Francesca Lia Block

BIO

Francesca Lia Block is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestsellers THE ROSE AND THE BEAST, VIOLET & CLAIRE, and DANGEROUS ANGELS: The Weetzie Bat books, as well as I WAS A TEENAGE FAIRY, Girl Goddess #9, THE HANGED MAN, ECHO, and NYMPH. Her work has been translated into seven different languages and is published around the world. She made her dazzling entrance onto the literary scene with her debut novel Weetzie Bat in 1989. Ms. Block lives in Los Angeles with her husband, her daughter and son, and Two Dogs.

INTERVIEW

Writing with Magic: An Interview with Francesca Lia Block
by Shannon Maughan

March 10, 2000

Weetzie Bat sees life through rose-colored glasses. Pink Harlequin sunglasses, that is. And what she sees is the "slinkster cool" city of Los Angeles shimmering before her ---home of Graumann's Chinese Theatre, funky clubs on Sunset and the "cheapest cheese and bean and hot dog and pastrami burritos."

Weetzie is the memorable creation of author Francesca Lia Block, and the character has been inviting readers to her bizarre, glittery version of la-la land for nearly ten years --- ever since she appeared in Block's first YA novel, WEETZIE BAT, in 1989. Block has subsequently written five books about Weetzie and her eclectic, eccentric friends (all five books are now bound into one volume, DANGEROUS ANGEL: The Weetzie Bat Books), as well as three other novels and a collection of short stories titled GIRL GODDESS #9. Her unique characters, fantasy-tinged plots and honest treatment of race, homosexuality, AIDS, abuse and other complicated subjects have made hers one of the freshest literary voices around. And although they may be controversial to some, Block's books offer readers an exhilarating escape to a world of color, style, magic and emotion they'll not soon forget.

Long before she ever envisioned Weetzie, Block was developing her story-telling craft. "I think I knew when I was very young that I wanted to be a writer," she says. "I always loved to write. I loved poetry. I kept journals and took writing classes. And I read a lot. My dad read me fairytales and Greek myths. I was very lucky to have parents who gave me lots of encouragement." Some of her favorite books from childhood were THE ANIMAL FAMILY by Randall Jarrell and titles by Rumer Godden.

Block grew up in the same L.A. that Weetzie loves and became hopelessly homesick for it when she moved north to attend the University of California at Berkeley. It was there that Weetzie came fully to life and Block's first novel began to percolate. "Of all my books WEETZIE BAT was the most fun. I wrote it for my own entertainment and comfort at the time," she says. "I was in Berkeley and missing L.A. It was a respite from my difficult courses in college."

When she finished her manuscript, Block sent it to respected editor and author Charlotte Zolotow at HarperCollins who enthusiastically offered to publish it. "It was my charmed book, in a way," Block says. The book received warm reviews and won lots of young fans, but it wasn’t without its critics. Weetzie Bat lives with her boyfriend "My Secret Agent Lover Man," her best friend Dirk, and Dirk's lover Duck, for starters. Weetzie has a baby named Cherokee and this most unusual family takes in another infant, Witch Baby, who is left on the cottage doorstep. "There was some huff about Weetzie Bat," Block says. "It seemed to create a stir."

A later novel, THE HANGED MAN, about a young woman dealing with sexual abuse, also raised plenty of eyebrows. It did not sell well when released in 1994 and for a time, was out of print. Happily it was reprinted in a paperback edition in fall 1999.  "I'm so lucky that my editor took the chance to publish it," says Block. "I can see where it wouldn't be appropriate for younger readers, but I also know that there are lots of older readers who missed it."

It's instances like these that really try the patience of writers. "I've spent a lot of time worrying about my books being in the YA category," she says, "but I've decided to let someone else take on that cause. I didn't want to lead the way. I never planned to write for this audience and was published this way by chance. I am happy to have found so many wonderful young readers but luckily I have also reached the adults I intended to reach." In addition to her YA work, Block has garnered an adult readership for her fantasy novels ECSTASIA and PRIMAVERA,

Block shares the concerns of many other YA writers when it comes to criticism of and opposition to their subject matter. However, Block stands up to censorship. "If my books create controversy and are challenged, I'm honored my books are a part of that. There are lots of great books that have been banned," she says.

Most writers have a special place in their heart for a favorite character; Block says that she feels closest to Weetzie and Witch Baby, the wild love child of "My Secret Agent Lover Man" and voodoo woman Vixanne Wig. "I'm somewhere between the light and dark of both of them," she says. "I identified with the intensity and emotional wildness of Witch Baby when I was growing up. But Weetzie has an eternal sweetness that I hope is part of me, too."

While her characters may change, there's a common thread running through Block's work. "I believe in the healing power of love and creative expression in the face of fear," she says. "It's not a conscious thing, but it is in my books."

Young writers often ask Block for advice. "I encourage people to write their story," she says. "Write what you love, what excites you, what upsets you. And read a lot." As for her own inspiration, Block comments, "I write about what’s going on in my life, what is urgent and needs to be expressed. I keep moving through what I’m feeling at the time. My daily life, my friends inspire me and I feel confident enough to put it down as it's happening. Many people have the talent to write, but they don’t think their experiences are worth recording."

When it comes to getting her own creative juices flowing, Block often puts one foot in front of the other. "I take long walks with my springer spaniel, Vincent Van Go Go Boots. I find that when I'm physically active my mind works best. I also enjoy musing in my work room overlooking an orange tree whose fruit is so lush and abundant that I have had dreams in which each piece has individual personality!"

Yoga, walking and spending time with her husband, dog and mom are some of Block's favorite ways to relax. And when it comes to hobbies, it's no surprise that reading tops the list. But one of Block's newest pastimes gives us a hint at what's to come down the road: "Lately I have begun to watch a few TV shows as I am in the process of developing a series for MTV."

On the writing front, Block is currently working on THE ROSE AND THE BEAST: Fairy Tales Retold, a new YA title published by HarperCollins in fall 2000, and NYMPH, a book or erotic stories for adults due out from Circlet Press this May. Happily for us readers, it looks like that old Block magic is still at work

   --- Shannon Maughan