Francesca Lia Block, author of more than 25 books, including seminal YA novel Weetzie Bat, talks about her most recent book, THE THORN NECKLACE, a memoir-driven guide to healing through the craft of writing. Francesca talks about meshing her life with that of her most favorite character, shares some incredibly useful writing exercises, and talks about *when* to do research.

Francesca Lia Block Show Notes

Joni Mitchell

Harry Houdini

Linda Venis, former head of the UCLA extension Writers Program

H.D., "Sea Rose"

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Jill Alexander Essbaum

Fairies in the Kitchen: The Weetzie Bat Cookbook by Carmen Staton and Francesca Lia Block

The Midnight Disease by Alice W. Flaherty

Hypergraphia

Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives by Louise DeSalvo

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf