Felicia Luna Lemus' debut novel, Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties, is so very L.A. The lead character, Leticia, is a lesbian film school graduate, for chrissakes, who grooms dogs for a living. Advance readers, though, have said that Lemus' novel possesses plenty of genuine originality, the kind of spark and pizzazz you wouldn't normally expect in a first novel. I'm told Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties also presents a realistic view of L.A.'s lesbian subculture. If you're into alternative-style chick lit, this sounds like a very promising debut.
