HAH!

So yes, I’ve sent off to Keith, and it should be here soon. In the meantime, please enjoy the Russian cover of Behemoth:

That’s pretty bad-ass. I love the giant Sahmeran sneaking up on Alek from behind.

Okay the BRIDGE ART WILL BE HERE SOON.

Also, don’t forget that tomorrow is my thing at the Sydney Writers Festival:

A Neverending Story: Fantasy Worlds
Sunday, May 20
11:30AM-12:30PM
Scott Westerfeld, Isobelle Carmody, Justine Larbalestier, and Joy Lawn (facilitator)
Sydney Dance 4, Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay

Here are the details.

In keeping with tradition, let’s have us a vote. I’ve chosen three possible pieces of art to reveal, so choose wisely.

Which would you rather see in glorious color?

1) The bridge of the Leviathan

2) A Sultan’s elephant walker

3) A fléchette bat!

Use the comments thread below to vote (by number makes it easier), or simply to cajole, convince and coerce your fellow commenters about how they should vote.

Sydneysiders! Don’t forget that Justine, Isobelle Carmody and I will be at the Sydney Writers Festival this Sunday. Come see us talk. It’s free!

A Neverending Story: Fantasy Worlds
Sunday, May 20
11:30AM-12:30PM
Scott Westerfeld, Isobelle Carmody, Justine Larbalestier, and Joy Lawn (facilitator)
Sydney Dance 4, Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay

From steampunk to the supernatural, from urban fantasies to dystopian futures, our love affair with speculative fiction is all-consuming.

Three authors who create imagined worlds explore our enduring fascination with fantasy and unpick the complexities of the genre. Isobelle Carmody, Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier talk to Joy Lawn.

Here are the online details for this event.

Let’s start with the art that was handed to me at my Free Comic Book Day event at Kinokuniya in Sydney. Thanks again to everyone who came and said nice things to me on my birthday, and especially to those who handed me art and cake.

First there was some Midnighters art from (appropriately) Melissa:

Yes, that’s Rex looking pretty cool, and I like how Melissa seems a bit annoyed at having to pose for the drawing.

And from Christina, a triptych of Tallys:

The hot air balloons are a cool touch, as are the necklace, interface cuff, and knife for each Tallyversion.

And finally, from Meshell, I got Alek and Deryn as lovebirds:

It’s cool that I got fan art from every trilogy at that event. You’re all doing a good job of coordinating! Plus: OBLIGATORY LORIS WITH MUSTACHE.

And now return to the regular mode of art delivery, these were all sent to me via the internets.

Here from Laura is a bit of Darwinist fashion design!

One of the coolest thing about Keith’s art is how it hints that there would be a whole different Darwinist culture out there, with clothes, furniture, and whatnot all influenced by the Victorian biotechnology at the base of Darwinist society. This hat is a great example of what all that might look like, complete with bee and nautilus-shell motifs.

And here’s a very a spunky-looking Deryn from Lilly.

I like her haircut, and the way she’s leaning forward, ready to go.

And briefly leaving the monochrome, here’s some Deryn cosplay from Alexa, showing before and after:

Pretty amazing difference. According to Alexa, this transformation required “two rolls of athletic tape, half a can of hairspray, and many uncountable bobby pins.” Just remember that the next time you’re cross-dressing: Never say die!

And finally, here’s a lovely still life in the stack-of-books mode, which for some reason I have lost all attribution to except the letter “g”:

Please identify yourself, G!

And now for the NEWS . . .

Given that the Manual of Aeronautics, the all-color large-format guide to the world of Leviathan, will be appearing on August 21, it’s almost time to start THE OBLIGATORY ART REVEALS. I’ve decided to do one twice a month, on the 1st and 15th. (I hope that’s not too much for you guys.)

May 15 will be the first of these, or maybe that’s when we’ll do some voting for the first reveal. BUT SOON.

And finally, Sydneysiders can see me tonight at:

The Aurealis Awards
Saturday, May 12
7:30 for an 8PM start
Independent Theatre
269 Miller Street
North Sydney NSW 2060

The Aurealis Awards celebrate the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror writers every year. Kate Forsyth with be mistress of ceremonies, and I’ll be presenting the award for Best Illustrated Book or Graphic Novel.

You can get tickets here.

Here’s the rather awesome cover:

And the cover copy:

The Season has finally arrived, filled with the magnificent balls, scandalous gossip, and clandestine romances that every lord and lady in good society has come to expect. But far within the walls of lavish estates and in the dark corners of the city lies a world that the aristocracy dares not touch, with rules and risks that glamour cannot overpower. Yet true love has no boundaries, and heiresses and street thieves alike must use their savvy and strength to create new beginnings and happily-ever-afters. Sometimes luck is enough, but every once in a while, a touch of magic may be needed.

Deliciously alluring, these thirteen historical romances from a talented array of YA authors will make even the most cynical heart swoon.

How can you resist it?

Edited by Ekaterina Sedia, Willful Impropriety comes out September 4, 2012.

Oh, and here’s the full roster of writers:

AT WILL by Leanna Renee Hieber
THE UNLADYLIKE EDUCATION OF AGATHA TREMAIN by Stephanie Burgis
NUSSBAUM’S GOLDEN FORTUNE by M. K. Hobson
THE COLONEL’S DAUGHTER by Barbara Roden
MERCURY RETROGRADE by Mary Robinette Kowal
FALSE COLOURS by Marie Brennan
MRS BEETON’S BOOK OF MAGICKAL MANAGEMENT by Karen Healey
THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Caroline Stevermer
THE DANCING MASTER by Genevieve Valentine
THE GARDEN OF ENGLAND by Sandra McDonald
RESURRECTION by Tiffany Trent
OUTSIDE THE ABSOLUTE by Seth Cadin
STEEPED IN DEBT TO THE CHIMNEY POTS by Steve Berman

While I was gone, what should appear in my inbox but the REAL TRAILER for Shay’s Story! (Not to be confused with the humble home-made trailer of a couple of weeks ago.)

Check it out:

If you want to see it bigger or embed it on your own site, head on over to YouTube. You can also see it super-big on my video page.

And finally, I’m doing a meet-up over at the WesterForum this Tuesday night, March 20, at 8PM US Eastern. Note that with the time change in the US, that means 11AM here Wednesday morning here in Australia, and midnight Tuesday in Britain.

Anything else? I would think not.

All SOPA-offending elements, such as the remixing and recasting of copyrighted characters and situations, have been censored for your viewing pleasure.

Let’s start with this lovely image by CatieKay:

Pretty sweet, huh? How about those two random people having a possibly intimate moment atop an entirely generic (and thus non-copyrightable) flying whale-beast! Sure, we can’t SEE what they’re doing as the lightning flashes, but at least no one’s interfering with my ability to generate income from this touching narrative moment.

And here’s a lovely piece of fan art from Unforgiven-Unloved:

This one’s very sweet, but of course it would be WRONG to let you see these characters drawn by anyone but Keith Thompson, the only registered and approved artist for the Leviathan series. The dialog is pretty cute too. But let’s face it, only I may legally put words into the mouths of Deryn and Alek.

And here’s some cool Xmas ornaments from AvistheArtistGeek:

Aww. Tiny Deryn and Alek getting ready to climb the ratlines of Avis’s Christmas tree! Too bad that these characters belong to me, and thus her entire Xmas is non-SOPA-compliant! I just hope she takes her decorations down before my lawyers get there.

Ahem.

Most of you have probably seen that Wikipedia is dark today, and that Google’s banner page is sad. In fact, a ton of sites on the interwebs are shrouded in various ways. This is, of course, to protest the SOPA and PIPA legislation being considered in the US Congress.

“But wait!” you may be asking. “Is SOPA really so evil?”

It’s supporters certainly don’t want you to think so. After all, the purpose of SOPA is to protect copyright laws, by which filmmakers, musicians, and novelists (and the corporations that publish them) make money from their work. And that’s me!

But as you may have noticed, the internet is a place in which copyright is treated in a rough-and-ready fashion. People gank photos without attribution, create fan fiction and art based on others’ work, and make lip-sync music videos without paying for the right to do so.

Gee, how horrible. All those babies dancing to “Single Ladies” FOR FREE.

The problem is that SOPA and PIPA are written only with us copyright owners in mind. The lobbyists who wrote these bills don’t care about the rest of you (us, actually, because we all re-mix culture).

Here’s one example: PIPA allows companies to sue websites for the crime of linking to other websites that infringe copyright. So if I link to Deviant Art, and someone on Deviant Art (say, jett-wolfe98) has ganked a photo and added Deryn and Alek to it, like so:

Then I can be sued! Not for the image of Alek and Deryn, but for the underlying photograph of the room, which is, after all, a copyrightable thing.

In other words, everyone on the web will become responsible for the behavior of all the sites they link to, always and forever. Deviant Art will be totally gone, as will everything else cool and interesting.

(By the way, if your fan art is here, don’t be sad! It will return in its non-censored glory on Friday. Sorry, guys, for using your lovely work to make a point!)

These bills are, of course, absurd at a legal level, and as a practical matter they are nothing less than an attack on the structure of the web, its complex web of links and connections, and upon the content of the web, with its rich culture of re-mixing and re-purposing copyrighted works, like the fan art and fan fiction that appears on this blog. For which, under SOPA, I could sue you guys and everyone who links to you IF I WERE A COLOSSAL ASS-HAT.

But in an effort to fight ass-hattery, I’m joining in this protest today. Not by blocking my site, but by offering you the above edition of Fan Art Friday that meets SOPA’s standards, with all the copyright-offending materials blacked out.*

Do you like this version of Fan Art Friday? Would you like everything on the internet to work this way? I think not.

Now, I will mention that President Obama has come out against SOPA/PIPA in its current form. That’s a good thing, but it never hurts to keep the pressure on. He will be president for, at most, five more years.

And throughout your lifetime, there will always be people who try to turn spaces of sharing and collaboration into places of buying, selling, and lawsuits. Stay ready to fight them, or you will leave your kids a world where most stuff sucks.

Click here to learn more about SOPA, or to contact your representatives in congress.

Non-SOPA/sucky Fan Art Friday will return on Friday, with the art above and more, uncensored. Like the internet should be.

*Yes, the legal status of fan art and fan fictions is complicated, but if SOPA passes, we’re heading toward a world where that status will probably become simpler, and not in a good way.

If so, here’s quick word from my pals at the Alpha Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Worship for Young Writers:

“The Alpha SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers (ages 14-19) will be held July 18-27, 2012 in Pittsburgh, PA. At Alpha, students can meet others who share their interest in writing science fiction, fantasy, and horror. They can learn about writing and publishing from guest authors, including Tamora Pierce and Kij Johnson. Also, they will write and revise a short story during the workshop. Applications are due March 1, 2012.”

Click here to learn more and apply.

“Also, alumni of the workshop are raising money for the workshop’s scholarship fund, which assists Alpha students who need financial aid in order to attend. We have organized an auction, which begins today at noon, with items donated by authors and editors such as George R. R. Martin, Tamora Pierce, John Joseph Adams, Elizabeth Bear, Ellen Kushner, Theodora Goss, Karen Healey, and more. In addition, an anthology of flash fiction written and illustrated by Alpha alumni is available in return for donations of any amount. The auction will run January 13-20, with other donations welcome anytime.”

Click here for more on the auction.

I’ll be joined by David Levithan, Robin Wasserman, and Lauren McLaughlin, whose book Scored inspired the panel.

Click here for details.

To prepare for this, Lauren and I took the essay section of the SAT, and had ourselves scored by a professional examiner. You can read our essays and see what grades we got here at the Huffington Post. (Note that we had exactly 25 minutes to write those essays! Just like you guys did/will!)

Click here for more about Scored, which is out now. It’s set in a dystopian world where every kid gets a Score when they turn 18, determining their prospects for the rest of their life.

Hope to see you all tonight! (Tomorrow morning for me.)

I am not here to argue against fact-free trend pieces, however. Maureen and the internet have already done that and done it well. And, you know, haters gonna hate, and shoddy journalists gonna shod. There’s no way to stop that. Here’s the problem I would like to address instead:

When these issues arise, we writers, librarians, booksellers, teachers, and editors know that the media is overblown and out of touch. We know that the huge boom in YA is helping young readers, because we see it in our in-boxes, our libraries, our stores, and our twitter feeds every day.

Sure, some books aren’t right for some kids. But it’s not like that challenge has recently grown insurmountable. In fact, connecting the right book with the right reader has never been easier. There are more specialist teen librarians than ever before, teenage readers are relentlessly networked, and book reviews from all perspectives are more plentiful than at any other time in human history. (Thank you, the internet.)

But someone has to think of the parents. Especially those who randomly turn on the radio or read the WSJ and are exposed to this alarmism. They may not know how to check out all those amazing stories tweeted on #YASaves. They probably don’t follow comment threads on blogs like this one, where bookish teens prove hourly how smart, supportive, and savvy they are. Many parents don’t know what “DFTBA” means, and thus may not realize how awesome their kids are not forgetting to be.

And the other side in this debate sounds perfectly reasonable. “We just want a conversation! We just want parents to be aware!” And they couch everything in that scary questioning tone: “These books MAY be turning your kids into cutters.” Like when local news promos ask, “Are your cleaning fluids making you hate America? Story at eleven!”

Here’s my problem with this brand of “reasonableness”: Conversations have contexts, and awareness is always flavored by its catalyst. Let’s take two examples . . .

A parent goes into a teenager’s room and says, “I just heard from the wise people at the Wall Street Journal that the books you kids read these days are mostly dark and horrible and will make you cut yourself and take drugs. Let me check your books so I can make sure this is not true!”

Seriously. How do you think that conversation’s going to go?

Eyes will be rolled, tempers will rise, and more than likely this parent will be made to feel dreadfully foolish. (Teenagers are good at this last bit.) Frankly, being easily manipulated by alarmists in the media is not a good look for anyone.

But let’s say a parent goes into that same kid’s room and says . . .

“Hey, I just heard that young adult lit sales have grown by double digits every year for the last decade. You teens read so much that it’s the only profitable part of publishing! And now Hollywood wants to make everything you read into movies, and more adults than ever before are reading YA! And I heard that huge crowds show up at bookstores and rented venues when popular YA writers are in town! And that many YA writers have tens of thousands of followers on the Twitter machine, if not hundreds of thousands! And that every November countless teenagers support each other in WRITING THEIR OWN NOVELS! Holy crap, we didn’t do that in my benighted day of juvenile sloth. It’s just awesome how dedicated you and your peers are to reading. Can you please lend me some of these great books?”

My guess is that this conversation will go rather better. And, unlike the Wall Street Journal, this opening gambit is full of verifiable facts!

Make no mistake, we writers want parents to talk to their kids about books. But don’t do it because some newspaper uses fear to generate web hits. Do it because reading is awesome and your kids are awesome.

There’s a problem here, though. The parents who are reading this post (on a YA writer’s blog) probably don’t need this advice. They can see through the malarky without my help. They’ve already noticed that the only “science” referred to in the WSJ‘s articles was a study of 1970s anti-drug public service announcements. (Because nothing is more relevant to 21st-century young adult literature than 40-year-old TV ads.)

But how do we reach those other parents, the ones whose innocent minds might be corrupted by these fact-missing anxiety-mechants? Parents can’t be expected to protect themselves these days. A recent study of hair cream ads from the 1920s proved that the media’s coverage of YA has gotten 37% darker in the last year alone!

Now, I’m not advocating banning the Wall Street Journal. It has many fine articles in it I’m sure, some of which no doubt cite actual facts instead of the vague impressions of random people wandering YA sections. There are always exceptions, after all, even in newspapers named after the street that recently stole $700 billion of our money.

All I’m asking is that teenagers take an active role in discussing young adult lit with their parents.

Kids, you don’t want your parents’ first exposure to YA to be in the dingy recesses of a fear-mongering financial newspaper. It’s your job to help them understand how twitter hashtags work, what NaNoWriMo stands for, and how to do the nerdfighter hand signal. It’s your duty to introduce them gently to the lighter sides of fan fic, before they stumble across a cache of Snape dub-con Mpreg epic poetry. (Um, maybe just wait till your parents are older before tackling fan fic.)

In many cases, of course, your gentle persuasion may not be enough. Some parents are too easily influenced by frightening images of teenage culture gone awry. Darkness sells, after all. For these, a simple call to the Wall Street Journal will cancel your subscription, saving both money and heartache for your beloved parent. Be sure not to leave an empty space in their lives, however. Ease them over to something more wholesome, like, say, the School Library Journal. They’ll hardly notice the difference.

My main point is this: you understand young adult lit. You get how much it’s grown, how much it means to you. Make sure that your parents understand that too, and they’ll be ear-plugged against the profiteering panic-peddlers wailing like sirens on the rocky shoals of our culture.

Thank you for listening.

Enjoy:

“What kind of juice do you like?”

There are many juices I love. Mango! Pear! (Especially pear cider.) Apple!

“So Scott there’s been a rivalry going on (on the forum obviously) , based on the question : If the crew of the Leviathan got in a fight with Special Circumstances who would win? What’s your opinion?”

I think in a close-quarters fight the Specials would win, because they’re too quick. But in a proper battle, the Leviathan could mess them up with strafing hawks or bat-poo without ever being in danger.

“WHATS GOING ON WITH CROY?! CAN YOU GIVE US ANY INFO ON HIM?! ”

That info will be released at Leaky Con and Comic Con. THAT’S ONLY A FEW WEEKS. But I can’t tell you anything now, except maybe . . . you will SEE HIM.

“Did you use the same models on the cover of Goliath that you used on Leviathan and Behemoth?”

Yes. Same models, same photo shoot on the same day. Sometime I’ll show you guys the unaltered photos.

“At any point in Behemoth, does Dr. Barlow know that Deyrn is a girl? It has been a topic of great debate.”

Hah! Not saying now, but you WILL learn the answer to that in Goliath.

“Have you ever met someone in real life who reminds you of your characters?
Or vice versa.”

Hmm, not really. Although sometimes I see someone and say, ‘Whoa, he/she’s a total pretty!’

“Nice to meet you, btw. (and tell hi to Justine (Mrs. Larbaleister (sp?)) for me, please!)”

It’s Dr. Larbalestier, in fact.

“Can Justine cook?”

She’s a great cook of Thai food, and she wants me to add that she’s a good boxer too. (She’s been taking lessons.)

“What TV shows do you watch?”

Game of Thrones, Treme, just finished Vampire Diaries,

“This isn’t really a question, just a comment. I thought you’d like to know that I used to like history, and Leviathan made me love it again. I might even try writing something historical-ish myself. ”

Yay!

“Is Lilit lesbian/bi? (Please say yes.)”

They didn’t really have those categories for women back then, but she would be if she was alive today. (Strange but true fact: Male homosexuality was illegal in England back then, but female homosexuality wasn’t because lawmakers REFUSED TO BELIEVE IT EXISTED.)

“In Uglies, there are many messages, some obvious, some not so much. What messages/lessons do you want readers to take away from Leviathan?”

Hmm. I think that the big theme is about how different sides of a conflict (war or just ideological/technological) see each other, and how that can change when people are forced to work together.

“What kind of music do you like? (Do you like Florence+and the machine?)”

I like minimalism and trip-hop, and I don’t know of this Florence person.

“What is your opinion on the Hunger Games? (Will you see the movie?)”

Want to see the movie. Liked the first book, but didn’t read the others.

“When will you go on tour?”

September 17. DON’T KNOW WHERE YET! NOT MY CHOICE WHERE.

“Would you like to join my band of Ninjas?”

I have already infiltrated your band of ninjas!

“Do you like writing about diseases? Peeps was about parasites, Innoculata had to do with a virus and in So Yesterday the main characters dad is a Epidimiologist (I think).”

I love all kinds of biology, like beasties too. Studied philosophy of biology in college. (Yes, that’s a real thing.)

“Scott-la, in the Uglies series who was the most interesting character to create?”

Hmm, maybe Mr. Simpson Smith, because he talked funny and had a very different view of the world from everyone else.

“Is there a ball, wedding, or some other formal scene in Goliath?”

Yes!

“Will we ever see Deryn in a dress in the final book?
I need some hope..

Secret!

“Were you annoyed with my pie questions at the last meet up? xD”

No!

” I love Eddie is he important in Goliath?? ”

Hmm, this is spoilery, but yes he is important in Goliath. In fact, no one just disappears.

“Is Goliath the end of the Leviathan universe? I know you are writing the Manual of Aeronautics, but that won’t have any stories in it. Is there an Extras style book planned?”

Nothing planned, but I have a “prequel” to Goliath, sort of. It was a short story I was writing and decided to dump because I wanted to do a whole trilogy. And I mean to publish it sometime.

“Any Leviathan movie news that you would like to share?”

A contract is being written. Until it is signed, I can say no more!

“Have you ever tried fencing? Would you take lessons from Count Volger?”

Yes, in college. He sounds mean as a teacher, though. I’m a lazy student at physical stuff.

“Did you name Volger Ernst because that was the name Archduke Ferdinand named his son?”

Yes! Bonus points to you! He is the Ernst I erased from history.

“And how close was Volger and the Archduke exactly? Did he name his son after Volger?”

Volger’s not historical, so your second question is a no. But in my world they were very close, though they went through a bad patch when Volger told the Archduke not to marry Sophie.

“I’m Hungarian. Do we go to Hungary next?”

Sorry, no Hungary stuff in Goliath.

“What’s Lilit’s last name?”

I don’t know. (Naming varies a lot back then, however. She probably just would have been known as ‘Lilit, daughter of Zaven.’

“Do you find it interesting when we ship characters?”

YES! I love all the fan fics.

“Oh yeah, and how’s that bloke in your closet doing?”

He’s almost done with his master’s degree, and then I think he’s getting a PhD.
(This is an inside joke at the Forum. Do not be alarmed.)

“Ok, so since the Leviathan series is almost over, do you already have another series in mind? Or is the new Croy project the next big thing?”

Not a whole series, yet. But a standalone novel is in my head and there’s the Cory project and a graphic novel I’m writing.

“What kind of copyright it the leviathan trilogy and who holds it? will there eventually be a creative commons version?”

Not sure about more short stories. Leviathan is under normal copyright, held by me, but write all the fan fiction you want.

“Any advice on worldbuilding?”

Pay attention to how THIS world works, and how complicated it is.

“And, has anyone in real life been an inspiration for a character in the Leviathan series?”

Hmm, not really, except for those historical women who really pretended to be boys.

“Scott can you imagine that if you came to our houses we’d freak out and be like the lady in ‘Misery’ the movie/book?”

Thanks for the warning!

“Oh, and are Dr. Barlow and Volger in love? Us fans would die of happiness if they were!”

Barlow is married! (But they have a special bond.)

“Will you be coming to Texas any time soon?”

YES, I’m booked at the Austin Teen Book Festival, and therefore other TX cities are probably on tour.

“Okay, I HAVE to ask–will there ever be an Uglies movie?”

Maybe! New deal in the works. Will post news when contract signed.

“Are you going to see the last harry potter movie in the theatre?”

Yes, at Leaky Con, with Maureen Johnson.

“What was the weirdest thing you’ve ever been asked to sign?”

Answered that at the last meet-up, and I can’t remember what. Does anyone else?
(Further research revealed the answer to be, “A bra.”)

“On Justine’s website she says that she doesn’t drive cars. Do you drive cars? If no, does that have anything to do with Uglies?”

True, we don’t have a car or even licenses. And it KIND OF has to do with Uglies, in that I have environmental issues with them.
I never live anywhere where a car is essential.

“Ok, guys why don’t we just wait and let him answer all the questions we’ve already asked.”

Hah! Good luck with that.

“Are we going to see some sword fighting from Alek, Deryn, or particularly Voger in Goliath?”

Yes! There are swords! And a thing that’s not QUITE a sword.

“How many chapters are in Goliath?”

Um, 44 or 45.

“Have you eaten any pie lately?”

Not lately. But I will today IN YOUR HONOR.

“Can you give a vague description of the setting of the book after Goliath?”

Contemp US and a sort of mystical afterworld.

“Will you come to Europe?”

Yeah, but no plans at the moment. France wants me to come in a couple of years.
Where i really want to go is Brazil.

“Do you watch any anime or read any manga???”

Nana, Blood+, Monster, Princess Tutu, Moribito, Full Metal Alchemist, Pluto, 20th Century Boys.

“Why did you choose today as the meetup day? Do you like having meetups on the two year anniversary of MJ? xD”

Didn’t realize.

“Do you have a pic of the cool shoe lacing from So Yesterday? I hvent been able to find a pattern like that anywhere…”

One of my foreign editions has it. Search for So Yesterday on all my blog posts and go through them.
(I looked for this ,but still can’t find it.)

“Shuffling through some old blog posts I saw that you had posted about the possibility of a ‘So Yesterday’ movie. Is there still a chance it might be a movie?”

No, that fell apart. (But I got some money. Yay!)

“Do you like emilie autumn? muse?”

Don’t know them

“What is your favorite book you wrote?”

Hmm, Peeps was the most magical experience. Like, every time I had a plot problem, parasites solved it!

“Is Lilit gonna get married as a part of a plot in Goliath? (guessing this due to the April Fools joke pic). The plot due to the knife and the fact that Lilith obviusly wouldn’t get married for love anyways (i don’t think). ‘Specially since we know now she’s gay/bi. (not saying gay/bi people shouldn’t get married, just saying I hihgly doubt it was legal back then).”

Heh, I will say that she’s a part of the book, but THAT IS ALL.

“Do you like the television show House?”

Never saw it. I don’t watch much realism.

“Have you ever watched A very Potter musical???”

No.

“Does the Leviathan have a tail?”

Yes! You will SEE it and we will GO back there in Goliath.

“(If no one disappears in your books) what happened to Croy?”

He is saving himself for May/June 2012.

“will there be any good makeout scenes in goliath ??”

Yes there will be kisses . . . BUT WHO?

“Will volger die ‘cuz his first name meens fight to the death?”

EVERYONE DIES IN GOLIATH. (Not really.)

“My twinbrother would like to know: will there be new awesome warmachines or beasties?”

BOTH.

“Last time, you mentioned Newkirk doesn’t have a first name. Can you make one up now?”

Um, I leave that to you guys.

“We know that ‘Hearst’ from the Goliath Word Cloud is William Randolph Hearst, but who’s ‘Rogers’?”

Um, I can’t remember.

“I want deryn to tell alek so badly… you dragged it out for so long! why? why?”

The tears of my readers keep me young.

“My brother also wants to know if we’ll see anything with the clanker dirigibles?”

YES.

“How do you feel about people torturing your characters in fan fics and fan art, i.e. making them stupid, confused, killing them, and/or maiming them?”

Go for it.

“Ok, so is that Goliath prequel your next big thing or is there another new series?”

Like I said, there’s a standalone novel, and the Croy project, and a graphic novel.

“Is the Croy project really about Croy? Or is that just what you’re calling it?”

That’s just what I’m calling it. BECAUSE YOU ARE ALL OBSESSED WITH CROY.

“Eugene William Newkirk for the win! *fistbump*”

IT IS DECIDED.

“How did David get his eyebrow scar? Or is that one of those questions that you leave for the fans to decide? (I have already written a fanfic on it )”

Revealed in the Croy project!

“Will there ever be a Leviathan video game?”

I hope so, but no plans yet.

“Do you want a pet message lizard?”

Hmm. Hard to take care of, going back and forth between Sydney and NYC.

“Do you like Berry Burst Icecream Oreos?”

THEY SOUND INTRIGUING!

“Will there be a Russian revolution in the Leviathan-verse?”

We don’t get all the way to 1917, so not in the books.

“ALSO ….. my mother wants to know if there is another Risen Empire coming soon???”

Alas no.

“And if you have: Can you tell us just the last word? Not the last sentence, just the last word.”

It is . . . ‘allies’

“Will anyone go to the US?”

YES.

“Will there ever be a Leviathan Lego kit? ”

This came up in my last marketing meeting, and I said I will sign any paper necessary to make that happen. But nothing brewing yet.

“And have you ever tried the ‘real’ Bovril (the edible kind)?”

No. I’m a vegetarian.

“Have you finished Goliath yet?”

Yup!

“How do you feel about this forum as a whole?”

I think it’s great how big it is! But I haven’t read that much of it. It’s kind of you guys’s thing, not mine.

“If you could have one machine/beastie from Levi exist in our would, what would It be?”

The Leviathan itself. I would fly on it!

“Do you have skype and so would u like to come to our after meet up skype party?”

I don’t skype much, and I must do WORK.

“Do you ever base your characters off yourself or family members? (My first serious question beside the Croy questions!)”

Not really. Maybe little bits of them, like not liking chocolate or a turn of phrase.

“Will there ever be a creative commons attribution non-commercial share-alike license?”

Maybe if I ever get around to it. I’d almost rather throw it all into the public domain. Simpler that way.

“Thanks, Scott!!!!!!! I can’t wait for all these new projects. Will the graphic novel be from the same illustrator that does Levi?”

No. Keith’s too slow and complicated to do a graphic novel.

“Will this place ever have feeds or something like identi.ca.”

I don’t know what that is.

“Who do you like better, Alek or Deyn?”

Deryn’s more fun to write, because she’s basically happier and better adjusted. But Alek’s a bit more thoughtful.

“Is there any reason that I couldn’t request a friend of a friend to make me a t-shirt to be made that said ‘Team Cable’ or ‘Special Circumstances’ or ‘I don’t want to hurt you but I will if I have to’ or other quotes from Uglies on it?? Because I don’t want to get in any trouble for making one if it’s not legal–so is it okay to make an Uglies themed t-shirt for myself?”

Rock out! For personal use is okay with me.

“will this forum ever be in real-time?”

Hmm, I don’t know exactly what that means, so not soon. I’ll ask my webmistress.

“Would you consider writing another steampunk novel?”

Not for a while. Wouldn’t want to repeat myself.

“What is your favorite type of Leviathan Fan fiction?”

The more weird and unexpected, the more I like it.

“is the Goliath a beastie or a clanker machine?? dying of curiosity here!!”

Machine!

“Do you like bugs?”

Yes, but not in my food.

“Are you heading to the MA area anytime soon?”

Probably not.

“Have you ever used an IRC?”

Not for a long time.

“Has anybody ever recognized you and freaked out?”

An elevator full of librarians did once at ALA (a librarian conference) and they screamed!

“If I mentioned pie if I ever saw you, would you recognize me as Allie-wa?”

Lots of people ask me about pie, but I would still know it was YOU.

“Scott. MOST important question EVER…….Do you…own a blue bucket?”

I did, but it was stolen.

“Okay, so when Volger said that Dr. Barlow was an ‘interesting woman,’ he wasn’t declaring his undying love for her?”

He’s cagier than that, I think.

“does anyone important in the series die in goliath?”

People die, and I bet THEY think they’re important.

“Do you look at xkcd comics?”

Love them.

“I’m eating a kiwi gummy.”

Sounds yummy.

“How tall Is Deryn?”

Rather tall for her time. 5’10″ or so.

“What color are Deryn’s eyes?”

Don’t know. Brown, I think. (Further research revealed that they are BLUE.)

“Will you come to central Europe?”

Would love to. Let’s hope Leviathan does well in Germany.

“Are you a Nerdfighter?”

Not really. But I know and love many, and I try not to forget to be awesome.

“And how much shorter is Alek??? (than Deryn)”

Two inches-ish.

“In all your books and short stories, what scene was the funnest one you’ve ever written and why?”

Peeps. See earlier answer.

“What was the most annoying question you’ve ever been asked?”

Argh. Maybe this one.

“I know you are team zombie-but if there was a zombified Unicorn……..would you be team Zombicorn?”

I’d still be Team Zombie. I don’t want to shoot a horsey.

“Would Eddie use a camera kinda like this? [photo attached]”

Yes. But his camera’s in an illustration in Goliath, isn’t it?

“Will there ever be a live meetup??”

How would this work? Suggestions?

“What was your favorite part of Leviathan?”

Tossing out the gold.

“What was your favorite part of Behemoth?”

Maybe the sultan’s palace? Or the kiss.

“What was your favorite part of Goliath?”

The part where everyone DIES. (heh) Or maybe a certain KISS.

“What is your favorite Beastie?”

Bovril or the poo-bats.

“What is your favorite machine?”

The Stormwalker.

“I did my shoes with the lacing pattern from So Yesterday!! Ill have to post it.”

DO IT!

Okay, that’s it! Hope some of you Forum-shirkers come to the next one.