New Look!

I know what you’re thinking: “Um, new haircut?”

No, new website!

Given that Leviathan is coming out on October 6, I thought we should retire the old Extras look and get all steampunk’ed around here. Hope you enjoy the gears. (Mmmm . . . gears.)

Thanks to all the folks who made this possible, especially Deena Warner Design and all the folks at Simon & Schuster. Without them, this wouldn’t look so fabulous. In fact, it would look exactly the same as it used to, because I’m way too busy these days to work on non-book stuff.

Well, except for heading down to the recording session for the Leviathan audiobook, where I got to hang out with star of stage and screen Alan Cumming (aka Nightcrawler of X-Men, Fegan Floop of Spy Kids, and the Emcee of Cabaret).

I haz proof:

meac

I really enjoyed listening in. When I got to the studio, Alan (um, if I may) was just starting the huge battle scene in the middle of the book, and he was really rocking it. He’d invented voices for all the characters, which was freaky for me (but in a good way). Everything was so much more dramatic than how I read my own stuff aloud. Old-school storytelling is really nothing less than magic.

Alan was working off a specially marked recording script, and hadn’t seen the art yet. So over lunch we went through the Big Book of Illustrations I carry around with me, and he was suitably impressed and kept saying, “This should really be a movie.” (I told him he should play Count Volger, and he was down with that.)

Then we talked about old Saturday Night Live sketches, which I’ve done with a lot of people over the years, but not anyone who’s actually hosted the show.

It was loads of fun, and he had the grace to notify me when there was something unattractive stuck between my teeth, which is really all I want in a celebrity. (Note to self: black bean soup = tactical error.)

Enjoy the new site!

99 thoughts on “New Look!

  1. Hey guys! It’s Emily-wa. And since I’m pretty sure there’s another Emily-wa around here somewhere, it’s the first one. You know, the one that got all heated up in a debate with Bran-la and had fun with the someone-posing-as-god thing. Remember me? I’ve missed you!

    Love the new look, scott-la. I almost didn’t even notice it until I saw “New Look” and “Website” on the post. And I was like, “Whaa- OMIGOSH PRETTY!”
    And I love Mind Rain. I bought it. And it says “Emily-wa” in it as an example, so that made me happy. Even if it wasn’t really meant for me and probably for the new emily-wa. But oh well, in my mind, it’s still me.

    …And Andrea-la and I are still going to protest the movie. Grrrrr.

  2. Hi Emily-wa! I remember you still! Ahhhh! I just realized that the comments aren’t numbered on here! How will we KNOW stuff? IMPORTANT stuff!

  3. First of all, I really like the new look, especially the lizard! He’s cute 😀
    And I love Alan Cumming; can’t wait to hear him in he audiobook.

  4. I’m warming to the site, it’s now awesome in my eyes. i think it was just too much of a rainy day for me. Just a couple of things to ask…
    Are you going to put all of the comments back on a scroll-y page, or are you gonna stay with the weird “older comments” navigation thing?
    And…
    Are you going to update the lizard with cute messages all the time? ‘Cus that would just be so gosh darn cute.
    :3

  5. love the new site Scott!!!!:) Your life is just full of excitement haha. i can’t wait for october!

  6. Omg, I love the new site. I noticed the blog was different, so I cicked on the normal site and I was like ” Why does it keep going to the blog?!…Oahhh! Awesome!” …it was funnier in real life…

    I think we all agree that the lizard is so cute and that you should put messages in it often also.

  7. Holly-wa at 63: You have your answer!

    The site will be bumping and banging around a bit for the next few days as we make adjustment, but don’t worry, IT WILL NOT HARM YOU.

  8. Hi TZ! I’ve missed you. ^_^ Wuzzup?
    Yesh. The lizard is awesome-fantastical.

  9. The new layout is AMAZING…this just after wasting 2 hours trying to figure out how to edit my blogger layout. UGH. I wish I had people to make me freakin awesome layouts!

    And AH. Alan Cumming. For once in my life I might buy an audiobook. Though I’ll need the actual book too, so I can have the incredible illustrations.

    Scott-la, your life is just too cool. It’s geekily glamorous.

  10. Love the new look! (And I’m a website design student…)

    And hanging out with Alan Cumming is very awesome as well!

  11. Hey, I love this website’s look, but I must say that I’m not really interesting in Leviathon. It’s just not my thing, but I’m sure it’s great for some people!
    I miss Uglies.
    I wish it was a movie.
    sniffle.
    please? 🙂

  12. hehehe c’mon Hannah-la like EVERYBODY loves UGLIES but we’ve gotta have something differenth every once in a while right?

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 😐

  13. really cool new look! i can’t wait to read levithan!!!
    urgh summer’s almost over!! :cries: pout…w/e we’re going to visit notre dame (the university in indiana) on sunday!!! i’m like spazzing out!! 😆 it’s a good way to end vacation
    now…about summer reading…

  14. WOW!
    The new looking site is really cool Mr Westerfeld, i love it..
    Cant wait until Levithan comes out.. so excited
    =D

  15. ping to Hannah-la: I thought that about peeps….and guess what…I loved it…..if Uglies is the only book you’ve read by Scott, I suggest that you read his other book because they are amazing…..uf you have read thee others you will know that it doesn’t matter what kind of book he writes, you will be hooked no matter what. trust me at first I was skeptical about Leviathan….not my thing at all but I read the parts in B2B and Im hooked already I can’t wait for it to come out

  16. Holy cow! It’s so different! I love it! I can’t wait ’till October 6th! Hi everyone! I can’t really reply because im not on the computer that much lol!

  17. Wow! Fawesome background… though i did like the extras one better… Still, very steampunk-ish.

  18. I’m good too. I’ve been doing a lot on Gaiaonline lately, so the westerblog was kinda pushed away in the process. But I’ve missed you guys!
    Uglies is still my favorite series, although it’s getting some tough competition lately, heh. I’m not really interested in Levithan either, but I really like the layout still. It’s fawesome!

    Scott-la, you’ve forgotten about Dess’ blog, haven’t you? There are the same two entries as there has been for like, two years.
    And I’m still waiting for a new Midnighters, mister. Don’t you forget about that.
    If I hear from my fellow Westerbloggers that the Uglies movie is really good and almost exactly the same if it comes out, I might see it. But if not, I’ll be planning with Andrea-la to protest it. >:[

  19. Im really so excitied for Leviathan…..haha and i agree with Emily-wa i would love another midnighters book!!!
    I just read chapters 1 and 2 for leviathan again in my bogus to bubbly book which reminds me i got mind rain about a week ago!!! I loved it, i really liked hearing other peoples thoughts on the uglies series….
    Anyway im really bored right now..maybe ill go eat lunch. =)

  20. AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! I just clicked at the top left hand corner(by accident!) and watched the Leviathan trailer! AHHH! IT LOOKS AND SOUNDS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!

  21. hey guys! its been lyk forever and a day since ive been on here. i dont no if any of yall remember me…………..

    LUV the new site scott! its freaking amazing!

  22. i was just thinking how do you pronounce “Leviathan”??? i keep thinking of different ways you could..but yeah ok i was just wondering

  23. I really love the new site! And I especially love that it now opens straight to your blog. No one cares about the rest of it:P

    Lol, jk jk.

  24. Okay, I know this is bubble-headed, but i don’t know what steampunk is! SOMEONE ping me please!!! im feeling bogus and i want to know what leviathan is about so i can get psyched about it!!!!

  25. Ping @ Megan-la (If I’m doing this right). Steampunk is like a cross between technology and Victorian style. It involves a lot of brass/brown look. Just google images of it. It’s also the best thing ever. So get psyched, Squint.

    @ Scott-author-dude-person: Alan Cumming? ALAN CUMMING???? He ROCKS!!!
    So does the site. It’s way better than the old one.

    Also, I just finished Midnighters again. I have to say, you suck for writing a sad ending, but rock for not rounding it off in a sickly-sweet manner. You just hit my fave author slot (well, actually, you hit it a while ago).

  26. We should name the lizard! Any ideas? I vote for Alfred.
    Also, ping to Scot-la i just finished reading midnighters again. U made me cry *sniff* *sniff*. Now i must beat u up.
    Don’t worry people, i jest. He will not die tonight.

  27. hahaha black bean soup…
    been there done that.
    well i’ve “been there and done that”
    very frequently thoughout my life…
    i eat alot of black beans
    and it was my favvv food when i was four
    hehehe
    Me and black beans go a lonnnng way!
    love the new look btw!!

    GO BLACK BEANNNS!!

  28. Ping @ megan-la.
    steampunk is what didn’t happen in history.
    If one person had made a different choice.
    Its what could have happened.

    Ping @ Ani-lalaland.
    Thanks for the spoiler.
    lol, jks.
    :mrgreen:

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