. He must have struck a nerve he never knew she had. “I’m sorry. I . . . it’s just . . .weird being visited by my evil ex-girlfriend.”
Blondie paced around the room, examining the souvenirs and trophies from his billions of main character moments. “Broody, why am I so evil?”
“Well, you’re really good-looking, and you know it.” But after he responded, he realized he didn’t know what she’d meant. Was Blondie’s evil like his was brooding? A very part of her being? Or did he just think she should be evil.
Ugh. He needed to get back in a book, and soon. He’d started interior monologue like some wishy-washy main female character. Blondie was evil. Period.
A mirror flashed in front of him. Blondie spun it to show him his own reflection. “And you’re not good-looking?”
“Uh, well,” he rubbed his neck, and took a moment to shoot finger-guns at the dashing guy in the mirror before replying. “You’re also very rich.”
“Yeah, so are you.”
“I guess.” Broody turned away from his reflection, though it was very difficult to stop staring into those beautiful lapis lazuli orbs, and went to his desk. “Blondie, you’re an ambitious, beautiful, powerful woman. You’re never going to be a protagonist.”
She whirled on her heel. “Just go back to writing your stupid book, Broody.”
The door slammed shut behind her.
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Are you as excited for this release as we are? Let us know how excited you are and what other books you’re looking forward to this year!
About the Author
Carrie Ann DiRisio
Carrie Ann DiRisio is a YA writer and creator of @BroodingYAHero. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with one large fluffy cat, and is currently pursuing her masters in Digital Marketing, although her true dream is to become a Disney Villainess, complete with a really snazzy gown.
In addition to writing and plans for world domination, she also enjoys running, coffee, Krav Maga, and knitting.
This month I’m looking forward to the last book in the Maiden Lane series by Elizabeth Hoyt and Sarina Bowen’s new book.
This sounds like a cute book. As with Celine, I’m looking forward to Sarina Bowen’s latest book.
not sure what’s coming out