Yesterday at 2PM, me and a hundred-ish fans from the WesterForum hung out for about an hour and a half, and I answered many questions. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, I’ have compiled them into this blog post, typos and all! (So. Many. Typos.)
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..
Thanks, Scott! This helps a lot. I missed this Meet Up, and looking through 60 something pages to find all the questions you answered it tough.
“Special Bond” = SHIPPER FUEL. We’re a strange bunch. It doesn’t take much to make us happy! I’m sure all the shippers out there squeed with joy.
Thanks again!
lol What strange questions!
Mmmm, special bond. That’s good enough for me 😀 and yes she’s married, but it’s an alternate universe. KILL ALAN OFF.
(Alan Barlow, I think that was her husband’s name. I did research it.)
And that historical fact about it being illegal to be gay is absolutely true, and furthermore, it was specifically Queen Victoria herself who didn’t make it illegal to be a lesbian because she didn’t believe women capable of it.
Great questions and great answers!
The July picture reveal is coming up, and I think this month, instead of having 3 censored illustrations and having us vote on which one we want to see, you should reveal just the TITLES of 3 pieces of Goliath art and have us vote based on the name. This could be fun since some of the picture titles can be pretty misleading from what they actually depict…just a random idea, ha.
Wow! I’m sad I missed it… I was coming back from boffin camp, though.
It was a great meet-up! Thank you so much, Scott for answering our questions!
I hope we can have another meet-up again soon!!!
This just makes me love you even more.
You’re my favorite writer ever, you know. You have the most amazing stories and you’re so nice to us fans! I wish I had been there for this forum meetup, I guess I’ll have to go to the next one, whenever it is!
Though I do have a question: What is this Croy project I’m hearing about? I recognize it but I dunno the context. Is it in the forums or the blog? XD
I am also wondering about the Croy project. And thanks for the answers!
(my new humble name 8D)
thanks so much again for answering our questions and posting it up here so that I didn’t have to go back and read them all from the forum to my friend. XD
And @kay101
I enjoy this idea -3-
I missed the meet-up!!!
But WOW I thoroughly enjoyed reading those questions! I was laughing so hard I’m surprsied my mom didn’t ask me what the heck was so funny!
I now have the urge to go the grocery store and buy myself some mango juice!!!!!
And we ARE allowed to harm things in fanfic? Yay, I have been inspired to write dramatic fanfic!
I CAN’T WAIT FOR GOLIATH AND THE CROY PROJECT!
My new favorite Uglies character is Croy!!!!
i cannot wait for goliath and “the croy project”!!! are you going to keep calling it the croy project scott-la? that might be a cool book name just so you know:D
Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! Also, if everyone dies in ‘Goliath’ I will be sad. If everyone dies besides: Deryn, Alec, Dr. Barlow, The guy that is good with machines and ran away with Alec and Volger but I can’t think of his name, bovril and his presipitious (wow, I really mangled that word. I think) and Deryn’s brother (her dad already died, and he supports her choice to dress like a boy, unlike her mom), I will feel sympathy, but not be balling. Oh yeah, and Deryn and or Alec can not like any one else or end up with any one else or die BY LAW OF ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What do you guys mean by Croy? Do you guys mean the dude from Uglies? I’m a bit lost. I know it’s supposed to be secret, but are you referring to the character?
Never mind. I figured it out.
I like how you said “He’s cagier than that, I THINK.” Aren’t you supposed to KNOW?
perspicatious….Shelby. and i wish i could have did the whole forum thingy…but i was too busy going on bubbly rides at a carnivle…o well, at least i got to see the results of it! excited for the Croy project! and i didnt see many typos this time…they must be well-hidden…
o if anyone wants a good book to read, read ‘Divergent’ by Veronica Roth! good filler book till ‘Goliath’ comes out….
I’m back, unfortunetly for y’all.(Yes, I KNOW I spelled that wrong.) Um, excuse my lack of knowledge, but what’s Croy? Another Westerfeld creation that I was unaware of? All this talk of it makes me intrigued.
So everyone dies? I’m sad now… 🙂
And I’m happy to hear of Lillit and Eddie Malone’s return in Goliath. They were my two favourite new characters from Behemoth by far. Well, excluding Bovril, of course.
And I totally agree, Scott-la; pear juice is mind-blowingly good. Pear nectar that is.
“Say it.
Say the words I see behind your eyes.
If it’s not hard to say, then it’s a lie.
And though you think we cannot heal, but we can try.”
– James Smith, James Cleare and Heather Robb.
I would totally freak out if I saw you at a convention. Or in a library. I almost fainted when I met you in Justine in Allen TX last year. Sigh… Apparently I am behind because 1) I didn’t know about the Croy Project, or the graphic novel and 2) because I never asked you about pie. lol. Oh, and Scott? Don’t forget to make us Fort Worthians happy by dropping by. Justine too, because we love you both. If you do, I might, just might, take you to dinner. lol. (I’m vegetarian too, so no worries) Happy writing Scott!!!
DID I JUST READ THAT SCOTT WESTERFELD, THE SCOTT WESTERFELD AHS WATCHED MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE ANIME PRINCESS TUTU?
*dies*
Next time I hope I can make it to the forum meetup and ask him what he would do if he had Fakir’s / Drosselmeyer’s ability to write stories that change reality.
Eheheheheh. IM SO HAAAAAAPPPY.
Oh, and Im also sad after reading all of this because the release of goliath is so far from now!!!!
OMG I love when Scott post all these Q&As because he never seems to come where I’m around so I can go to them. 🙁
I love how much he loves Peeps because that was the first book of his I read!! Hehe it actually earned me the title “Parasite Queen” in my Biology class last year because when we started learning about the parasites I already knew all of them and then some. Thanks Scott!!!!!
I vow to make the next meet-up and ask Scott about pi!!!!!!
I can’t believe i missed it 🙁 soooo many things I could have asked him! Oh well at least I can share my new quote with you people that bother to read the comments.
“when there’s a bee on your toe don’t kick the ground, kick the air.”
-Ally Prince (a friend)
Well that was awesome i was laughing through some of it, come to utah that would be awesome i would love to go to one of these but i can’t there never close enough
Reading that made me laugh so much.
Thank you so much for posting this! i didnt want to miss it but i had to 🙁
Cant wait for goliath and the Croy project!
PS (if you ever get a say in where you go on tour, come to northern alabama. Please =])
This made me laugh (after a facepalm):
Male homosexuality was illegal in England back then, but female homosexuality wasn’t because lawmakers REFUSED TO BELIEVE IT EXISTED.
Lilit. Gay? Hahaha! The day Scott confrimes this, I will dye my hair blonde.
i love the ninja question, made me laugh 🙂
“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.
“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.
“What color are Deryn’s eyes?”
Don’t know. Brown, I think. (Further research revealed that they are BLUE.)
The people who asked those are amazing! Y’all totally read my mind! 😀
Yo Scottmeister, I’ve been doodling some Leviathan desktop things and puttin up on the web as fanart (Totally free to use, no moneez in Teh Lepperkan Kings pockets)….do you mind that? I wont make any more if you do…although I’ve been asked for a Varlow and a Dalek (LOL Dr Who?) ….
(http://art-bandgeek.deviantart.com/gallery/29542975)
“Will there ever be a live meetup??”
How would this work? Suggestions?
—-You pay for us all to fly over to…Scottland. That sounds good.
It took me about ten minutes to figure out what the whole croy project thing was. I am honestly suprised i was not born blonde…ANYWAY the last word -allies- is absolutly PERFECT! I screamed at that point…not sure why but I hope I didn’t wake anybody up…
LUV U SCOTT-LA!!!!!
Hey Scott? How come it says 08:24 on the page when I posted it right after mid-night? (I thought it was cool how I read it on the 27th and posted on the 28th, then again very weird things amaze me) Anyway I got off track again -I’m very good at doing that- guess your going by your time. Can’t wait till your in New York and the times not TOO different (It is different isn’t it?)
Gah…I read your books again today when I was in the hospital for 19 hours…and you know how bloody annoying it is when you just put down “secret!” to a question?!
You’re brilliant! Keep…post-productioning Goliath!
Aaaand….I hope you weren’t lying about Lilit coming back. She’s so cool.
Oh. Nuther question: Will you ever come to Oregon? So few authors do…makes me feel left out.
Those were some awesome Q&As! If there really is going to be movies made about the books im very excited but also sad because a lot of movies r way worse than the book and that wouldnt be fair to the people who havent read their awesomeness first. P.S. the suspense of waiting for goliath is driving me crazy!
@Clankinist: dont feel bad because authors dont visit South Carolina either 🙁
I don’t like these answers… especially the one about the last word in the book. Especially because it was lower case so it wasn’t talking about the countries, so… so… Now I think Alek and Deryn won’t get together, because, in my experience, authors like to dangle these things in front of their readers and never fully develope it… I’m talking to you, Nix.
@Edward V – but he also mentioned a ‘CERTAIN KISS’ in Goliath. Alek/Deryn = wild fangirl squeals, anyone??
@Nikka-La Thank you so much!!!! I don’t own ‘Leviathan’ and ‘Behemoth’, so can not do research.
!Nora Barlow If you are really Nora Barlow, couldn’t you get rid of Alan yourself?:)
Ugh, I meant @ not !
@ Shelby…you’re very welcome! and i dont have the books either…i got them from the library. so i couldn’t do research either. I just like words…i’m a nerd like that! 🙂
OMG, YOU’VE NEVER WATCHED HOUSE, MD?????????? SERIOUSLY????? You would love that show. It’s not reality, it’s a medical mystery/ drama! Plus, it’s inspired by Sherlock Holmes, only House solves medical mysteries, not mysteries of missing gems or lost husbands or poisons (can you tell I’m as much of a Holmes fan as I am a House fan? I love Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes’ mysteries.) He’s sarcastic and funny as h*ll.
Aha! you watch princess tutu? yay! im no the only one i know? ha cool. I cant WAIT
Ha you watch princess tutu too? yay! im not the only one!
anyways, now i REALLY cant wait for goliath. very intersting about lilit. . . wonder how that will turn out. grr i hate waiting. Thanks for answering all the questions though, very good of you, though answering SECRET to some of them is sort of cheating, i think:).
also very intersting about volger. i should do my homework. its very cool to learn about the actual history of the time period in leviathan, you learn a lot. . . o and ignore that last post, ha i hit enter too soon
…….I totally forgot to come to this……well…..son of a biscuit maker…..
I WILL COME TO THE NEXT ONE…….IF MY LIFE PERMITS IT.
Anyways…..I had a few thoughts while reading this….one is that I was never actually a fan of VolgerXBarlow….I think it’s because they seem too much alike to actually have any sort of functional relationship….they should just be good friends.
Another: If there was a Leviathan video game I’d totally buy it.
And if there was a Leviathan lego set I’d totally buy that too.
It is so awesomely-epic that you watch Game of Thrones. I watch it too. And it’s such an awessome-sauce show.
EVERYONE DIES. THAT IS SO AWESOME. AND I TOTALLY CALLED THAT ENDING. ((my go-to answer for any and all questions asked about any book))
I want to see this “not quite a sword” thing. Then I will make a reproduction of it using chicken wire and duct tape and hang it up in my room.
OMG VOLGER HAS A FIRST NAME?
My friend and I were discussing Leviathan while high on caffine, so I asked her, “What is Volger’s first name?” and she responds, “Count Duh!” XD It was Highly amusing.
who is croy?
“What was your favorite part of Goliath?”
The part where everyone DIES. (heh) Or maybe a certain KISS.
i ofically love scott.
PLEASE come to Brazil! It would be awesome and I am sure a lot a people would come see you!!
Gott. I’m soooo ma i missed this
Thanks so much for posting this!!!! I’m bummed i missed it but reading this made me feel like i was almost there. SO EXCITED
Haha, I was right about a couple of things…
WHY ARE YOU ENCOURAGING US VARLOW SHIPPERS? (sigh) This won’t end well…
A few things…
“clanker dirigibles?””
RAAAAAAGGHHH!!! IT’S CALLED A ZEPPELIN! ZEPPELINS HAVE FRAMES, AIRSHIPS HAVE ONLY A KEEL AND BLIMPS DUN HAVE FRAMES AT ALL!! GET IT RIGHT!!!
~
““Will there be a Russian revolution in the Leviathan-verse?”
We don’t get all the way to 1917, so not in the books.”
Why don’t you fudge the years like you did in behemoth?
~
““What was your favorite part of Behemoth?”
Maybe the sultan’s palace? Or the kiss.”
My Favorite part is where we get to the page where the behemoth swallows the german ironclad in one gulp. In mah nerdgang that is known as THE ULTIMATE OMNOMNOM *cowers in fear*
~
“What is your favorite Beastie?”
Bovril or the poo-bats.”
I’m the Clanker Lime, I dun like ze beasties! But if I would have to choose, I would choose… A huxley, cause they sent so many darwinists to their deaths >=-{D
~
““What is your favorite machine?”
The Stormwalker.”
Really? I would go with the huger one, the Herkules, but the Cyklop Stormwalker is epic too… Such a shame that it fell over…
You have a great sense of humor. I laughed out loud reading this, and I find myself laughing out loud while reading your books, too. 😀 I have no idea what this Croy business is, but hearing about it is just another good reason to re-read the Uglies series. Also, when I read this: “‘Do you like bugs?’ Yes, but not in my food,” I thought of the non-existent bugs in So Yesterday, which I read yesterday. Bugs in your hair, bugs in your chair. 🙂 So funny. Ah, I can’t wait for Goliath.
@Nona:
Croy is a character from Uglies that Scott ‘left behind….’
He never exactly told us what became of Croy, and all us rabid fangurls noticed that and started FREAKING OUT about it.
It must be annoying to have a bunch of fangurls virtually yelling at you about Croy, right Scott?
It makes me sad that several people don’t know who Croy is. I need to know more about this “project”!
Scottsters, do you have a vendetta against scheduling meet-ups when I can actually be there?? Grrrrr……… Even Kristina seems to have been there, and she was supposed to be camping or whatever else Canadians do in their free time(I say it with love). I think you owe it to me and my fellow SoCal-lers to come down here next autum!! And BTW I did try to get tickets to Comic Con, and even my friends dad who’s having his own booth there couldn’t get any……….
*chuckles every time Scottsters mentions something about “working”*
you never read catching fire or mockingjay??????????? shame on you!!!!!!!!
also, if Deryn doesn’t tell Alek that she’s a girl, I will personally go to your house and kill you. I don’t care if they die, they just have to die with Alek knowing. (btw, I won’t really kill you)
OH. MY. GOD.
CROY!?!?!?!? OH MY GOD. I LOVE YOU SO FREAKING MUCH, SCOTT.
OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDD.
And speaking of which; how the hell do you expect us NOT to be obsessed with Croy!?! :DDD
hmm well this is awkk cuz i dont remember who croy isss…..im more obsessed with leviathan than your other books………….and i am SHOCKED AND APPALLED AND HORRIFIED THAT YOU NEVER FINISHED THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY!!!!! TSK TSK!!! pfft…waste of gravity, thats all you are, scott….waste of gravity….jk i still love you!
“What was your favorite part of Goliath?”
The part where everyone DIES. (heh) Or maybe a certain KISS.
I bet Eugene William Newkirk kisses Deryn, and doesn’t know she’s a girl yet.
Ohmigod! I was freaking out when you didn’t know Florence the Machine or Muse, but then you redeemed yourself by knowing what a nerdfighter was! 😀 Yay!
ALSO, can’t wait for Croy project. Thank you, Scott-la!
There is no way Deryn can be 5’10 back then because the average height for a guy in scotland was 5’6. How can she be taller than the average man?
That info made my year because…. LEVIATHAN MOVIE CONTRACT CONFIRMED