http://www.francescaliablock.com/
When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
When I was in first grade. I had a beautiful young teacher named Miss Atlas who encouraged me to write poetry. My parents had been encouraging my writing even before that.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I wrote Weetzie Bat while at college at UC Berkeley. I sent the manuscript to a friend who forwarded it to Charlotte Zolotow at Harper. She decided to publish it as a YA book (I had written it as an adult book). That opened the door for all my other stories.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
How to (Un)Cage a Girl is a book of poems about freeing ourselves by examining the things in our childhood and our environment that hold us back and by expressing and receiving love to and from our friends. It’s a very personal book that will make you feel as if I am in the room with you, reading you a poem I’ve written just for you.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
My mother, my children, my friends, the great writers, nature, Los Angeles, music.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have two young children. I am close to my mother and I have an older brother who is very supportive.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Vegan rice pudding.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Meditate, make my children’s breakfasts and lunches, check my email.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?
All the gorgeous shoes I have that I can no longer wear due to a serious foot problem.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
White as it holds all the colors and is the color of light, also the pink of light pink peonies.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?
Right here right now.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists?
Emotional female singer songwriters with an edge like PJHarvey, Tori Amos, Sinead etc.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?
I saw some really bad kid's movie at a theater with my children. I don’t even remember what it was. The last adult movie I saw was probably the latest Woody Allen. I watch JULIET OF THE SPIRITS a lot. I don’t have TV but I loved SIX FEET UNDER and BUFFY.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
I have a whole list in the poem 45 THOUGHTS FOR MY DAUGHTER (AND MY VIRTUAL DAUGHTERS) in How to (Un)cage a Girl. But here I’ll say, learn to love yourself; it’s the most important thing you can do.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Waters and the Wild, Pretty Dead-a vampire book, House of Dolls, Little Pink (with Lydia Wills, Forest Folk: A Mythological Dating Guide.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!
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