Dear readers,

Allow me to introduce you to another important upcoming book release and to a person behind it. My friend Lenore Appelhans, a fellow Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children and Young Adults Program alumna, has already proven herself as an imaginative voice in YA sci-fi and fantasy genre with her previous two stories from the Memory Chronicles series (Level Two and Chasing Before). This new book, though, The Manic Pixie Boy Improvement Project, forthcoming March 5 from Carolrhoda Lab, promises to be even more special.

First, let’s go over some terms.

WHO EXACTLY IS A MANIC PIXIE?

Trope: figure of speech, character, plot, image, theme or any other literary element used so often as to be expected (examples: friends to lovers, or enemies to lovers, an exploited orphan child, a ticking clock, a villain who uses sweet, sweet words in his or her speech, a ghost who won’t find closure till revenge is complete, a scary basement of a house. Etc.) Tropes are not always bad: sometimes their familiarity is welcome. Other times though they feel tired and overdone. Often it’s a matter of taste!

Manic Pixie Dream Girl:  a type of character trope that many argue needs to go, because it encourages readers or viewers to think of girls’ sole function as that of support for the struggling boys in their lives. Urban dictionary calls a MPDG “A pretty, outgoing, whacky female romantic lead whose sole purpose is to help broody male characters lighten up and enjoy their lives.” A manic pixie dream girl’s mission in life is to support that boy in her life: to lift his spirit with her quirkiness and inspire him to greatness. But underneath all that goofiness and charm, underneath all those lofty ideas, a manic pixie dream girl is shallow and flat. She has no dreams and goals of her own. 

I have learned the term manic pixie dream girl at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and immediately, I could see them everywhere, from Jerry Spinelli’s Star Girl to Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, from, famously, John Green’s Looking for Alaska to maybe, possibly, Beauty And The Beast. 

Now, the cool thing is, a manic pixie does not always have to be a girl either. (Thank God!) Quirky, crazy, happy Jack in the 1997 Titanic movie exists for the sole purpose of making the woman he falls for see the joy and depth of existence, before sacrificing himself to save her life.

THE BOOK

Lenore’s The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project takes the trope and turns it on its head. Here is the book description:

Riley lives in TropeTown, where everyone plays stock roles in novels. Riley, a Manic Pixie Dream Boy, is sent to group therapy after going off-script. Riley knows that breaking the rules again could get him terminated, yet he feels there must be more to life than recycling the same clichés for readers’ entertainment. Then he meets Zelda, a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (Geek Chic subtype), and falls head over heels in love. Zelda’s in therapy too, along with several other Manic Pixies. But TropeTown has a dark secret, and if Riley and his fellow Manic Pixies don’t get to the bottom of it, they may all be terminated.

This book was Lenore’s creative thesis at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her delight and her triumph, the story promises to be super fun, and I hope you join me in celebrating it.

THE AUTHOR

In addition to being a beautiful writer, Lenore is a warm-hearted friend, clever, loving, sarcastic with just the right touch, (all fun, no meanness.) She wears the most fabulous shoes and makes weathering challenges look easy.

Except, Lenore is now in the midst of one of life’s biggest, darkest trials.

Two years ago, Lenore married Michael,  an equally wonderful, equally funny and warm person just right for her, and they became a beautiful family. Then a little over one month ago, Michael passed away in his sleep.

Here is what Lenore wrote about this, in a Facebook post:

One month ago today was my last day with Mike. A completely normal day, except that he had called in sick from work with the flu. Despite not feeling well, Mike programmed my tiles in the morning (so I wouldn’t keep losing my keys), and we played hide and seek. He played games with his kids. We danced and hugged in the kitchen while making soup. As a family, we watched movies with our brand new 3D projector glasses. And then we exchanged “I love you-s” and he fell asleep, never again to wake. I got my box of hardcovers of my new novel which comes out in 3 weeks. What should have been a happy moment is tinged with deep sadness because he is not here to share it with me. He was so proud of me and this book, and I dedicated it to him, long before I knew he’d never hold a finished copy in his hands.

Lenore will be at just one book signing, at One More Page Books in Arlington, VA on March 3rd at 2 pm (Sunday). 

I, of course, plan to be there for her, helping to make sure the book gets the warm welcome it deserves. If you can’t be there, please consider pre-ordering right here.

Let’s do what we can to show up for this wonderful artist and her lovely story.

In the meantime, tell me. How do you feel about tropes? Love them? Hate them? Expect them? Tolerate them?

And if you have any words of love and healing for Lenore, please leave them in the comments of this post.

Thank you for your support! ❤