YA Writer Dishes on Parody Twitter Account
If you wonder how much humor could possibly be centered on the concept of the fabulously good-looking but somewhat maladjusted teen, male protagonist, you clearly need to check out Broody. Carrie Ann DiRisio, creator of the slyly funny and incredibly successful Twitter account, @BroodingYAhero, was interviewed via e-mail on December 18, 2016.
Public Libraries Online: The audience for these comments is public librarians. Do you have a personal library experience they’d like to hear about?
Carrie Ann DiRisio: Absolutely. Not only is my mother a public librarian, who raised me with a deep love of libraries, I am also incredibly grateful to my middle school librarian, Ms. Soplop, who encouraged me to read widely, and also was among the first to read my very first novels.
PL: Would you share a tweet or two that you, personally, thought were among your best?
CAD: “Hey you. If you’re having a bad day, it’s probably just the first chapter of an awesome story.
And you’re clearly the main character.”
“Wanted: other dude in love triangle
Must be: complete opposite of me in everything but equally good looking
Also good at losing and/or dying”
PL: The tweets have a bit of snark but aren’t mean-spirited. Is there a trick you use to achieve that balance?
CAD: I think the secret is just having a deep love of the genre. Mockery with no love behind it is cruel. I deeply appreciate and adore so much of YA that the tweets come from a place of good-natured ribbing.
PL: What’s your usual process for coming up with tweets? Do you jot things down as they come to you or do you follow a more complicated series of steps?
I have a giant stack of post-it notes by my computer, full of ideas for tweets. Sometimes I think of them off the cuff, other times, I come up with a bunch all at once. Last week I watched a popular movie, and it gave me materials for days.
PL: Can you still get lost in reading a YA novel or do you find yourself always on the alert for “material”?
Oh, no, I’m always getting lost in books still! I don’t think anything could take away my love for the immersive magic of fiction, not even Broody’s swoony self.
PL: Who are a few of your favorite YA authors? If they use any bad boy tropes, mum’s the word.
Hah! Well, I always say that tropes are tools. Some of my favorite writers include tropes such as bad boys with hearts of gold, and I love them to pieces. Recently, I’ve greatly enjoyed Heidi Heilig’s The Girl from Everywhere, which features a really cool twist on time traveling, and Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova, for its lush language and deeply immersive storytelling. I’ve also just started Timekeeper by Tara Sim, and I’m utterly enthralled by her characters.
PL: Does your Broody platform factor into any next steps you have for yourself or your career?
Well I’m thrilled to share this news: Broody’s book will be out in the summer of 2017, from Skypony Press! This will be a parody “advice book” full of Broody’s words of wisdom, as well as fun activities and games.
Carrie Ann DiRisio is a YA writer and creator of @BroodingYAHero. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pitt., 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. She’s previously presented at SCBWI Western PA and YALSA Symposium on social media marketing. She can be found at www.creativelycarrie.com.
Tags: social media, Twitter, YA writers, young adult books
