Scott Facts

I am not currently scheduling appearances. Please do not email me with appearance requests. It’s not that I don’t love you all, it’s just that you outnumber me.

I get a lot of requests for biographical information, mostly from students writing reports about me. This is flattering indeed, but answering the same questions dozens of times has gotten old. So without further introduction, here is the Scott Facts page:

For a list of all novels written, go here.

Born: May 5, 1963
Dallas, Texas, USA

Family: Pamela, mother, from West, Texas
Lloyd, father, from Crawford, Texas (the same town where George W. Bush bought his fake ranch in 2000)
Wendy and Jackie, sisters (both older)

Married writer Justine Larbalestier in 2001.
No kids; no plans for kids.

We split our time between Sydney, Australia and New York City. (Summers only, thank you.)

Grew up in Texas, California, Connecticut
My dad was a computer programmer in the 1960s-70s, when computers were as big as a house and came with a bunch of people to make them do stuff. He worked for Univac in its various forms, and we lived in Houston for the Apollo missions, in California for Boeing, and Connecticut for submarines, etc.

Education: Arts Magnet High School, Dallas, Texas
Vassar Philosophy BA in 1985
New York University, graduate work in Performance Studies 1987-8

Favorites
Writer: Samuel R. Delany
Book: I don’t know, okay? There are millions of them, you know.
But as a kid: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Movie: Not as many as books, but I still don’t know. I think these kinds of questions are silly.

Jobs held
factory worker (making lead soldiers!)
substitute teacher
textbook editor
software designer
ghost writer

Six Interesting Facts
1. I just bought a telescope (80mm primary)
2. I am a vegetarian (for family reasons, mostly)
3. My book So Yesterday has been translated into Slovene.
4. Languages studied: Japanese, Spanish, and Latin. Languages fluent in: English.
5. Justine and I are bisummeral, moving between the hemispheres to avoid the deadly scourge of winter.
6. I never wear jeans. Never!

Sports
Basketball—we have season tickets to the WNBA’s Liberty, second row
Cricket—newly discovered in Australia
Tennis—played semi-competently , but not often enough

Food
Mexican and Thai are my favorite
Italian is also quite excellent
Tetsuya’s is my favorite restaurant in Sydney, indeed, in the world
Otto is my current fave in NYC
Favorite meal: breakfast
Breakfast places of note
Sydney: Hopscotch, Single Origin
Dunedin: Bean Scene
New York: La Palapa, Counter
San Miguel de Allende: Nirvana

This page is just getting started. Use the comment thread to ask more questions!
(I will delete comments as the questions are answered.)

5,028 thoughts on “Scott Facts”

  3. Writing a report so its question time:Name 6 of ur friends,2 of ur photo albums, 2or 3 things you did for others, What r some things ur looking for,What is ur ummmm political views, what is ur ummmm religion, and more later

  16. Hi, i just discovered this site & looked @ the comments & got a little ticked off.We are your fans & we buy your books & read them,so can you @ least comment back on our comments.TRUST ME i feel horribal saying stuff like this to you<but its kinda true.Anyway, i love your books so much!The only thing ive read so far is Uglies trioligy (About to read last book) im fourcing my friend mandy to read it too,but she hasnt got past the 7th chapter in the first book yet!She dosent even know who david is!!!!!!I think i might take the book from her shes taking so long(as much as i hate to do that,but i miss my book!!!!)

  17. Dear, Mr. Westerfeld

    I would like to ask you if you would make some more Midnighter books.
    I finished all three of your Midnighters books in two days and their story was very well written I would am sad the series ended the way it did. I just would like to know if your making any more to reunite Rex and Melissa maybe have Dess go to a camp and meet a Midnighter that can bring Daylighters to live in the night so that Jess and Jonathan get to live in the same time together.

  18. Dear Scott, I know that you probably won’t have time to reply to this, but I’ll ask anyway. What gave you the idea to write books? Were you inspired by someone, or did you just realize that you’re a good author, and decided to write? Anyway, I seriously love your work, please don’t stop writing, and take your time to reply. Thanks!

    Sincerely, Sam

  20. Okay, Scott I know this is a TON of comments haha but in all actuality you are just like us regular people who arent authors or famous and if you do answer my question I would like for it to be a serious one so here it is. For 8th grade we have summer reading at Elkmont and we do reports on books and I have chose your book, Uglies. Along with just reading this book we have several questions to aswer, and I believe I have completed them all and right, at that but one. What does the time period of the original publication date and the book have in commen? Why did the author write this book? Do you mind telling me what inspired you to write this fantastic novel? 🙂

  21. Mr. Westerfeld-la,
    In your uglies series, why are the hover boards built with the ability to carry two people? And I am making a board game for a book report that is taking the place of my finals exam, and I really need to know how far away from the ocean is Tally’s city, and can you give me an estimate on how many people live in Tally’s city? (I am making a clay model and I really need help). Also, when I was planning what my board game was going to look like I realized that Tally city is in an area that really looks like San Francisco. Did you do that on purpose?
    Thanks, Kayley-wa

  22. What word proccesser do you use?
    (totally randmom question): What is your favorite song in Once More, with Feeling? (aka the Buffy musical episode). I don’t know why I ask, exactly, but I feel a strange desire to know!

  23. Hi Scott! How did the idea for the Uglies series hit you? Short question but hopefully you’ll answer this on your site. Thanks

  24. Hello Scott:

    I need a haircut badly and have decided to go for the style Volger has going on in the illustrations from the Leviathan trilogy. Regrettably there is only Goliath page 46 (“Pondering”) which gives a good closeup of him and his hair. I was wondering if you could direct me to any of the artistic inspirations drawn on (pun intended) for inspiration for Volger’s hair.

    Thank you

    John

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  26. Wow. I’m on a mobile device and it took me AGES to scroll to the bottom. Someone’s popular. Anyway, do you ever watch Castle? Because you remind me a little of me of Richard Castle, one of my favorite fictional characters (alongside Alek and Deryn).
    Thank you for some amazing books, Mr. Westerfeld.

  27. i looooooooove your books so much and force like everybody meet to read uglies,i think some people think im crazy im so obbsesessed with uglies…by the way: do u hav any posters of uglies so i can hang it in my room then whenever i look at it i think of how if ever got to meet you id faint five times before acualy getting to talk to u.U r sch a god author , u actualy toatallly inspired me to be an author too,anyway i wanted to ask u wat colledge u went too and how many years.i really hope u r reading this cuz im such a big fan i dont think theirs any author possibly better than u…if i had to reccomend one book to everyone in the world it would be uglies by (well,u) .im acutaly just started school and am reccomending ur book to everyone, somtimes i even talk about u invoulintarly… ive told alot of librarying people to read ur book, u r litterally probaly the best author in the world,,theirs no one better than ur books, their so gooood . somtimes whenever i hear the name tally or shay er david er somthing i go crazy and yell who..where ..what…i used 2 not like books-isnt that CRAZY i think it is …u da BESST author in the world!!!!by the way please keep reading ths no matter how annoying it gets & by the way if u have time i would appreciaet if u cud email me, id be very thank full but to make it clear im not fourcing u to email me & if u do happen to email me i promise that i will NOT fill up ur email box with emails,i think other than reading my fave thing todo is polymere clay ( bakable clay) if u look up polymere clay creations on gooogle images you will probaly see cute figurings- those r the kng of things i make-….im probly gonna start checking ur blog every other day just cuz….my fave color is blue wats urs????sorry if that a silly qestion. without u id like ddiiieee,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,mabey ..depends.my bff hates books i cant stand it i bet if i pushed her enough to read uglie she would like it…but loooving books is my thing NOT my bffs.by the way i picked the name ping la cuz its from one of my fave parts in uglie trioligy wen tallys wacked out with some silly gas meds er whateves then her ping keep s going off then she calls it ping la!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  28. hello hi my name is claire and i read your book and i would like to know what inspired you to write uglies please respond soon i would really aprecitate it.

  30. Hi, I have read all the books in the Uglies series and I was wondering if you were planning on making them into movies? I personally think that you should. When I talk to my friends about them they tell me how I get way into them, and I would be so excited if you started making the movies. These books are so wonderful. You have no idea how much of a connection I have with Tally. I too struggle with decision. And I wanted to say that your books have really helped me with some of the self image problems I have. And I can see this world in the future people today have this image of what we are supposed to look like and the way we need to act and I can see this dystopian world in the future. My friends always joke around about me being exactly like Tally. So if you ever make a movie please consider me as a possible “Uglie” Tally. Thank you again. ~Jessica-wa

  33. at what age did u first realize u had a talent for writing and also at what age did u fall in love with writing stories? do u rely souly on writing fincially, if not what is ur other time, part time or full time?do u believe u have a long future as a talented author? i mean no offense, but i just need to answer certain questions for my biograhy on u. im glad u have the fact sheet but i need lees of the sterotypical facts and more of the where are they now type thing. u are by no means a has been but what i mean is … any other jobs, family , how did they come about being a proffessional writer and so on and so forth

  34. also do u have any funny stories about how ur mom would tak about u writing something or do u have any un finished childhood stories that u have written. i know that still to this day i will write a story and it will be really good then my mom would call me for dinner and id forget about it and it would just be thrown away. i need setimental stuff kinda sorry. im really not trying to be rude but i guess im just a naturally blunt person
    please and thank you. please reply very soon

  36. I’m Kennedy, (Obviously) and I’m fourteen. I had never really heard of you until August. My ELA teacher loves you and I had to read Uglies. As our final grade for the half-way point of this semester, I have to make a book advertisement for Uglies. I was here to gather information. You’re a very interesting writer. How come you never wear jeans?

  39. helllooooo my name is ronelle marie duran I live in Hesperia ca. I am attending encore high school of visual and performing arts I have read your uglies series like a kajillion times it has been the most amazing book I have ever read and iwould actualy like it for you to visit my school someday but I know you have a busy schedual but maybe some day and I actualy write books and peoms and would like your opinion please email me back at ronnieradki@yahoo.com thank you and hope to here from you soon. OH YEAH almost forgot I am 15 yearsold :p

  43. oh, it posted twice, this is awkward,

    oh well, here i go.

    Thank you for your amazing works of art(All of your fantabolous (yes it is a word) books) and most of all thank you for actually listening and talking to your fans, it means a lot to us.

    PS: explain this (insert name here)-la/wa thing, i don’t understand….

    for example Deryn-la, or sometimes Sasha-wa

    thanks again, Your faithful fan: the burnt Huxley.

  44. Hello Scott. Well i’m not really sure if this is actually you or not but i’m just hoping to get a response. I’m a high school student doing an author study on you and for extra credit we have to try and get are author to respond to us. I don’t know your email address or mailing address but i’m looking that up. But i would rather send you a letter cause i’m sure you get millions of emails a day! My letter will not be long or a letter that is asking a lot of questions. It’ll be simply thanking you for your work and asking what inspired you. i will find an address to mail you my letter and my fingers are crossed you respond.

  45. hey i’m doing a report and i was wondering… what insires you to write? this is for the report and me so i can be a great wrighter some day. BTW i’m reading uglies.
    sinaria [i have no clue how to spell it all i kno is that it means goodbye]
    -Angela ~

  46. I LOVE your series of Uglies! I’m reading “Specials” now, but I can’t wait to read Extras! 🙂 😀

  47. mr. Scott Westereld i suggest adding stuff like the favorite book youve made and if you might make another book to the leviathan serious

  48. Hello Mr. Westerfeld
    I’m beginning to read the Leviathan series for the 3rd time and am hoping that there will be more adventures with Alex and Mr. Sharp as they do undercover work for the Zoological Society. Is there any chance of that?
    Sincerely
    Martin
    P.S. If you are having trouble falling asleep at night, watch my YouTube videos, they’re very boring.

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