I've been lucky enough to be a part of the blog tour for
A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers, and today I have a guest post for you all written by the lovely Lisa herself. I asked her to write about when she's gone too far or pushing the envelope when it comes to writing and here's what she came up with:
Usually, book titles come to me easily.
At some point during the writing process, the perfect title just sort of pops
into my head. In the case of A LITTLE TOO FAR, it wasn’t until well after I’d
finished the book that it finally came to me. But the title fits, both Lexie’s
situation and the project as a whole.
If you care enough to even read this
post, it means you probably know a little something about the New Adult genre,
so I won’t rehash what New Adult means. But the genre as a whole is all about
stretching wings and self-discovery, and sometimes that means pushing the
envelope. It seems that dozens of NA books are published each week, and many of
them sell well. As in any genre, there’s an established formula that works. So,
the question becomes: how do you write a book within parameters that are going
to satisfy readers of the genre without it seeming like the same thing they’ve
already read dozens of times? What you see beginning to happen is that the
standard tropes are being turned on their heads. This is what I hoped to do
with A LITTLE TOO FAR. I have a very intelligent girl (Lexie), a sophisticated
backdrop (the Roman art culture) and no tattooed bad boy. Instead, I have a
stepbrother who, yes, has one small tattoo, and yes, drives a motorcycle, but
is NOT a bad boy, and who cares deeply for his stepsister. And I have a man
who’s without a single tattoo, and wears a white collar. He’s on his way to
becoming a priest. But he also comes to care deeply for Lexie.
I’ve seen comments on Twitter and
Goodreads that indicate there are going to be people who choose not to read my
book because of the taboo subject matter, and that’s totally their prerogative.
No single book is going to appeal to everyone. But pushing the envelope is what
writing is all about—especially in the NA genre. Our characters are exploring
new territory and finding themselves along the way. That doesn’t happen inside
the envelope. Life doesn’t happen inside the envelope, and any writer’s
goal is to accurately portray the human condition. In the book of your life,
I’m sure you can think of several instances when you lived or acted outside the
envelope. Whether you’re willing to share them or not is up to you. I didn’t
give Lexie the choice. ;-)
“More than a
ridiculously sexy, HOT read, Desrochers takes you on a wild ride of
self-discovery and bittersweet romance.”
— JENNIFER L.
ARMENTROUT, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Have you ever gone
just a little too far?
Lexie Banks has.
Yep. She just had
mind-blowing sex with her stepbrother. In her defense, she was on the rebound,
and it’s more of a my-dad-happened-to-marry-a-woman-with-a-super-hot-son
situation. But still, he’s been her best friend and confidant for the better
part of the last few years … and is so off limits. It’s a good thing she’s
leaving in two days for a year abroad in Rome.
But even thousands of
miles away, Lexie can’t seem to escape trouble. Raised Catholic, she goes to
confession in hopes of alleviating some of her guilt … and maybe not burning in
hell. Instead, she stumbles out of the confessional and right into Alessandro
Moretti, a young and very easy-on-the-eyes deacon … only eight months away from
becoming a priest. Lexie and Alessandro grow closer, and when Alessandro’s
signals start changing despite his vow of celibacy, she doesn’t know what to
think. She’s torn between falling in love with the man she shouldn’t want and
the man she can’t have. And she isn’t sure how she can live with herself either
way.
A LITTLE TOO FAR GIVEAWAY
It's all about the details, and here they are!
The Giveaway Prizes:
- An iPad Mini -
one winner
- A knowledge pendant, tote bag, and tattoos (Trent’s tattoo!) - one
winner
- A signed copy of HarperCollins’ BETWEEN THE COVERS sampler with the
1st two chapters of A LITTLE TOO FAR annotated, knowledge tote, and tattoos -
one winner
- A signed copy of BETWEEN THE COVERS with the 1st two chapters of A
LITTLE TOO FAR annotated, and tattoos - two winners
The Giveaway Details:
- Giveaway is US/Canada ONLY.
- There will be FIVE winners total.
And here is the rest of the Authors Are Rockstars A LITTLE TOO FAR Blog Tour Schedule:
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
What an awesome guest post! :D I definitely like when authors challenge the standard tropes...and who doesn't like envelopes being pushed. ;D
What about you? What do you think?
Also, are you excited to read A Little Too Far? I personally can't wait!!!
