Francesca Lia Block

I think I first discovered the author Francesca Lia Block during college. Although it might have been near the end of high school. I read her fabulous book "Weetzie Bat" of an outsider who has an amazing life and wonderful adventures. That is totally paraphrasing it, so you should check it out for yourself. Then, by chance, while visiting a friend in Portland, we went to Powell's books and she was there giving a reading! She had released all the "Weetzie Bat" books as one collected work and this tour was to promote that. I sat down, in awe of this women not only for her own magical work but also since she had interviewed Tori Amos once. She read the breathtakingly beautiful passage about soul mates from the book "Witch Baby." I seriously had to wipe away tears. It talked about loving someone and not being able to be with them but your souls had already gotten married so you still had this connection. Once again, read it for yourself. I have the collection, titled "Dangerous Angels." And what makes Block an amazing author, as proven in this big book, is that she isn't afraid to face tough issues in a lyrical, fairy tale, magical way. The stories deal with coming to terms with being gay, drug abuse, physical abuse, and the basic loneliness we all feel sometimes. These three books shown in the picture, I am letting go. Not because I don't love them. But because I read them once, and in the case of one of them never, and they didn't marry my soul like her previous stories. I know that doesn't belittle how much I admire Francesca Lia Block, I will and have continued to read her stories. But like Witch Baby learned, sometimes it just isn't meant to be.