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Valerie Estelle Frankel
1) A Preposterous Portfolio of Parodies: Free Selections From Spoofs of the Hobbit, Game of Thrones, Ha
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A collection of short parodies, excerpted from the award-winning Henry Potty and the Pet Rock, An Unexpected Parody: The Unauthorized Spoof of The Hobbit, How Game of Thrones Will End, and new side-splitting material for readers young and old. A delightful romp through the world's favorite franchises.
2) Remember All Their Faces a Deeper Look at Character, Gender and the Prison World of Orange Is the Ne
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Orange Is The New Black offers much that no show ever has. First, it slams us inside an unseen world – not just a women's prison but its toilet stalls and secret storerooms. While our guide is the blonde yuppie Piper, we expand to meet Black women, Latina women, a Haitian, lesbians, a transvestite, the poor, and the elderly – all minorities generally sidelined. Now Remember All their Faces offers a guide, not just to characters, but to each one's...
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With oodles of steamy romance, paranormal time travel, adventure, and much more, Outlander is sweeping the nation. From over a dozen volumes to its newest incarnation as a breathtaking Starz show, it continues to delight, even with subtle, clever changes. But what was life really like then – from kilts and bagpipes to selkies and the fair folk? Who was Bonnie Prince Charlie and why was his campaign so disastrous for the Highlanders? Discover the...
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The devious Lord Revolting has split his soul into seven Plot Devices, from the One Ring to the Really Gross Wooden Eyeball. Can Henry Potty, lousy student and heroic Chosen One, destroy them in time? Or will a paper shortage kill him, as the corporeally challenged Bumbling Bore foresees? Join Henry as he duels mimes, droids, blobs, religious extremists, parapsychologists, and the dreaded Tooth Fairy. Which is the deadlier weapon: the Wand of Napalm...
5) Joss Whedon's Names the Deeper Meanings Behind Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Agents of s.h.i.e.l
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Doctor Horrible, Jayne Cobb, Oz, Fitz-Simmons, Echo, Pike, Saffron, Kaywinnet, the Groosalugg, Skip, Satsu, Dana Polk, Perfect Jheung, Icarus, the Siphon, Edna Giles, Dandelion Naizen, and especially Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With Whedon's superhero names, goddess names, flower names, saint's names, and dozens of British names, he's filling his world with references from Shakespeare to manga, delighting fans who look closer. Which names repeat the...
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Part of the delight of Xena: Warrior Princess comes from its campiness – she duels with swordfish, beats thugs with a diaper, flips and spins without a thought for gravity. As she and Gabrielle spar with Santa Claus, Lao Tzu, Julius Caesar, Goliath, Beowulf, Homer, Ulysses, Caligula, Odin, and Genghis Khan, they exist in a historical mish-mash impossible to take seriously…even without the rock music and American slang. Yet hidden within the silly...
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Just published? Self published? Indie title? Looking for wonderful advice on self-promotion? This book has it all: silly hats, theme candy, sandwich board costumes. There's also plenty of up-to-date social media advice -- Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogging. There's advice for KDP free days and linking your book with bestsellers. Getting reviews and arranging bookstore events. Basically, these stories by award-winning authors can help you build you...
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Throughout the world of story, the heroine's journey story pattern has always existed – less common than the hero's journey, perhaps, but just as dramatic and transformative. The great children's classics like Alice in Wonderland and Narnia show young girls redeeming the world with faith and cleverness – not swords and savage battles. Modern teen dystopias see young fighters who wield their bows and throwing knives to defend the helpless and strive...
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Catastrophe strikes Chickenfeet Academy, and it's not just the cafeteria food. Lord Revolting, murderous goldfish-flusher, needs Really Wimpy's pet rock to conquer the world! Watch Henry Potty take on sparkly vampires in the Try Wizarding Tournament & unite all the hottest franchises into the powerful Order of the Takeout. Unapproved, unendorsed, unofficial, and unstoppable.
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The Avengers franchise has slammed off the charts, with brave, clever characters embarking on amazing adventures. But what fuels their fire? Tony Stark's obsession with fast cars and fast women conceals a deep quest for purpose. When he witnesses that his weapons have murdered innocent families, his heart literally shatters – he builds himself the new heart of a hero. Captain America's weakness is weakness itself, as Steve Rogers transforms into...
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Everyone in the galaxy wants the Plot Device…especially the looming orange supervillain Big Vicious Dude, Lord of All the Galactic Places He Feels Like and his Vice Lord Whinin the Finger Pointer. Clearly, the galaxy needs a hero! Too bad all they've got is man-child Quitter Pill, Grapesoda the space babe, Bunny Foofoo, Dweeb the world's biggest raspberry gumball, and a treelike creature who keeps saying "I am Grout." Together they're the Mockeries...
13) Pop Culture in the Whedonverse All the References in Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Agents of S.H
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Speed, Toy Story, X-Men, Alien: Resurrection, Roseanne, Parenthood, Superman/Batman. Even outside Buffy, Firefly and Avengers, Joss Whedon has written stacks of scripts, along with many series of comic books. His signature style offers strong women, sudden tragedies, and clever quips. But even more than these, he's known for the pop culture references: Under his watch, Iron Man calls Hawkeye "Legolas," Buffy dresses as Red Riding Hood and snarks,...
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Wonder Woman is an icon…but an icon of what? To some, she's Lynda Carter, spinning into star-studded shorts to save the day. To others, she's a racy Halloween costume or inspiring feminist role model. Which is true? This book analyzes each era of Wonder Woman, from the Golden Age to George Pérez and Gail Simone's reboots to The New 52 and television shows, cartoons, and films. Which teach the right messages for girls and boys? Which have problematic...
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Can't recall the backstory on Dr. Kelly Nieman? Or Beckett's father? Trying to track down what really happened in Montreal or Paris? This is the book for you. Follow Beckett and Castle's romance through its evolution and trace all the character arcs as Alexis grows up and Ryan and Esposito find their soulmates. Relive the funniest moments and the biggest tearjerkers. Plus Castle's wackiest theories, the genre episodes, and much more. With cast interviews...
16) Katniss the Cattail: An Unauthorized Guide to Names and Symbols in Suzanne Collins' the Hunger Games
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Who was Cinna? What do the hawthorn and primrose symbolize? Or President Snow's roses and Peeta's bread? What about Katniss's last name? Bringing details from myths, herbal guides, military histories, and the classics, English professor and award-winning pop culture author Valerie Estelle Frankel sheds light on the deeper meanings behind Panem's heroes and villains in this hottest of YA trilogies. In her series, Collins not only weaves a heroic tale...
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Hamilton, the hip-hop rap musical, has revolutionized theater. It's the story of an immigrant, "young, scrappy, and hungry," who kicked off the Revolutionary War and built the central government of today. Within this book appears the musical's backstory with many deeper insights. How do the Schuyler Sisters' signature colors reveal their personalities? Which stage equipment best amplifies the themes? What of the words like "Satisfied" and "My Shot,"...
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With dogs, wolves, ravens, blood flies, and so many more, animal symbolism is endlessly significant in Game of Thrones. Why does Daenerys receive magical eggs in particular? What does a hand symbolize or a horn? There are meaningful towers and water gardens, stretching from the pyramids of Meereen to the infamous Iron Throne. Meanwhile, George R.R. Martin's characters chomp on bloody beef, blood oranges, red wine, beets, and pomegranates between the...
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Heroines have existed since the earliest prehistoric myths, questing to become the all-powerful mother goddess in an epic that has them descend to hell and pit themselves against tyrants and vicious matriarchs. Nonetheless, the nineties TV show Xena: Warrior Princess was one of the first to face this journey onscreen. In it, heroic Xena and her companion Gabrielle battle their dark sides over and over, growing into legends through their struggle....
20) Harry Potter and Myth: The Legends Behind Cursed Child, Fantastic Beasts, and all the Hero's Joureys
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Adoring fans have explored much about Harry Potter, especially his classic hero's journey. However, many don't notice how the other characters suffer through the same struggle at every stage of life – one Dumbledore and Neville Longbottom pass but Draco Malfoy and Voldemort do not. Exploding into the Wizarding World in 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child offered an unusual double hero's journey for Albus Severus and Scorpius and a twisted antiheroine's...