Every year, the Australian speculative fiction (that is, science fiction, fantasy, and horror) community comes together for the Aurealis Awards. This year, Leviathan was nominated in the YA category, and won!
My speech was a bit shambolic, but here’s everyone I should have thanked:
- My lovely agent Jill Grinberg, who (among many other things) makes sure that my Australian rights are kept separate, allowing me local publication.
- My wonderful publisher here, Laura Harris of Penguin Australia.
- Keith Thompson, of course.
- All my editors (US, UK, and Oz) and the US production team, for making Leviathan the best book it could be, and an awesome physical object as well.
- The great people at Fantastic Queensland, who’ve hosted the awards the last six years.
- Everyone else in the Oz SpecFic community—writers, readers, booksellers—who have become my friends and allies.
- And of course Justine, who gave me a reason to make a life 10,000 miles away.
Congrats to all the other winners and nominees (click here for a list), especially Cat Sparks, who won the YA short story category for her story “Seventeen.”
The award itself made of curved glass, and so is fiendishly hard to photograph. I’ve been trying and failing all afternoon. So here’s the picture I took with my phone on the night, lit by tiny lightsabers (long story), and showing the audience for the ceremony filing out in the background. It’s more interesting than anything I’ve done under controlled circumstances.
Event News
For those of you in Adelaide, I’ll be appearing virtually at the Royal Institution of Australia’s Science Exchange Book Club this week. If you’ve read Leviathan, come and join in the discussion. I’ll drop in through iChat or skype, so I can’t sign books, I’m afraid. But I’ll try to answer any questions generated by the discussion.
Leviathan at the Science Exchange
Wednesday, 27 January, 2010
6:00-7:30PM
55 Exchange Pl
Adelaide SA 5000
Admission is free, but book ahead.
January 25th, 2010 09:58
Congrats Scott-la! You certainly deserve it! Leviathan is a beautiful work of art, including of course the actual artwork within it ^_^
January 25th, 2010 10:10
Infinite Congrats Scott you are truly an amazing author and really deserve it!!!
January 25th, 2010 10:25
Congrats on the award! I can’t wait to read Behemoth!
January 25th, 2010 10:39
Congratulations are in order. Sounded like an amusing event. Leviathan definitely deserves an award.
In a side note, I’ve been trying for a bit to get my brother involved in books by reading aloud to him. We’ve been through Harry Potter, and since he read Leviathan and liked it he’s letting me read him Uglies…:)
January 25th, 2010 10:44
It must feel absolutely wonderful to get such an award just by using your imagination and writing it down!
But let us not forget the editing, the endless hours up late at night, the publishing, the making sure you don’t go crazy, etc.
Don’t worry, I’m just teasing!
Also, as others have previously stated: Congratulations.
January 25th, 2010 16:32
Congradulations on the award! (Tiny lightsabers? I need to know more!)
January 25th, 2010 16:43
CONGRATS! (for a second time :p) Enjoyed your updates on the night too
January 25th, 2010 16:46
Thanks to you all for your congratulations.
And to Saraluna: thanks a ton for reading to your brother. I _loved_ being read to as a kid. I think it’s one thing that can make all the difference in whether someone becomes a reader or not.
TTB: Tiny light sabers were supplied by Sean Williams, for waving during the ceremony. Where he got them I do not know.
January 26th, 2010 01:19
sweetness
January 26th, 2010 01:44
Congrats! Leviathan has to be my favorite book. I can’t wait till the second one comes out.
January 26th, 2010 03:10
I haven’t read the post yet because when I first saw it all that assulted my mind was SHINYSHINYSHINY!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
methinks I like the shiny!
January 26th, 2010 03:15
*gasp* Mesees the pretty lightsabers! Is it for all the Sci-fi nerds?
haha
January 26th, 2010 03:18
Oh. Okay lightsaber message recieved.
January 26th, 2010 04:24
Congrats!!!
January 26th, 2010 05:15
haha that pic is very cool, especially since you can see the audience leaving and stuff
congratulations!
January 26th, 2010 05:29
Congrats Scott!!!!!! I feel really bad, I’v read all your books but not Leviathan
My mom said if I want to read it I’ll have to buy it, but I haz no money
January 26th, 2010 05:30
And ROFL bout those mini light sabors!!!!!!!:D
January 26th, 2010 06:05
Jessica-la, it’s definitely worth it. It will be a while before Behemoth comes and and I’m SURE you’ll want to read Leviathan again! Plus, Keith Thompson did an awesome job with the pictures. One of the many reasons why I love this book is that I like to look at the pictures!
Congratulations!
January 26th, 2010 06:09
Congratulations!!
I finally got to read Leviathan over winter break and it was worth waiting for! I’ve got no time during school to read anything besides what’s assigned for class, or else I would have had Leviathan first-thing (hold number one at the library!).
I tried to get my older brother to read it while he was home from college because he enjoys history (peace and conflicts major), but I’ll have to really lay into him this summer… (:
January 26th, 2010 09:17
Congrats on the award! Well deserved.
I loved Leviathan! Pretty different from some of your other books but great. 
My little brother really liked the Uglies series so I’m trying to convince him to read Leviathan… Ironically enough, he says he doesn’t want to read about war. Boy book? I guess not always.
January 26th, 2010 09:23
Yeah, it’s actually a pretty good picture.
Lightsabers….
I used to enjoy being read to, but now I LOVE reading aloud. I think that having the job of reading the audio book for something would be SO much fun. For now I just read to my brothers, and enjoy being able to show how I think the characters say each line.
January 26th, 2010 21:35
Congratulations Scott!!!! You’re one of my favourites autors ever and even though I haven’t read Leviathan yet ( I know, but just can’t find it – I live in Brazil ) I’m sure it’s deserved!
January 26th, 2010 23:10
Congrats Scott-la! The award is much deserved
I haven’t read Leviathan yet (reading others at the moment 
] but i know it’ll be a good read 
January 27th, 2010 02:16
Yay, Scott
That’s fawesome 
January 27th, 2010 03:44
For all those interested in the Adelaide event, more details live here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=241010922740#/event.php?eid=241010922740&ref=mf – We’re super excited about meeting and talking about Leviathan, as well as getting to (digitally) interact with Mr. Westerfeld
Come and join us if you’re around! Thanks Scott!
January 27th, 2010 05:53
yay!
Has anyone seen Avatar? The battle scene totally made me think of Leviathan… hehe
January 27th, 2010 17:43
Congragulations, Scott-la! Leviathan totally deserved to win and the art was UH-mazing!
January 28th, 2010 00:29
congrats scott
leviathan is amazing and i’m so looking forward to the next one
can’t wait to see what the illustrations will be like too
is it more interesting working with Keith T since you’ve met?
January 28th, 2010 02:11
Congratulations, Scott!
January 28th, 2010 05:17
OMFG
CONGRATULATIONSSS!!!!
your my favourite author ever!!!!!
Yay!
I feel so bad I haven’t had time to go on the blog lately I’ve so much f*****g homework that anyone else would have probably committed suicide!
Luckly, I’m a strong person…blah blah blah
ok you guys caught me, I just didn’t do my homework..
Gah. : P
ping at Liset:
YES.
Loved Avatar!!!
Favourite movie ever!!!
My father took me to see it in 3-D
and it was sooo legit!!!
Awesome.
PING TO EVERYONE:
anyone got any really cool speech topics
things that are really killer oh and no history please.
THANK YOU!
<33
January 29th, 2010 01:07
ping to bell-wa:
i don’t really have anything to say
i just wanted to type a ping
it looked fun..
January 29th, 2010 03:36
Ping to Beli-wa,
I don’t know about speech topics, what class is this for?
January 29th, 2010 04:20
GO SCOTT-LA!!!!!!!!
January 29th, 2010 04:29
That is so awesome Scott-la!!!!!! Leviathan was super good. I absolutely loved it!!!!!!
U are so awesome.
January 29th, 2010 07:18
congrats! i finally read leviathan after a 2 month long waiting list in the library and LOVED IT! deffinaltely deserved the award!
hey scott, any news about the uglies movie?
(sorry i haven’t posted in a while i have been busy i read the posts though!)
January 29th, 2010 07:21
ping to liset:
i like to ping people too
so here is a ping to you
(5 points for ryming!)
January 30th, 2010 02:11
hey!!!!anyone out there????ok who totally loves the uglies series?????i cant get enough of it omg i luv tally and david…….UGLIES!!!!!!!!!!
January 30th, 2010 03:47
Ping @ Claire-wa,
I’m pretty sure most of the people who post on this blog are obsessed with uglies! I know I am!
January 30th, 2010 08:59
Ping at liset:
LOL ok
ping at team yoshi banana:
lmao sadly I’m in elementary (gr. 8, almost done woo!!)so just like about anything really.
Ping at Claire-wa:
lmao I’m obbsessed with Uglies love the stuff.