Author: scott

Diary of Midnight

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Behold my new beautiful Italian cover!

cop Diari della mezzanotte-ok

I Diari Della Mezzanotte means The Diary of Midnight, I presume, which is quite pretty. And I like me a simple iconic rose for a cover image.

One of you can probably translate the tagline better than Google Translator, which can’t do better that, “When midnight chimes worst, nightmares are advancing in the dark.”

Um, yeah. What the machine said.

It comes in Italy out on Thursday, March 5!

Meanwhile, you should all head over to the new fansite, thesmokelives.com, which is the most populated Uglies fansite I’ve seen in a while. (That’s probably because their sister site is His Golden Eyes, which is Twilight-related.)

Enjoy!

Virtual Hoverboard

Posted on by scott

First, Justine has revealed her paperback cover for How to Ditch Your Fairy. It is generally considered to be the best cover of ALL TIME.

Click here to see it.

Second, this Wii Balance Controller hack is hoverboard-tastic! These German guys use the Wii data to navigate Google Earth, so it’s like your hoverboarding at about 10 kilometers altitude.

Check it out:

Obviously, this is a fairly crude hack, and Google Earth is too satellite-scale for hoverboard-like action. But imagine a smaller-scale version, where you could board through a cityscape or whatever-scape, whipping around buildings and through trees.

Then imagine a bit of role-playing thrown in, with Specials and Cutters and Smokies and smuggling in the Cure and Rusty Ruin environments, and I think you can see that it would be REALLY COOL.

I’m just saying.

NYC Teen Author Festival

Posted on by scott

teenauthorfest

In exciting news for those of you in the New York City area, the first-ever NYC Teen Author Festival (March 16-22, 2009) has just announced its schedule. And this schedule is VAST! So vast, in fact, that I must pause before pasting it into this post to tell you what I’m doing.

(See the full schedule below for times and places.)

To kick off the festival on Monday, March 16, Justine and I have put together a Juvenilia Smackdown panel. It consists of us two, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Alaya Johnson, David Levithan, and Diana Peterfreund reading from our childhood and teenage writings. (Spoiler Alert: WE SUCKED.) The incomparable and immoderate Libba Bray will be moderating us.

I’m also participating in a tribute to Joe Monti on Wedneday, March 18, where I’ll be reading from Leviathan. First time in public for that book. Ever!

And I’ll be at the giant Books of Wonder mass signing on Sunday, March 22.

Plus, I’ll be hanging out all week at other Festival stuff. (So. Much. Stuff.)

Note that the Festival has a Facebook group, so join away!

Okay, so here’s the full schedule. (Note that everything is free!)

Juvenilia Smackdown
Monday, 3/16, 4-6pm, Tompkins Square Park branch of the NYPL, 331 E. 10th Street

Join Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Alaya Johnson, Justine Larbalestier, David Levithan, Diana Peterfreund, Scott Westerfeld as they read some of their (ahem) less accomplished work from their middle school and high school years. Hosted by Libba Bray.

I Have Seen the Future…and It Sounds Like This
Wednesday, 3/18, 6pm, Mulberry Street Branch of the NYPL, 10 Jersey Street (Between Lafayette & Mulberry Streets)

Teen authors are notoriously stingy about reading from their works-in-progress. But for Guest of Honor Joe Monti, authors Libba Bray, Rachel Cohn, Eireann Corrigan, Justine Larbalestier, Barry Lyga, and Scott Westerfeld are willing to share a little bit from their future books. Hosted by David Levithan.

The Five-Borough Read
Thursday, 3/19

BROOKLYN: Central Library, Dweck Center, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
10-11am
Gayle Forman
Jenny Han
Leslie Margolis
Abby Sher
Matthue Roth
Robin Wasserman

BRONX: Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Road, Bronx
4-5pm
Coe Booth
Madeleine George
Paul Griffin
Brian Sloan
Melissa Walker

MANHATTAN: Countee Cullen Branch, 104 W 136th St
4-5pm
Matt de la Pena
Daphne Grab
Mary Hogan
Barry Lyga
Carolyn McCormick

MANHATTAN: Jefferson Market Branch, 425 Avenue of the Americas
4-5pm
David Levithan
Bennett Madison
Laura McLaughlin
Billy Merrell
Marie Rutkoski

MANHATTAN: Webster Branch, 1465 York Avenue
4-5pm
Lisa Ann Sandell
Courtney Sheinmel
Rachel Vail
Cecily Von Ziegesar
Martin Wilson

QUEENS: Far Rockaway Branch, 2002 Cornaga Ave, Queens
4-5pm
Tara Altebrando
Laura Dower
Heather Duffy-Stone
Aimee Friedman
Eliot Schrefer
Siobhan Vivian
Rita Williams-Garcia

STATEN ISLAND: St. George Library Center, 5 Central Avenue
4-5pm
Kate Brian
Judy Goldschmidt
Michael Northrop
Micol Ostow
Lynn Weingarten

Rock Out with TIGER BEAT!
Thursday, 3/19, 6pm at Books of Wonder

By day, Libba Bray, Daniel Ehrenhaft, Barney Miller, and Natalie Standiford are upstanding authors. But by night, they turn into … TIGER BEAT, the first ever YA author rock band. Tonight is their debut public performance … and it’s sure to go down in legend.

With opening act The Infinite Playlists (Rachel Cohn and David Levithan reading a litany of musical references, but mercifully not singing).

I Love You, New York: Teen Lit in the City
Friday, 3/20, 6pm, NYPL, 42nd Street, Court Room

Join authors Coe Booth, Paul Griffin, Maureen Johnson, David Levithan, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Rita Williams-Garcia in a spirited reading and discussion about teen novels set in New York City – from the glamour of the gossip girls to the grit of the Bronx projects, from the everyday battles of the high school halls to the extraordinary events of 9/11.

Stuff for the Teen Age Ceremony
Saturday, 3/21, 1pm, NYPL, 42nd Street, Celeste Bartos Forum

This new list only has the best of the best, and includes books, music, movies, and video games. Featuring a keynote by Walter Dean Myers

Teen Authors Celebrate Teen Readers
Sunday, 3/22, NYPL, 42nd Street, Trustees Room, 1pm

Over a dozen authors salute teen readers and teen advisory board members from around the city, including Blake Nelson, reading from his upcoming novel Destroy All Cars.

The Biggest Teen Author Signing EVER
Sunday, 3/22, 4pm, Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street

Join over 40 authors for a signing extravaganza as they take over Books of Wonder, sign books, and converse with fans new and old. An incredible event that is sure to go down in book-signing history.

Authors include:
Nora Baskin
Jessica Blank
Judy Blundell
Coe Booth
Elise Broach
Susanne Colasanti
Sarah Darer-Littman
Matt de la Pena
Heather Duffy-Stone
Gayle Forman
Aimee Friedman
Madeleine George
Maureen Johnson
Kristen Kemp
Justine Larbalestier
David Levithan
E. Lockhart
Barry Lyga
Carolyn Mackler
Sarah MacLean
Megan McCafferty
Lauren McLaughlin
Neesha Meminger
Billy Merrell
Blake Nelson
Micol Ostow
Matthue Roth
Marie Rutkoski
Lisa Ann Sandell
Courtney Sheinmel
Abby Sher
Brian Sloan
Rachel Vail
David Van Etten
Ned Vizzini
Adrienne Maria Vrettos
Cecily von Ziegesar
Melissa Walker
Robin Wasserman
Scott Westerfeld
Suzanne Weyn
Maryrose Wood
Lizabeth Zindel

Manga Head Explosive Goo

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Yes, you read that right, and I’m typing it again, because it’s that much fun:

Manga. Head. Explosive. Goo.

It’s a brand of hair gel made by Garnier, to create those delicious mohawk-tastic heads of hair just like your fave manga characters. Don’t believe me? Here’s the website.

And here’s a classic example of some manga heads:

mangahairpic
Ganked from Crystal Tip’s flickr stream. And thank you to Kerri for the heads up on Manga Head Explosive Goo.

Can anybody find a photo of actual Manga Head Explosive Goo in a store? I need to see it.

Okay, now that that’s dealt with, a few more cool images, starting with a SCARY DOLL ALERT!

vampirus

This is the Italian version of Peeps, published by Fazi. Although Justine can’t look at it, due to her scarydollaphobia, I love it and can’t wait for a matching treatment for The Last Days.

Hey, I just noticed the secret color-coded message in the title, which works in English as well as in Italian. See what I mean? Kewl.

And in Скотт Вестерфельд news, we have Jonathan and Jessica looking very fantastical on the cover of the Russian Midnighters 2: Touching Darkness . . .
midrussian

I could just look at foreign edition covers all day sometimes. So much easier than, um, writing.

Speaking of which, it’s back to the Leviathan mines for me!

Fan Art Tuesday

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Okay, so it’s been an unusually long time since I posted. This is because I’ve been working very hard on both Leviathan and Mind-Rain, an anthology of essays by YA writers about the Uglies series. (More about this soon. It’s going to be very cool.)

But that hasn’t left me much time to blog. I’ve only blogged, like, twice this year! (So much for that resolution.)

So in consolation, I offer you some very cool fan/fine art from Yuriy Shikhanovich:
bookface
Copyright Yuriy Shikhanovich (but cropped by me a little to fit). See the original here.

The match is so close that this photo has a great uncanny valley feel to it. Like your brain almost wants to believe the illusion, but then rejects it. (And it gives new meaning to the word “facebook.”)

And here are some awesome home-brewed Wearable Extras from Becki S.:

becki1

becki2

becki3

Love that hoodie.

Actually, working on Mind-Rain has reminded me of all the cool contributions you guys have made to the series. Both in feedback and suggestions, various threats and rants, and in fan art and discussion. So thanks to everyone who’s pinged me over the years!

Now back to the word mines.

Manga Heads Horror!

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Over at at the Photoshop contest site Worth 1000, someone has taken the concept of manga heads a bit too seriously.

Behold these classic movie stars in horrific manga form:

mangahead21

mangahead1

Anyway, Justine and I are moving into new digs today, so we may be internet-missing for a few days. So don’t expect much in the way of blogging by me for a bit. (Not that I’ve been very good this year so far . . . )

Instead check out the new Westerfeldian roleplaying board!

Toxoplasma Heaven

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Those of you who’ve read Peeps will no doubt remember toxoplasma gondii, the cat-borne parasite that can infect humans and change their personality. An old pal of mine, science journalist and blogger Rebecca Skloot, is a bit of an expert on toxoplasma, having written this article on whether the parasite causes “crazy cat-lady syndrome.” Fascinating stuff.

She’s just posted this charming video of a possibly toxoplasma-positive rat who LOVES its little cat friend.

For those of you who haven’t read Peeps, toxoplasma controls its rat host’s brain, making the poor creature seek out cats in hopes of getting eaten. This is because toxoplasma can only reproduce itself in the stomach of a cat. But as Rebecca points out, if the cat takes the pacifist route and simply refuses to eat the rat, it can stay uninfected.

Your move, Mr. Parasite.

In Other News

Justine is blogging writing advice for all of January. Many great posts and lots of good discussion about point-of-view, generating ideas, and how to get unstuck.

Stephenie Meyer fansite Twilight Moms has declared my Midnighters series its Book of the Month. Join the Twilight Moms discussion here. (Well, you have to be a mom, or at least 25, or married to be a Twilight Mom, but you can always read the discussion.)

Confusion Interview

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About a year ago, Justine and I were guests of honor at High Voltage Confusion, a yearly convention in Detroit. As we blogged here and here, we had an incredible time and met lots of lovely people.

Our introduction to the local folks was via a long interview with blogmeister John Scalzi, best known for his crankiness at the Whatever. He asked us the usual stuff about ourselves and our work, but then we branched into a far-ranging discussion of YA. I listened to the interview recently, and it was one of those, “Huh, I was pretty smart that day” things.

It really sums up my thinking about our field, and Justine is also on song. So if you’ve got a spare, um, close to an hour(!) forty-five minutes, take a listen.

After you click here, you have to scroll down to “Teh Awesome Duo—Revealed!”

And if listening to me and Justine pontificate for that long is too much, there’s always . . . hoverboards!

Regarding Pteropus

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Pteropus, also known as the flying fox, is one of my favorite inhabitants of Sydney. The “foxes” are really fruit bats, with meter-wide wingspans and a taste for figs and mosquitos. They don’t echo-locate like smaller bats, but they do have a distinctive chirp, like a tongue click in some alien language. Pteropus also has a pleasant musky smell, like a faraway skunk in those moments before you realize what you’re smelling.

For the next couple of weeks, we’re staying within view of the Royal Botanical Gardens, which swarms every evening with foxes heading out to the suburbs. Dusk is prime mosquito hunting time, of course.

Here’s the view from our balcony, with the Opera House peeking out from the trees. In the top right, the first bat of the evening has just taken wing.

After many tries, I managed to catch one whizzing just overhead . . .

In close-up, you can see the mammalian skeletal structure—the tiny feet and the vestigial fingers sticking out from the wings.

And remember, this thing’s big. Three feet across! Walking at night, we occasionally startle one out of a low tree, and it’s like a leather kite coming to life just over your head.

Anyway, that’s what I’m staring out at these days. Book 1 of Leviathan is in copy-editing, and the research for Book 2 is in full swing . . .