5 Things You Should Know About Lyssa Strata @maladymartti #5Things

5 Things You Should Know About Lyssa Strata

Lyssa Strata is a diverse modern retelling of the classic comedy Lysistrata by Aristophanes, written in 441 BC. There are quite a few direct quotes in my book—usually spat from one character to another during the various fracases in the book. What’s a little rioting or arson between sex strikers?

Yes, the women of Athena (Massachusetts) go on a sex strike for equality. I thought about this subject a lot—what would drive a group so over the edge that they go on a sex strike? How long should it last? And does it count even if he’s super cute and has an amazing butt?! These are the deep literary questions I answer in Lyssa Strata.

When I wrote a book about women going on a sex strike, I meant all women. Which means one of my main characters is a Trans woman! She’s Temperance—80-years-old, enjoys flipping off the sheriff, and rules the senior center with a booze-filled fist. Hey, someone has to spike the punch. I hired a Trans woman sensitivity reader to make sure Temperance was an authentic character because she’s very important to me and the message of the book, which is one of solidarity. Plus, she was the most fun to write!

Lyssa collects clowns. Clowns. She think they’re charming and happy. Everyone else knows they’re creepy and horrible and have an 87% chance of coming alive after midnight and committing murderous evil. When I say Lyssa is a dorky librarian, I darn well mean it.

Lyssa, her BFF Misty, and her mom, Moms, enjoy spending time in the hot tub eating ice cream. It’s in this way they solve their problems (and some of the town’s problems, too). This method of sorting out one’s life is used by many highly effective and famous people. It’s been scientifically* proven** that eating ice cream in a hot tub makes your skin clearer***, your IQ eighteen points higher****, and your sex strikes shorter*****.

*No

**Absolutely not

***But the chlorine??

****It can’t hurt, though

*****This one is very, very true

About the Author

Martti Nelson is the author of comedy novels Lyssa Strata and Attack of the Rom-Com, which is due out later in 2021, as well as some love letters to Totino’s in honor of their fine Party Pizzas. She’s been featured on such luminous sites as Weekly Humorist, The Belladonna, Robot Butt, Daily Drunk Magazine, and Slackjaw. In addition to writing brilliant stuff that is often referred to as “stop mentioning menstruation so much,” Martti enjoys yard work with power tools that make her feel important. Martti creates funny books because she believes that humor can inspire joy, bring people together, and save the world, even in times of darkness. This bio has gotten a tad deep, so she will end on another joke.

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Book Description:

Title: LYSSA STRATA: A COMEDY FOR THE FRUSTRATED
Author: Martti Nelson
Publisher: Humorist Books
Pages: 205
Genre: Women’s Fiction / Commercial Fiction / Humorous Fiction

BOOK BLURB:

She’s mad as hell, and she’s not gonna give it up anymore.

Librarian Lyssa Strata has long begged the Town Council of Athena, Massachusetts, to repeal its disgusting old misogynist and racist laws. But the Council, an all-male entity for 400 years, has blown her off as a redheaded spinster—who, according to a 1673 law, should legally be run out of town at the end of a musket upon a poor fiscal year. So Lyssa seeks to invade the male bastion as the first woman ever on the Council. The men in charge treat her candidacy as a hilarious joke, which does not impress the female townsfolk.

The women are damn tired of being second-class citizens. For example, it’s illegal for them to use a toaster, as the manipulation of buttons is thought to impede brainwaves and cause menstruation. They decide to wield the only power left to them: Lyssa leads them on a sex strike as a revolt against inequality. The fellas are enthusiastic supporters! LOL no, they protest and issue death threats. Yet, when the national news shows up to cover the contentious election, everyone finally starts to listen to the ladies.

In retaliation against the motley crew of sex-strikers, the Council enacts the antique laws they assured Lyssa were merely charming historical trivia. She is accused of witchcraft and thrown in the stocks! Now this bookish dork, once content to hide in the stacks and distribute quiet feminism via checkout, is burning down her torture device and sending the evils of the past to the dustbin. When you want something done, do it yourself.

Or don’t do it—they’re on a sex strike, after all.

PRAISE

“If you’ve ever wondered what it would have been like if Terry Pratchett wrote The Handmaid’s Tale, this is the book for you.” —Jenny Trout, USA Today and Internationally Bestselling Author

“Funny and rage-inducing is a tough balance but Martti Nelson has written a book that is equal parts laugh riot and just plain riot. I want be Lyssa Strata’s best friend!” —Jen Mann, New York Times Bestselling Author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat

“There’s a lot to be frustrated about: the pink tax, politics, old white guys. Nelson deftly satirizes local politics and the patriarchy in Lyssa Strata. The ladies of Athena, Massachusetts may cherish a secret, but I don’t—read this book.” —Brooke Knisley, Your Local Redheaded Succubus. Oh, and Also Writer.

“Nelson’s deliciously laugh-out-loud spin on an ancient Greek tale shreds modern-day sexism with OG feminism.” —Marta Acosta, award-winning author of the Casa Dracula series

“Fans of Parks and Recreation, rejoice—there’s a new Leslie Knope to be found in Martti Nelson’s Lyssa Strata. Packed with callbacks to the Greek myth on which it’s based, this book will make for a satisfying read for any woman who’s mad at hell at the patriarchy and isn’t going to take it anymore, but also wants a laugh a minute along the way.” —Lana Schwartz, author of Build Your Own Romantic Comedy: Pick Your Plot, Meet Your Man, and Direct Your Happily Ever After

“A wickedly clever, sly take on the Greek classic that will have you rolling in the aisles of your own home as hard as the ancient Greeks rolled in the …aisles? Of their…. Ancient theaters??? Whatever, I didn’t read the original Aristophanes and neither did you. Save yourself the trouble and read this hilarious reimagination of it instead.” —Emily Flake, Saint Nell’s Proprietrix & Cartoonist, New Yorker

“Martti Nelson has created a character in Lyssa the librarian who anyone could love, admire and relate to—one who has had enough of the BS and does something about it. This novel will make you feel alive, or at least awake.”

—Jessica Delfino, author of Amazon #1 bestseller Dumb Jokes For Smart Folks