This collection of haunting, magical poems  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.

“In this lyrical and haunting meditation on the craft of writing, Block… cracks open her psyche and lays it bare in the hopes of inspiring other storytellers-to-be. Wise and inspiring, this is a must-read for artists of all stripes.”~Booklist **starred** review

“Francesca Lia Block is a bright, golden thread in the literary landscape of Los Angeles. I have looked to her novels as inspiration for myself as a writer; she is a wizard of metaphor and imagery while at the same time deftly constructing stories that compel a reader forward. Francesca's work stares unblinkingly into the face of human complexity, of suffering as well as love and joy. She's a master (mistress?) of the craft. Would that my muse give me half the talent she has.”~ Samantha Dunn Camp, author of Failing Paris

“Poetry and pop culture, life and death—these are just two of the polarities that pulse through Block’s elegantly crafted novel. While the spooky goings-on, eerie romance, and magical-hipster Los Angeles setting have broad appeal, the story has even richer treasures in store for readers who dig deeper.”~ Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The late great Diana Wynne Jones would approve of Lia Block's The Elementals, a hypnotic account of a girl's first years in college following the disappearance of her best friend on a school trip and the diagnosis of her mother's cancer. As a portrait of a troubled and impressionable girl, Ariel Silverman shimmers in the very air between page and eyelashes. Tam Lin meets the tabloids." ~ Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and Out of Oz

“In her renowned style, Francesca Lia Block creates postmodern worlds that are as magical as they are familiar, as haunting as they are beautiful, and in which love reigns supreme. LAY ME OUT SOFTLY includes both previously published and original work.” (Amazon.com)

"Block salts her fairies with plenty of snark, but reading them, I actually came to trust her. She was going to get me home safe. You don’t get that much, these days."~ The Cascadia Subduction Zone

"House of Dolls is a tender contemporary fairy tale, with the magic of Hans Christian Andersen and the wisdom of Oscar Wilde. Francesca Lia Block shows us that at the heart of every doll story lie the complex and poignant relationships of the humans who give life to the dolls." ~ Laura Godwin and Ann M. Martin, authors of The Doll People

 “A passionate, dreamy, brief paranormal, with a breath-of-fresh-air monstrous heroine and enjoyably surreal set dressing.”~ Kirkus

“Block puts her own spin on werewolves in this romantic thriller.” ~ The Horn Book

"Known for lyrical, intoxicating prose and magical realism, Block delves into the vampire mythos with a racy story that sizzles and satisfies."~ Publisher's Weekly

“Block’s fiction is famous for its fascination with magic, mythology, and love in all its myriad aspects. So it comes as no surprise that this self-styled 'love obsessive'... should have created the first 'mythological dating guide.' Her intriguing premise is that peoples’ romantic personalities can be classified and described as mythological creatures... Charming and inventive...” ~ Booklist

"Quakeland takes a number of risks. Some are stylistic, some structural, some tied up in character and content. For its characters, for Katrina’s story, Quakeland is not to be missed." ~ San Francisco Chronicle

"Quakeland is ultimately a novel about the prevailing spirit of female love." ~ ForeWord magazine

“Women weaned on ... Block’s ...fairy-tale fantasy and Hollywood glitz will fall under the spell of this grown-up romance...” ~ People

“...as irresistibly smooth and refreshing as ice cream.””~ Los Angeles Times

"Necklace of Kisses is the most lustrous gem in the necklace of Weetzie Bat stories. I read it on the plane and had to hide my tears from the woman seated next to me."
~ John Cameron Mitchell, Hedwig and the Angry Inch

“An intoxicating mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance told in…[Block’s] signature poetic style and peopled by guardian angels, witches, a goddess, and a demon.” ~ Booklist (starred review)

TIME Magazine's The 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time

L.A. Times Bestseller

NPR’s 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels

Booklist's 50 Best YA Books of All Time

Booklist's Must Read Novels of the 1990s

"Transcendent. ~ The New York Times Book Review

“A Quintessential Book of the 90’s” ~ Buzzfeed

"A poetic series of books celebrating love, art, and the imagination, all in hyper-lyrical language.... Tenderly intoxicating."~ Spin

The “Most Los Angeles Books Ever”~ Buzzfeed

“One of the most original books of the last ten years.”~ The Los Angeles Times

"... Always hip without ever losing her bracing naivete, way cool without a cynical bone in her body, [Weetzie] careens across a shimmering '80s Wonderland of futuristic diners and retro-martini lounges and exotic hot dog stands that's half Hell-A and half Shangri-L.A., where love is the most dangerous angel in a city full of them." ~ Salon.com -- Five great contemporary novels about Los Angeles.

100 Must-Read Books from the '90s  ~ Book Riot

"Though its cast is new and its tone considerably more somber, this intoxicating if painful work shares with Block's earlier novels a magic-tinged Los Angeles setting... Disturbing but ultimately exhilarating."~ Publishers Weekly, starred review

“[Block’s] characters have a deeply affecting intensity, her settings are painted with an artist's eye, and her images are bits of poetry.”~ Booklist

“Block once again tackles the theme of love and its many variations….[She] might reach a larger audience with this book; it does not stray too far from her characteristic terrain, but is set in a more realistic neighborhood than her otherworldly Shangri-L.A.”~ School Library Journal

"The prose sustains steady crescendos of insight."~ Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Unique language and characters turn a problem novel into romantic comedy in this tale of a molested Valley teenager and her sharp-tongued, pinky-sized companion.”~ School Library Journal

"Block's writing is as lush and luminous, as hip and wise as ever." ~ Publishers Weekly

“Fans of the author's previous works will take to this one; newcomers will be captured by the rainbow iridescence of Block's prose and her hallucinatory descriptions of the darkest of teen angst and shiniest of Hollywood glitz.”~ Kirkus Reviews

An L.A. Times bestseller

"Intoxicating... Heady... The darkness of these conflicts and subjects proves the strength of the magic [Block] describes: the transfiguring power of love."~ Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[Block] uses language like a jeweled sword, glittering as it cuts to the heart." ~ Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"[Echo] begs not just to be read, but to be reread and savored" ~ Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[Block] is the sorceress of iridescent language."~ Kirkus Reviews

“Riveting and brilliant, this is a must for most YA collections.”~ School Library Journal

“Far from action-packed adventures of brave heroes on perilous journeys, these contemporary retellings of Greek myths are erotic and intellectual….Vignettes of urgent free verse make for a fast read . . . . Block raises the edgy question: ‘Is beauty monstrous?’ ~ ALA Booklist

A compendium of Echo, Psyche in A Dress and The Rose And The Beast

A 2013 American Library Association Rainbow Award Winner

Literary-minded readers will enjoy teasing out the allusions to Homer . . . but knowledge of the classics is not a requirement to be swept up in the tatterdemalion beauty of the story’s lavish, looping language.” ~ Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Stories that radiate empathy, pithiness, and vibrant irreverence." ~ Publishers Weekly, starred review

"These small dazzlers explore enduring values and provide a diverting take on facets of contemporary teen culture."~ Kirkus Reviews

“Block’s latest book… explores female sexuality with wild poetry and a sense of vulnerability….Block combines elements used in her previous books—predatory adults, threatened girls, a natural world that both harms and heals, and the terrifying, infinite power of the imagination—to create strange, evocative scenes filled with archetypal fantasy characters, L.A. teens, and sly social commentary….

"... a tour of a tragic, dreamy LA; it's [Block's] dirty urban fables book, and it manages to be wry, apt and hot enough to light my fire…. Call these bedtime firecrackers."~ Kirkus Reviews

"... Block's tales feature her distinctive simplicity and sweetly sleazy downtown dreamers..."~ Publishers Weekly

L.A. Times Bestseller

"... incredibly intimate and intensely spiritual. It is a unique contribution to parenting books and an important one. Block does not speak for all new mothers but shares her story in such a moving way that makes it highly readable and recommendable.”~ Book Reporter (Read entire review)