Sunday Street Team: Brooding YA Hero Guest Post

The Book

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Ever wished you could receive a little guidance from your favorite book boyfriend?
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,  his secret formula for guaranteed love triangle success, and how to make sure you secure that sequel, all while keeping his hair perfectly coiffed.

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 business, 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.

The Guest Post: Favorite YA Tropes

So, it's no secret that Brooding YA Hero's book consists of making fun of a lot of tropes. But like all things, I feel like the best humor comes from something when you really love it, and you can lightly poke fun at it. So, without further ado, I'm going to reveal the top tropes I secretly love.

Number one, enemies to lovers. I simply cannot get enough of the bad guy who turns good, out of the power of love. Whether it's Fandom Draco falling for the good guys or Fandom Zuko falling for Katara. Okay. Look. So, most of my enemies to lovers only exist in the fandom community and aren't canon, but that's okay. I still ship them pretty hard.

​Number two: mistaken identity. There's a part of me that deeply loves all of those tropey movie star and pop star movies where someone gets mistaken for a pop star and they get to have this really glamorous life for a day. However, my favorite example of that is actually with someone a lot less likely to be mistaken for, and that's a lady's maid. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is probably one of the cutest, fluffiest movies I've ever seen. In this, a cranky, exhausted old nanny gets mistaken for a lady's maid and gets to have all of the standard makeovers and even finds a love interest based on her mistaken identity.

​Number three: "I love you, but we just can't be together right now." I'm not even sure what this trope would be called, technically, I just know that nothing makes me happier than after characters declare their undying love for each other, some plot related issue keeps them apart, maybe for a chapter, maybe for a book series, maybe for eternity. The pining just fills me with such delicious glee.

​Number four: winter. Okay, that's not an actual trope, but if a book is set in winter and has snowball fights and hot cocoa and snowmen (and isn't the movie Frozen, thank you very much,) I will adore it. Bonus points if it involves snuggling after playing in front of a big bonfire.

Number five: the final trope, I would have to say is the big brooding hero himself. People are often surprised when I reveal how much I love brooding heroes, but like I said, I make fun of what I love because I love it for a very good reason. Give me a handsome man with a dark past and a mysterious secret and I will swoon in seconds. I adore watching the brooding type slowly reveal his good side. It makes me grin every time.