LYSSA STRATA
By Martti Nelson
One time, when I was in grade school, my mother had enough of all of us. There were six kids—his, hers, and theirs. Of course, we were perfect angels who never erred or made a mess.
Sure, Jan.
My dad was less helpful around the house than he should have been, putting it nicely, and my harried, working-full-time-with-six-friggin’-kids mom was on the brink of going on strike. She warned us, her voice terrifying and true, and it struck fear into the hearts of all lazy shits. Because we knew what a superheroine she was…and that we needed to step up our contributions, or else.
Every person’s breaking point is different, but I suspect all we women have been on the verge more than once. My novel, Lyssa Strata, was born in the space between “fed up” and “I don’t give a crap what you think of me anymore.”
Did you know that in Michigan, a wife must obtain her husband’s permission before she can cut her hair? Or that a woman can be fired for a period leak in Georgia? OR that rapists have parental rights in seven states? Ha ha, yay, we’ve come a long way, baby.
It was these sorts of indignities and affronts that inspired my modern retelling of Lyssa Strata, based on the classic comedy Lysistrata by Aristophanes. Lyssa Strata is a meek librarian who turns her town of Athena upside-down. She runs to be the first woman ever on the Town Council specifically to abolish a plethora of these type of sexist laws. Lyssa reaches her breaking point after years of head-pats and being fed empty promises by the leaders of Athena. Many other women in Athena are tired of these laws…but also of everyday life. Of catcalls, unequal pay, and being the only person in the house willing to change the toilet paper roll. It’s not that hard, people!
Women are conditioned to, “yes,” with a smile. I wanted to write a book about the point at which they, like my mom, say, “NO,” and also maybe, “Our jeans should have pockets deeper than a wadded up $5 bill!”
The women of Athena say no with a sex strike.
CUE THE MELTDOWNS! How very dare they! Women are robots, see. You put in coins of patriarchy, and sex and cleaning and cooking fall out. Right?
Right?!
Wrong. There’s a point at which any of us can choose to step back and refuse to play along. Refuse to be ladylike. Refuse to participate in the limited role the giant hand keeps shoving us into. Can you imagine? Because I did. And it was fuuuuuuuuun. Pissed off women going wild? It’s a book that practically writes itself. Except it didn’t, I worked very hard, please buy a copy, thx.
It’s easy to talk about going on strike, or telling people to piss off. What a lovely fantasy, huh? Maybe you’re not ready to call out the slings and arrows of outrageous gender roles, but you can take a sneak peek of what it might be like by checking out Lyssa Strata. Lyssa standing up for herself has inspired me to ask for what I want more. It’s actually how I got this book deal, no kidding. Maybe that’s why I write these kinds of stories about women going rogue and burning down injustice—because I need a push from a heroine, especially when I don’t feel much like one.
What kinds of heroines inspire you? Have you ever done—or not done—something in your life because a book girlfriend emboldened you? Inspire me in the comments!
Love, Martti
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
ORDER YOUR COPY
Amazon → https://amzn.to/3hSVLpu
Humorist Books → https://bit.ly/3vl08xH
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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