They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with young adult author Cole Gibsen, who’s newest release, Risen, is available now from Entangled Teen!
What does Cole Gibsen love when she’s not writing about bookworms turned vampire hunters? Spoiler alert: unicorns, an amazing meeting with Peter S. Beagle, Too Faced make-up, My Little Ponies with attitude, and tiny kittens who live in bananas. Wait, what? If you’re as curious as I am, read on for more!
I’ve been obsessed with unicorns ever since I was a young girl. I think it all started with my favorite book-turned-movie, The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle. I think I can credit that movie with my lifelong obsession of unicorns, magic, romance, and did I mention romance? It also started phobia of giant flaming bulls, because holy hell, those things mean business.
That brings me to my favorite tattoo. I have several. But my The Last Unicorn tattoo holds a special place in my heart. I got the words, “For Laughs, For Luck, For the Unknown…” tattooed on my forearm. They’re the words Schmedrick the magician says to the unicorn, as he attempts to talk her into letting him accompany her on his journey. I had the amazing opportunity to show my tattoo to Peter S. Beagle himself at a conference. I mean, I could barely do more than sob on his shoulder I was so excited, but he hugged me so my life was made.
Naturally then, my favorite book on my shelf is my signed copy of The Last Unicorn. While I was waiting to have it signed, I thought of all the cool things I might tell Peter. Things like, he was my inspiration for becoming a writer, and his book got me through some of the worst times of my life. But when it was my turn to talk to him, all I could do was sob. He walked around the table, opened up his arms, and gave me the biggest hug. I’m a fan for life.
If you can’t already tell, I kind of have a thing for unicorns. So when I walked into Sephora and saw an entire unicorn line of makeup from Too Faced, I completely freaked out. I mean, we’re talking lip gloss, lipstick, highlighter, bronzer, and an eyeshadow palette all in shimmery rainbow hues. What is not to love. I have to own it all and I’m going to go broke doing it.
While we’re talking unicorns, have you guys heard of Unicornos? I discovered them through the blind bags they sell at the checkout lines at Books-A-Million. Again, a sucker for all things unicorn, I couldn’t pass them up. You don’t know what you’re getting when you buy a bag, and the surprise is part of the fun. They’re kind of like My Little Pony Figurines, but with a lot more attitude. The one I bought has resting bitch face, which pretty much makes it my life mascot.
Lastly, since I should probably talk about something besides unicorns, I found this amazing show on my Crunchy Roll app, and I’m obsessed. The show is called Bananya, and it’s all about these tiny kittens that live in bananas. That’s right. They live in BANANAS, and they’re pretty much the cutest thing ever. The show itself has thirteen episodes and they are each no longer than two minutes, but it will be the cutest two minutes of your day. If you can’t get enough, Hot Topic also has a line of tee-shirts and plushies so you can take a bananya with you wherever you go.
Growing up, Cole Gibsen couldn’t decide what she loved more — dogs or books. Rather than choose, she decided to devote her life to both! Dog trainer (wrangler) by day and author by night, she’s the author of more than ten books with more on the way.
Kittens in bananas? OMG I might’ve found a new adorable time-waster. Thank you for sharing, Cole!
I read The Last Unicorn for the first time last year and it was a little too weird for me. I do think that I liked the movie as a kid, although I only vaguely remember it. My inner five-year-old really wants the unicorn make-up and the unicornos, although I’d probably need a loan from the bank to buy that much Sephora.
Kelly, see if you can’t get your hands on the sequel Two Hearts. It’s a novella, and sometimes published with The Last Unicorn. It is absolutely, thoroughly beautiful, and every time I’ve read it (and I’ve read it multiple times, so that’s saying a lot!), it’s made me cry.
I know The Last Unicorn is frequently listed as one of the best fantasy novels ever, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. I didn’t believe the love story between the prince and the unicorn in human form. My version did not have the sequel, but that is quite a compelling endorsement, so I may give it a try.
Did you ever see the animated adaptation when you were growing up?