About Further Out Than You Thought
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (August 5, 2014)
From award-winning poet Michaela Carter comes a taut and erotically charged literary debut, set against the chaos of the 1992 L.A. riots, about three twentysomethings searching for meaning in their lives
In the Neverland that is Los Angeles, where make-believe seems possible, three dreamers find themselves on the verge of transformation. Twenty-five-year-old poet Gwendolyn Griffin works as a stripper to put herself through graduate school. Her perpetually stoned boyfriend, Leo, dresses in period costume to hawk his music downtown and seems to be losing his already tenuous grip on reality. And their flamboyant best friend and neighbor, nightclub crooner Count Valiant, is slowly withering away.
When the city explodes in violence after the Rodney King verdict, the chaos becomes a catalyst for change. Valiant is invigorated; Leo plans a new stunt—walking into East L.A. naked, holding a white flag; and Gwen, discovering she is pregnant, is pulled between the girl she’s been and the woman she could become. But before Gwen can embrace motherhood, she’s forced to face the questions she’s been avoiding: Can Leo be a father? Can she leave the club life behind, or will the city’s spell prove too seductive?
Weaving poetry and sensuality with an edgy urban sensibility, Further Out Than You Thought is a celebration of life, an ode to motherhood, and a haunting story of love, friendship, and one woman’s quest for redemption.
Praise for Further Out Than You Thought
“Michaela Carter is such a fine, original writer, with a gritty sensuality and musical ear. The characters inFurther Out Than You Thought are young, self-destructive, and wild, as well as vulnerable and complex. This is an enthralling book.” —Kate Christensen, acclaimed author of The Astral
“Further Out Than You Thought is as seductive as a velvet-curtained club, as surprising as a dancer who first peels off her clothes, then peels away her skin to reveal her shimmering, complicated heart.” —Gayle Brandeis, award-winning author of The Book of Dead Birds
Purchase Links
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About Michaela Carter
Michaela Carter is award-winning poet and writer. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona, studied Theater at UCLA and holds an MFA in Creative Writing. Her poetry has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes, won the Poetry Society of America Los Angeles New Poets Contest, and appeared in numerous journals. Recently she co-founded the Peregrine Book Company, an independent bookstore in Prescott, Arizona, where she works as a book buyer and storyteller. She lives in Prescott with her partner and two inscrutable children, and teaches creative writing at Yavapai College. This is her first novel.
Find out more about Michaela at her website and connect with her on Facebook.
Michaela’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, August 5th: Turn the Page
Wednesday, August 6th: Love at First Book
Thursday, August 7th: More Than Just Magic
Friday, August 8th: BooksAreTheNewBlack
Wednesday, August 13th: A Bookish Affair
Thursday, August 14th: Bibliotica
Monday, August 18th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Tuesday, August 19th: Conceptual Reception
Thursday, August 21st: Books on the Table