Back in late July, I blogged about visiting the recording session for the Leviathan audio book. I got to meet and hang out with Alan Cumming, the voice talent for the audio version, and listen to him work.
And now you do too!
Leviathan has two main characters, one Scottish and one Austrian, which makes Alan perfect for the role. He’s Scottish himself, so no problem there, and he gained fame in the US for his role in Cabaret, so we knew he could do Germanic accents as well. He’s a very dramatic reader, especially in the giant battle scene I heard, so all the explosions and derring-do that are my forte are going to sound awesome. All in all, it was a for-the-win casting choice. Thanks to everyone at S&S Audio for being so frickin’ smart.
Anyway, here’s a sneak preview:
| Listen to Chapter One of the audio! | |
| Afterword, read by me (Many spoilers!) |
You can buy the Leviathan audio book here.
Or order the regular paper-based version.
And don’t forget, the Uglies e-book is still free, free, free. Click here to go to Simon & Schuster’s download site.
Greetings, Victorians!
Next week Justine and I are headed to the Melbourne Writers Festival. I’ll be doing five events, and at all of them I’ll be revealing fabulous Leviathan art and talking about the series, as well as other Deep Topics as listed below.
Note that you have to get tickets for these events. The Sunday event Justine and I are on is a bit pricey. You can book tickets here. All my other events are only $6, and you can book them here.
See you there!
Event 1
Day: Sunday
Date: 23/08/2009
Time: 4:00 PM
Venue: ACMI 1
Event Name: Taking Over the Grown-Ups Table
Panelists: Isobelle Carmody, Scott Westerfeld, Justine Larbalestier
Chair: Agnes Nieuwenhuizen
Join Justine Larbalestier, Isobelle Carmody and Scott Westerfeld, three authors who have successfully marketed their books to crossover audiences. Join these hugely successful YA authors as they discuss just who they think are reading their books.
Event 2
Day: Monday
Date: 24/08/2009
Time: 12:30 PM
Venue: ACMI 2
Event Name: The New World
Panelists: Scott Westerfeld, China MÃeville
Chair: Cordelia Rice
Join two of the festival’s sci-fi superstars Scott Westerfeld and China Mieville, as they discuss the boundaries of science and fiction. How does fiction repackage Earthly themes into other worldly packages? What are the rules of science fiction, and how do you break them? All of Scott’s books in the Uglies series have made the New York Times Bestsellers List, while China has won two Arthur C. Clarke awards for his speculative fiction.
Event 3
Day: Tuesday
Date: 25/08/2009
Time: 1:45 PM
Venue: BMW Edge, Federation Square
Event Name: Creating New Worlds
Panelists: Scott Westerfeld
Chair: Cordelia Rice
How does science fiction combine the known with the unknown? Join young-adult and sci-fi novelist Scott Westerfeld as he talks about creating new worlds, and of writing Extras – the latest book in his Uglies series, all of which have made the New York Times Bestsellers List. His next work, Leviathan, an illustrated novel of an alternate World War I, will appear in October 2009.
Event 4
Day: Tuesday
Date: 25/08/2009
Time: 11:15 AM
Venue: ACMI 2
Event Name: Place, in Space
Panelists: Scott Westerfeld, Anthony Eaton
Chair: Andrew Finegan
Why is setting so important to a reader? What elements of a setting bring a place most alive? Scott Westerfeld and Anthony Eaton take you through their building techniques. Anthony is author of the Darklands Trilogy and Scott is an award-winning science fiction and young adult author whose next work, Leviathan, will appear in October 2009.
Event 5
Day: Wednesday
Date: 26/08/2009
Time: 11:15 AM
Venue: ACMI 2
Event Name: The Science of Fiction
Panelists: Scott Westerfeld, Penny Tangey
Chair: Cordelia Rice
Join young-adult and sci-fi novelist Scott Westerfeld, and award-winning comedian and writer Penny Tangey, as they show the ways that science can accelerate fiction; how to blend science into writing; and why it is such an exciting element of any fictional world.
Introducing . . . some more Leviathan downloadables!
First, the delightful Avatar/Icon with Spinny Gears:
And a selection of wallpapers:
(1024 x 768)
(1280 x 1024)
I promise I’ll do a more substantive post soon. I’ve been thinking about some interesting stuff i want to share with you about writing. But for the moment, enjoy the freebies.
And don’t forget, the Uglies e-book is still free here at the Simon & Schuster download site.
Because you asked: a Leviathan countdown timer! For the counting down of glorious time! Time till Leviathan!
How does it work? Well, you just select and copy the code in the box below, then stick it in your blog or whatever.
Small warning, this is an American countdown timer, which is only accurate for North America. I’m trying to get exact dates for the Oz and UK editions, and will then make adjustments. But don’t fret, Aussies and Brits, it looks like your edition will come out the same week as the US one—maybe even earlier!
Enjoy the ticking.
And don’t forget, the Uglies e-book is still free, free, free. Click here to go to Simon & Schuster’s download site.
With Leviathan on its way (60 days and counting!) my publisher and I thought we would give you guys a little present. So for the next month, Uglies will be available free in pdf form.
That’s right: Free book! Free Uglies! Free Tally!
Of course, this isn’t just free for you, my faithful blog readers. I mean, if you’re reading this, chances are you’ve got a copy of Uglies sitting around somewhere already. But if you have any friends, siblings, crushes, or enemies who you think might be interested in the series, why not send them over?
Cause, you know, people like free stuff.
Oh, and by the way, the first chapter of Leviathan is also included, along with an illustration you probably haven’t seen before. (That’s right, this is all a promotional scheme! Bwah-hah-hah!)
Click here to go to Simon & Schuster’s free download site.
Enjoy.
A quick technical note:
Obviously you can read a pdf on your computer, and both Sony e-Readers and Kindles take them too. If you have technical questions, feel free to ask them in this comments thread. I probably can’t help you, but hopefully somebody will.
Also: the download site asks for a US zip code, which is five numbers.
As you can see, my website has had its first makeover in many years. This is to celebrate the fact that my first new series in years, Leviathan, comes out this autumn. (October 6, to be exact.)
Things may be wonky for a while as we play around under the hood. But I hope you enjoy the new look. Let me know what you think!
Click here to contact Scott Westerfeld.
Jill Grinberg
Jill Grinberg Literary Management
info@grinbergliterary.com
