Further Out Than You Thought

<p></p><p>Combining the eloquence and raw sensuality of Jeanette Winterson with the romantic renegade spirit of Patti Smith <em>Further Out Than You Thought</em> is a taut and erotically charged literary debut set against the chaos of the 1992 L.A. riots about three people searching for identity and meaning from award-winning poet and indie bookshop co-founder Michaela Carter.</p><p>In the Neverland that is Los Angeles where make-believe seems real 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.</p><p>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 confronted by troubling questions. Can Leo become a good dependable father? Can she leave the club life behind or will the city's spell prove too seductive?</p><p>Combining poetry and sensuality with an edgy urban sensibility <em>Further Out Than You Thought</em> is a celebration of life and a haunting story of love friendship and one woman's quest for redemption.</p>