The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia comes out in paperback TODAY! ???? To celebrate The Lovely Reckless, Team Fierce Reads asked Kami a few questions about the book and life as an author.

TEAM FIERCE READS: What makes Frankie fierce?
KAMI GARCIA: Frankie doesn’t start out brave at the beginning of the book. She has to dig deep and figure out how to be brave over the course of the novel. Some people are naturally fierce and gutsy, but it takes courage to find your inner strength when you don’t think of yourself as strong.

TFR: What’s your favorite part of being an author?
KG: There are so many things I love about it. Meeting my literary heroes and people in the book community who love stories as much as I do is huge for me. But the best feeling is when a reader tells me that one of my books helped them through a difficult time in their lives.

TFR: Describe your book in 3 words
KG: Romantic, wild, page-turner.

TFR: Which 3 fictional characters would you have wanted to know in high school?
KG: Buffy and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Eleven from Stranger Things, and Severus Snape from Harry Potter. (That’s four.)

TFR: If you could give Frankie one piece of advice, what would it be?
KG: I’d give her the advice I wish someone had given me when I was seventeen. Define yourself. Don’t let other people tell you who you are—or who you should be. Trust your instincts and choose loyal friends who support you. And remember: If someone talks to you about other people behind their backs, eventually that person will talk about you to someone else.