Brooding YA Hero: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me: by Carrie DiRisio

When I first followed the Twitter handle @broodingYAHero, it left me in stitches--all the YA stereotypes and tropes--it was too much!

Here are some favorites:

So imagine my excitement when I got to get my hands on the book, BROODING YA HERO: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me:

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.

Carrie DiRisio also scored me an interview with Broody McHottiepants himself:

Besides yourself, who is your favorite YA hero or heroine? If you took him or her out to lunch, what would you both eat?

It's hard for me to just pick one, because there are so many main characters I'd like to get to know better. That being said, I think hanging with Gen from Megan Whalen Turner's THIEF novel would be a lot of fun. We'd eat something awesome, and probably stolen.


Stolen food tastes the best. What did you enjoy most about writing your book and why?

I really enjoyed getting a chance to share all of my brilliant thoughts with even more people. It's not fair that only Authors ever get to write books. Us characters have a lot to say too. My other most favorite part of the book were the beautiful illustrations done by Linnea Gear. She captures my adjective and adverb worthy face with perfect artistic flair.


Indeed she does. What, if anything, did you learn from interviewing yourself? Would you rather be the interviewer, or the interviewee?

Well, I learned that it is very hard to think in complete sentences when confronted with my brilliant gemstone-colored gaze. No wonder so many love interests faint when I make eye contact with them.

I think I'd prefer to be both. I'm not sure I can trust anyone else to ask the deep questions that I ask, like "what is your favorite color?"


Darn--that's what I should have asked! Why do you think YA heroes are sometimes misunderstood? What do you wish people knew more about? Can you explain? 

Well, we're very good-looking, incredibly arrogant, often wealthy, and usually lacking in moral character... so I don't understand how anyone could ever misunderstand us.
I wish more people knew I had a softer side. I always ask my author to give me a puppy, plucky orphan sidekick, or a pet fern to highlight my softer side, but sometimes they don't comply.

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