Valerie Estelle Frankel is the author of more than fifty books on popular culture, including History, Homages and the Highlands: An Outlander Guide and Superheroines and the Epic Journey: Mythic Themes in Comics, Film and Television. She is the recipient of a Dream Realm Award, an Indie Excellence Award, and a USA Book News National Best Book Award for her Henry Potty parody series. She teaches at Mission College, Santa Clara, and San Jose City College.