New Releases by Francesca Lia Block

Izzy Ames lives with her high school sweetheart, Cyrus Rivera, in the Salton Sea. They cling to each other and to their close friends Nephy and Seth to cope with the trauma of their pasts. Until the morning Izzy awakes to find Cyrus has vanished. When she realizes no one will help, Izzy takes matters into her own hands and decides to search for Cyrus alone. After weeks of looking for him, she discovers a clue that leads her to the House of Hearts retreat center run by the mysterious Sky. At House of Hearts, Izzy meets an intriguing musician named Ever Fontana and for a moment she is able to forget the pain of her past. But when new clues about Cyrus'' disappearance surface, Izzy must go down into the dark to find the truth. Izzy''s quest will take her into a world of sexuality, madness, and violence, where she will discover life-changing secrets not only about Cyrus but, ultimately, about herself.--Publisher.

The newest collection of haunting, magical poems by Francesca Lia Block, author of Fairy Tales in Electri-City, draws on myth and fable to explore the roles women play in many archetypal stories- and gives voice to these female characters, to let them tell their tales in their own words. "Wasn''t it pervert Edgar Allen Poe who said, ''The death of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world?'' Francesca Lia Block''s book Dead Girls begs to differ. Here we see the exploitation of girls--spun into the very DNA of our Western culture of myth and fairy tales--for what it is. Block gives voice to these women and girls, including the ''wicked'' queens and stepmothers, revealing a complexity and despair as only a truly great poet can. I''ll tell you what is the most poetical topic in the world--beautiful girls who are very much alive in these exquisite poems."--Denise Duhamel "In the gorgeous realms of these poems we might hear beguiling instructions: ''Heed my advice / Take your heart from your chest / Let it bleed in your hands / Talk to it softly / as if to a lover, '' and then wander into their alluring spaces of darkness. Bristling with violence and eroticism, the wilderness here resonates with current and crucial concerns. Listen close and follow Francesca Lia Block''s seductive voice as it speaks through these fabular figures: ''I want to tell my history / Can you hear my stories?''"--Molly Bendall

Powerful, riveting, and real. Sixteen celebrated authors bring us raw, insightful stories that explore guns and teens in a fiction collection that is thought provoking and emotionally gripping. For fans of Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock and Give a Boy a Gun, and with an array of YA talent like the late great Walter Dean Myers, the poetic Joyce Carol Oates, the prophetic Elizabeth Wein, and the gritty Chris Crutcher, these are evocative voices that each has a different perspective to give. Capturing the hurt and the healing, victims and perpetrators, these stories get to the heart of the matter. From a boy whose low self-esteem is impacted when a gun comes into his possession to a student recalling a senseless tragedy that befell a favorite teacher, from a realistic look at hunting to a provocative look at a family that defies stereotypes, each emotional story stirs the debate to new levels. The juxtaposition of guns and their consequences offers moving tales, each a reminder of how crucial the question of guns in our society is, and the impact they have on all of us. Other acclaimed contributors are Marc Aronson, Edward Averett, Francesca Lia Block, Alex Flinn, Gregory Galloway, Jenny Hubbard, Peter Johnson, Ron Koertge, Chris Lynch, Eric Shanower, Will Weaver, and Tim Wynne-Jones.

Perfect for literature classes and beginning writers of all ages! "Tell me a story of when you were little" is something children love to ask. Now ten award-winning writers: Mary Pope Osborne, Laurence Yep, James Howe, Katherine Paterson, Walter Dean Myers, Susan Cooper, Nicholasa Mohr, Reeve Lindbergh, Avi, and Francesca Lia Block tell young readers stories drawn from their own childhood memories. The authors have also contributed notes about why they chose particular memories to write about and what in their lives led them to be writers. In this way, the extraordinary stories in When I Was Your Age bear witness to the origins of a writer’s art--and honor the courage, tenderness, and fragility of children.

Inspired by Virgil''s Aenid , this sequel to Love in the Time of Global Warming follows Pen as she searches for love among the ruins. "A mesmerizing, magical, and mysterious tale of love and loss, stories and visions, and betrayal and redemption, all told in the author''s signature lyrical voice." — Booklist In The Island of Excess Love, Pen has lost her parents. She''s lost her eye. But she has fought Kronen; she has won back her fragile friends and her beloved brother. Now Pen, Hex, Ash, Ez, and Venice are living in the pink house by the sea, getting by on hard work, companionship, and dreams. Until the day a foreboding ship appears in the harbor across from their home. As soon as the ship arrives, they all start having strange visions of destruction and violence. Trance-like, they head for the ship and their new battles begin. "The language and imagery are beautiful but haunting. . . . For fans of the first book, this will be a treat." — School Library Journal

After a devastating earthquake destroys the West Coast, causing seventeen-year-old Penelope to lose her home, her parents, and her ten-year-old brother, she navigates a dark world, holding hope and love in her hands and refusing to be defeated.

Cinco histórias de amor e medo, em que a paixão e o sobrenatural misturam-se a todo instante. Em Beijos infernais, tanto na história de uma fugitiva (que se vê forçada a confiar em um garoto cuja missão é destruí-la) como na relação de amor entre dois imortais, o limite entre o desejo e o perigo torna-se cada vez mais tênue. Kristin Cast, Richelle Mead, Alyson Noël, Kelley Armstrong e Francesca Lia Block fazem o leitor questionar o verdadeiro sentido do " amor eterno" e mostram seus prós e contras.

Pink Smog, the long-awaited prequel to Francesca Lia Block''s groundbreaking novel Weetzie Bat, was praised as "an intoxicating mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance" by ALA Booklist in a starred review. Weetzie Bat is one of the seminal young adult novels of the ''90s and continues to be an iconic treasure for teens everywhere. Now Pink Smog reintroduces a whole new generation to the eponymous Weetzie Bat—before she was Weetzie. Against the backdrop of a Los Angeles teeming with magical realism, Louise Bat struggles to find a way to deal with life after her father''s unceremonious departure. Longtime fans and newfound readers alike will fall in love with Francesca Lia Block''s beautifully crafted and brutally honest world. Maggie Stiefvater, New York Times bestselling author of The Raven Boys, proclaimed "Pink Smog sparkles and obscures; it''s a glorious mirage, like the city it pays homage to."

Une jeune paria dont s''éprend un vampire, une créature enchanteresse qui apporte la rédemption - ou la damnation éternelle -, un château étrange où les peintures rappellent les morts à la vie, des expériences scientifiques qui tournent mal, un amour impossible entre l''élite et le commun des immortels... La tension amoureuse est palpable dans ce recueil de cinq nouvelles au milieu des séducteurs aux dents longues.

Poetry. Elves and centaurs, nymphs and fauns inhabit this new collection of magical, erotic poems about a girl yearning for and searching for love in present-day Los Angeles.

Dirk MacDonald, a sixteen-year-old boy living in Los Angeles, comes to terms with being gay after he receives surreal storytelling visitations from his dead father and great-grandmother.

With their parents away, four young people form a rock band that becomes wildly popular, carrying them into a "freer" life than they can cope with.

Truly, Madly, Undead-ly This irresistible collection features stories of love amid vampires by five of today''s hottest authors—Kristin Cast (Tempted), Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy), Alyson NoËl (Evermore), Kelley Armstrong (The Summoning), and Francesca Lia Block (Pretty Dead). From a fugitive vampire forced to trust a boy who might work for the group bent on destroying her to the legendary romance of two immortals whose love compels them to risk everything, this heart-pounding collection brings new meaning to the words "love you forever." Whether you''re into romances that are dark and moody or light and fun, these stories will quench that insatiable thirst for enchanting tales of the beautiful undead.

Once upon a time in the city of Shangri-L.A., someone left a baby on a doorstep. She had wild, dark hair and purple eyes and looked at the world in a special way. The family that took her in called her Witch Baby and raised her as their own. But even though she tried to fit in, Witch Baby never felt as though she truly belonged. So one day she packed her bat-shaped backpack, put her black cowboy-boot roller skates, and went out into the real world to find out who she really was....

This is the story of two girls, racing through space like shadow and light. A photo negative, together they make the perfect image of a girl. Violet is the dark one, dressed in forever black, dreaming Technicolor dreams of spinning the world into her very own silver screen creation. Claire is like a real-life Tinker Bell, radiating love and light, dressing herself in wings of gauze and glitter, writing poems to keep away the darkness. The setting is L.A., a city as beautiful as it is dangerous, and within this landscape of beauty and pain Violet and Claire vow to make their own movie. Together they will show the world the way they want it to be, and maybe then the world will become that place--a place where people no longer hate or fight or want to hurt. But when desire and ambition threaten to rip a seamless friendship apart, only one thing can make two halves whole again--the power of love. Francesca Lia Block''s latest novel is a beautifully told story that boldly combines the world of film with the lyrical graceful language of poetry. The voices of two friends--one dark, one light--combine to tell a larger tale of love and loss, and the strength that comes from believing in dreams.

But this is what I could not give up: I could not give up myself Psyche has known Love—scented with jasmine and tasting of fresh oranges. Yet he is fleeting and fragile, lost to her too quickly. Punished by self-doubt, Psyche yearns to be transformed, like the beautiful and brutal figures in the myths her lover once spoke of. Attempting to uncover beauty in the darkness, she is challenged, tested, and changed by the gods and demons who tempt her. Her faith must be found again, for if she is to love, she must never look back.

“Weetzie’s many fans will most appreciate this reunion. . . but those just meeting Block’s whimsical entourage and sparkling prose will also appreciate the book’s message: that magic can be found in stolen moments and, in Dirk’s words, though ‘love is a dangerous angel,’ it’s well worth the risk.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) In this installment of Francesca Lia Block’s phenomenal Weetzie Bat series, we follow Weetzie through a life-altering and magical journey, where anything is possible, even true love. Turning 40 and stuck in a relationship gone stale, Weetzie packs up one day and leaves Max, the same secret agent lover man who was once the other half of a passionate relationship. She stays at an enchanted pink hotel, where she meets an otherworldly cast of characters, among them a blue-skinned receptionist, an invisible cleaning lady, a seductive room service clerk, and a sushi-eating mermaid who gives her a kiss that sets the wheel of self-discovery in motion.

With language that is both lyrical and distinctly her own, Francesca Lia Block turns nine fairy tales inside out. Escaping the poisoned apple, Snow frees herself from possession to find the truth of love in an unexpected place. A club girl from L.A., awakening from a long sleep to the memories of her past, finally finds release from its curse. And Beauty learns that Beasts can understand more than men. Within these singular, timeless landscapes, the brutal and the magical collide, and the heroine triumphs because of the strength she finds in a pen, a paintbrush, a lover, a friend, a mother, and finally, in herself.

A girl thought to be a boy steals her sister''s skirt, while a boy thought to be a girl refuses to wear a cornflower blue dress. One boy''s love of a soldier leads to the death of a stranger. The present takes a bittersweet journey into the past when a man revisits the summer school where he had "an accidental romance." And a forgotten mother writes a poignant letter to the teenage daughter she hasn''t seen for fourteen years. Poised between the past and the future are the stories of now. In nontraditional narratives, short stories, and brief graphics, tales of anticipation and regret, eagerness and confusion present distinctively modern views of love, sexuality, and gender identification. Together, they reflect the vibrant possibilities available for young people learning to love others—and themselves—in today''s multifaceted and quickly changing world.

People pity me, but mostly they feel envy. I have all the luxury and freedom a girl my age could want. Something is happening to Charlotte Emerson. Like the fires that are ravaging the hills of Los Angeles, it consumes her from the inside out. But whether it is her eternal loneliness, the memory of her brother, the return of her first love, or the brooding, magnetic Jared—she cannot say. What if it''s something more . . . Something to do with the sudden tear in her perfect nails. The heat she feels when she''s with Jared. The blood rushing once again to her cheeks and throughout her veins. For Charlotte is a vampire, witness to almost a century''s worth of death and destruction. But not since she was a human girl has mortality touched her. In what way will you be transformed? Until now.

From bestselling author Francesca Lia Block, an imaginative new guide to dating based on the timeless wisdom of myth, folklore, and fairy tales.

When Bee woke up, there was a girl standing in her room. "You are me," the girl said. Then she was gone. I am a thirteen-year-old double Gemini. I get bad grades, write poetry with my left hand, dance in my room, surf the net. I Google images of the tattoos my mom won''t let me get. . . . But my world belongs to someone else. Someone who lives below the concrete of Los Angeles, someone with wild eyes and twigs in her hair. And I think she wants her life back.

“[Francesca Lia Block] is the sorceress of iridescent language.”—Kirkus Reviews Open Letter to Quiet Light will make readers feel as if they are peering at secret writings meant for the eyes of a lover alone, but these carefully crafted lines somehow transcend the personal to touch everyone who has experienced this kind of consuming, wrenching love. In these fiercely passionate, devastatingly revealing, sometimes spiritual, and often painful poems, Francesca Lia Block describes in fiery detail the rise and demise of a year-long love affair. Her rich use of language infused with the power of sex and spirit finally paint a transcendent, almost mythic portrait of the way two wounded people—both searching for connection—find each other, collide, and eventually separate. The words seem to bleed onto the page and even the most graphic moments have a devotional quality filled with nuanced expression and unbridled intimacy. Francesca Lia Block is renowned for her groundbreaking literary works, including the best-selling Weetzie Bat. Her writing transports readers through the harsh landscapes of contemporary life to realms of the senses where love is a saving grace. She lives in Los Angeles.

Acclaimed author Francesca Lia Block weaves pure magic into this deftly constructed tale殮e girl′s path to womanhood told in linked short stories. Written in her uniquely poetic, carefully crafted style, Echo is a tour-de-force from one of our most exciting contemporary writers. Ages 11+

A celebration of girls and women in a three part poetry collection that is powerful, hopeful, authentic, and universal.

Meet Tweetie Sweet Pea and Peachy Pie, Jacaranda and Rave and Desiree... Meet Lady Ivory and Alabaster Dutchess, who interview their favorite rock star, Nick Agate, only to discover the magic and power in themselves. Meet Tuck Budd, who is happy living in Manhattan with her two moms, Izzy and Anastasia, until she begins to wonder who her father is. Meet La, who faces the loss of her mother with an imaginary androgynous blue friend who lives in her closet. Zingingly bright and dreamily dark, full of wonder and gritty reality, these stories by acclaimed author Francesca Lia Block show the reader that in every girl there truly is a goddess. The cutting-edge author of Weetzie Bat once again breaks new ground with Girl Goddess #9, nine stories about girl goddesses of every age and shape and color and size, wearing combat boots and spiky hair or dressed all in white. One girl has two moms, another has no mother at all but a strange blue skinned creature that lives in her closet. One is a rock star groupie, another loves dancing and reading poetry and having picnics in the backyard when the moon is full. These are stories about girls discovering that the world is not a simple place and that there is more than one way to live''all in Ms. Block''s rich, lyrical language that fans have come to adore and that Sassy magazine called ‘a dream.''

Two magical-realist coming-of-age Weetzie Bat stories from Francesca Lia Block: Witch Baby and Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys.

What shall we do, all of us? All of us passionate girls who fear crushing the boys we love with our mouths like caverns of teeth, our mushrooming brains, our watermelon hearts? What''s real is what''s imagined in nine tales of transformation by Francesca Lia Block.

Millions of viewers have enjoyed the black humour and the skewed but perceptive wisdom of The Sopranos. This is the official guide to the language, philosophy and street wisdom of the world''s most famous mobster family.