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 Entangled Teen author Lisa Brown Roberts, who writes young adult romances that don’t look geeky at first, but are more than worth a second look.
What does Lisa Brown Roberts love when she’s not writing geeky YA romance? Spoiler alert: the final frontier, a kick-ass princess, a cheesy but awesome show, scary-but-not-scary zombies, a fantastic mode of travel, and a solid dose of eighties nostalgia. Interested? Read on for more!
Star Trek: I’ve been obsessed with Star Trek since I was a kid. My dad and I used to watch the original series together when I’d come home from school each day. I vacillated between Team Kirk and Team Spock (something I had fun playing with in my novel The Replacement Crush), and I wanted to be Uhura so I could communicate in every alien language.
When Star Trek: The Next Generation came out, I was instantly hooked. It’s still my favorite of all the Star Trek series: the brilliant, unflappable (and making baldness sexy) Captain Picard, over-the-top Riker, empath Deanna Troi (I wanted to be her, too), and lovable Data who’s like Pinocchio in space wanting to be human. Not to mention gruff Worf, and Jordi wearing that spray-painted headband over his eyes — it’s true — that’s what the props people said. I had the very same headband. If you’re old like me and watched TNG when it first came out, you might remember how fans hated on Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton). And yet here Wil is now, con star, beloved by a lot of spec-fic fans and the narrator of the Ready Player One audiobook.
Star Wars: Star Wars was pivotal to my childhood, too. Seeing it in the theater was mind-blowing and watching Princess Leia — a smart, kick-ass princess?! Well, wow. Just wow. In my latest novel, Spies, Lies, and Allies, the heroine Laurel and her dad share a deep love of Star Wars. Laurel’s desire to channel her inner Leia and Rey to become more proactive and speak out is a running theme of the story. I’m a huge Rey fan, too, and look forward to what’s next for her. I have theories, as do we all.
Seventies Weirdness: More childhood obsessions: Land of the Lost! The scary Sleestak lizard creatures! Cha-ka! Basically, the Marshall family ends up in a strange world via a portal. There are Sleestak, friendly dinosaurs, and Pakuni “cave men,” including Cha-Ka. It’s super cheesy, but was awesome for my childhood self. I was stoked for the Will Ferrell movie remake, but was sadly disappointed.
Zombies (sometimes): I’m not big on scary stuff and never would have pegged myself as a zombie fan, but I really like these zombie books and movies:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Pride and Prejudice is one of my all-time favorite books. When I saw Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in the bookstore I was clutch-the-pearls appalled at the mashup. But then I fell in love with the movie. And the book. And ate all my judgy, snarky words.
Warm Bodies: I did this one backwards, too — saw the movie, then read the book, something I rarely do. Again, to my surprise, I was won over by zombies, “R” in particular.
Donna of the Dead and Dead Over Heels by Alison Kemper: two awesome YA rom-com zombie books (rom-zom?). I met Alison at a writing conference and might have scared her with my fangirling. Her protagonists use their unique skills, intelligence, and sheer bravery to outsmart and outrun the zombies. Also, there is just enough romance and kissing (human, not zombie) to keep me happy. Go read these books!
Zombie Abbey by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. I was so excited when my publisher released this book by Lauren! This is all the crack-nip for me, reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies yet different. I’m hoping for more books set in this world.
Studio Ghibli: I love all things Ghibli and am hard-pressed to pick a favorite, but I’ll go with My Neighbor Totoro since it was the first Ghibli film I saw, and because it is surreal and funny and sad and beautiful and perfect. I have Totoro stickers on my car, my laptop, my first-draft whiteboard, and I have a collection of Totoro tattoo images, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Some day. Also, much as I love the Harry Potter Knight Bus, I prefer the Catbus. Hayao Miyazaki is a genius.
Stranger Things: Me and everyone else, right? But this show is awesome, and as someone who was a teen in the eighties, I can say with authority that this show gets everything right. I love how Stranger Things mashes up scary and funny, how Dustin is obnoxious and lovable (he’s my favorite), how Winona Ryder chews up this role and steals every scene. I’ll never understand why Hollywood blackballed her for shoplifting, and I’m thrilled to see her back on the screen. (Also, Johnny Depp’s a tool for changing his “Winona Forever” tattoo to “Wino Forever.”) I can’t wait for Denver Comic Con this year so I can stalk the Stranger Things cast members who are attending!
Award-winning romance author Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn’t recovered from the teenage catastrophes of tweezing off both eyebrows, or that time she crashed her car into a tree while trying to impress a guy. It’s no wonder she loves to write romantic comedies.
Lisa’s books have earned praise from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and the School Library Journal. She lives in Colorado with her family, in which pets outnumber people. Connect with Lisa at www.lisabrownroberts.com.
I have a life ambition to see the kittenbus short but as far as I know it only exists at the ghibli museum in Japan.