I spent most of my teenage years wishing I lived inside a John Hughes movie,
complete with an awesome โ80s soundtrack. The soundtrack I could manage since Iโm
an โ80s girl, but charming the dream guy with my quirky awkwardness and shiny
braces? Not so much.
When I write a young adult romance, I give my inner teenage dreamer free reign.
In addition to including some painful, cringe-worthy moments (because thatโs my
reality) I also create a world where the heroes are thoughtful and funny, even if
they come off as cocky and arrogant at first, like Slade does in
PLAYING THE
PLAYER.
I donโt write about beautiful, perfect heroines because thatโs not my reality,
and I donโt like to read those type of books. Instead, my heroines are average in
appearance but remarkable in other ways, and thatโs what catches the heroโs
attentionโฆeventually.
Friends-to-lovers is my favorite trope because that is my reality. Iโm lucky
enough to be married to my best friend. We still love to hang out with each other
and laughter is a big part of our lives. I wish that for everyone, so I always
make sure my heroines and heroes have fun with each other, and that they share
private jokes that make them laugh. Itโs not all about the kissingโฆthough of
course thatโs important, too.
When I wrote
PLAYING THE PLAYER I got to play with some of my favorite
tropes: frenemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, and secret bets. I also had fun
inverting traditional gender stereotypes.
Trina and Slade are forced to work a summer nanny job together. Sheโs the super
nanny, and heโs the slacker nanny, or so Trina assumes. But when push comes to
shove, and when two crazy five-year-olds get out of control, readers discover who
the real super nanny is.
Something else I love to include in my books is strong friendships. As a reader,
I donโt like reading about catty girls or stereotypical โdudeโ relationships, so
thatโs not what I write. I love writing bromances, and I had almost as much fun
with Slade and Alexโs friendship as I did with Trina and Sladeโs romance.
In this story, both Trina and Slade have best friends who do what true friends
should: support them, yet also call them out when they make dumb decisions or are
ridiculously stubborn.
Iโve heard from early reviewers that this book reminded them of a John Hughes
movie, which makes me so very happy. It probably didnโt hurt that I snuck in a
couple of Ferris Bueller references, including the โOh Yeahโ song that always
makes me smile.
To me, the best romances are grounded in friendship, laughter, true appreciation
of each otherโs unique qualitiesโฆand lots of swoony kissing. I strive for that in
all my books, and hope that readers fall in love right along with my characters.
Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn't recovered from the teenage trauma of
nearly tweezing off both eyebrows and having to pencil them in for an entire
school year. This and other angst-filled memories inspire her to write YA books
about navigating life's painful and funny dramas, and falling in love along the
way.
Her almost forever home is Colorado, though she occasionally pines for the days
when she lived within walking distance of the Pacific Ocean. Her house is full of
books, boys, several four-legged prima donnas, and lots of laughter.
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The Good Girl Vs. The Player Round one begins...
Trina Clemons needed the money. Why else would she - the most organized, prepared
student in school - spend the summer as a nanny and partner with the biggest
slacker ever? Now she's ready to tackle nannyhood with her big binder of research
and schedules. Just don't ask her about the secret job of "fixing" the bad habits
of a certain high school player...
Slade Edmunds prefers easy hook-ups, and Trina is definitely not his type. She's
all structure and rules, while Slade wants to just have fun. Fortunately, Trina
has no idea about the bet Slade made with his best friend that he can totally get
her to unwind by the end of summer...
Then the weirdest thing happens. There's chemistry. A lot of it. But nothing gets
between a boy and a girl like a big, fat secret...
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