Celebrating Arcadia’s Own Author

I’ve enjoyed getting to work in different capacities with many members of the Arcadia faculty, whether during class or in organizing university events. One of these professors is adjunct English professor Frankie Mallis, whom I had as a freshman. I still remember her class fondly today. I got the chance recently to work with her again through my position as an officer of Sigma Tau Delta.

Frankie published her debut novel, Daughter of the Drowned Empire, on February 22. Naturally, we were all excited to celebrate this accomplishment with her. The Honors Society’s mission is all about promoting an appreciation for literature. So our Sigma Tau Delta president Ryan Hiemenz worked together with Frankie to brainstorm what her ideal launch party would look like, and all four of us officers then worked to put it together. We held the event in the Mirror and Rose rooms of the Castle, the perfect setting for an author visit about Frankie’s fantasy romance.

An even bigger success was how many people were just as excited as us to celebrate the launch. We had expected a good crowd, but we had  to bring in more and more chairs once the event started. Having so many guests also provided lots of input for the main portion of the event that Frankie organized, a Q&A session. Instead of a stagnant lecture about writing and publishing, she wanted to interact with the audience and respond to their questions. We talked all things world-building, self-publishing, motivation, and the future of the Drowned Empire series. I made sure to take note of some of the great advice, like how to keep such a long project organized, that Frankie gave in her answers. We also had a couple laughs planning a hypothetical Netflix limited series and casting of the characters. 

Frankie came with lots of copies of her novel for anyone who hadn’t purchased a book before the event. And it was a good thing because she sold out of the boxes of books she had brought with her. It worked out well for the book signing that ended the event. Everyone got a chance to talk with Frankie personally and congratulate her on such a wonderful accomplishment. 

As someone in the creative writing concentration, I appreciated getting to hear about Frankie’s experience in writing and promoting her novel and also reading her book. Even though I hadn’t been in her class for two years (and an especially disorienting two years of a pandemic) Frankie still remembered me and we had a chance to catch up before the event. 

Arcadia has such a unique collection of talented professors who provide great examples for students interested in pursuing similar careers. Events like this one give students and professors the chance to meet outside the classroom and appreciate each other’s achievements beyond just academics. I can’t wait for Frankie’s release of the next edition to her series.