Author: scott

Extras UK Cover

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Since this week is all about covers from other countries, check this out:

Yes, it’s the UK cover of Extras, which comes out November 3, only a month after the US release date. You can order it here.

I’m not quite sure what kind of bottle that is. A milk bottle? Or is it more lab equipment?

In any case, it’s just as brain-rattling as the previous Uglies covers from the UK:

The chopped-up doll parts makes these covers much creepier and darker, as if the series was about surgical atrocities. Which you could argue that it is, I guess. The images and colors are all so intense, especally the one for Specials, which focuses more on the cutting than the US one. Too much so for me, but the booksellers over there love it.

And you gotta appreciate how the image sets up the tag line: “Don’t let fame go to your head.”

Heh, heh. (Because it’s, like, heads. Oh, yeah, you got that already.)

Update: Because a couple of people have asked, this link to all my books listed on Amazon.co.uk gives you a quick overview of the British covers.

The Last Days in Paperback + DragonCon!

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As mentioned earlier, Justine and I are headed to Atlanta next weekend for DragonCon. The schedule is below, but first something that I forgot to announce a few weeks ago . . .

The Last Days is at long last available in paperback! (And Amazon has a sweet two-for-one-price deal on Peeps and TLD. Own the whole duology for $17.98!)

Okay, here’s the schedule with Labor Day weekend. We’re not making any appearances outside DragonCon, because we’re lazy, plus I have tons of National Book Award reading still to do. But for those attending the con, either Justine or I are on the following panels:

FRIDAY 10PM
Blood and Fur
From Stephenie Meyer to Cassandra Clare, books about vampires and werewolves are enjoying a hair-raising resurgence in popularity. Join us as we discuss why they are resonating with readers and learn about some of the new blood in this growing genre.
Scott Westerfeld, Heidi Heiner, Cassandra Clare, Diana Gallagher, Diana Herald
Hilton, Gwinett

SATURDAY 4PM
New Voices in YA
Each year, new voices are emerging in YA literature. Join some of our most popular YA authors–Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, Scott Westerfeld, and Justine Larbalestier–as they discuss their books and lives as YA authors.
Hanover CDE

SUNDAY 1PM
Chicks Rule
Some of the strongest female role models are today’s YA heroines; we have Hermione’s book-smarts, Lyra’s cunning, and Arya’s toughness. Let’s talk about our favorite heroines and how these characters guide us to persevere in extraordinary situations.
Josepha Sherman, Diana Gallagher, Maureen Johnson, Justine Larbalestier
Hilton, Gwinett

MONDAY 10AM
Utopias and Dystopias
In books like Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series, societies tightly governed by rules can create a perfect place–unless you break them. We’ll look at what makes the best possible worlds for YA authors—and how to function when all bets are off.
Scott Westerfeld, Diana Herald, Susan Fictelberg, Bonnie Kunzel, Tracy Akers
Hilton, Gwinett

I’ll try to do some blogging from the con, especially about the trip down there. We’re going down by train with Cassie Clare, Theo and Holly Black, and Maureen Johnson! DragonTrain!

Thanks for all your orders at Wearable Extras! Let me know how everything fits.

Japanese Midnighters = Fawesome

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Okay, it’s officially International Editions Week here at Casa Larbfeld.
Look what came through the transom today:

This is definitely the most literal cover out of all the Midnighters editions. It’s a scene right out of the book, with all kinds of elements you can’t point to right in the text.

There’s something really sweet about that, almost like a kid’s book cover.

For a truly huge file that reveals all nine kinds of fawsomeness in this cover, click here.

And like most Japanese editions, there’s a dramatis personae page at the beginning. I really like these interpretations of the five midnighters, although I’m sure you guys will find errors in detail.

Click here to read and translate the fine print, or to steal the line art for your own nefarious and illegal purposes. Like making shirts!

Wearable Extras

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So I’ve been fooling around with making my own promotional shirts for a while, and sometimes people want to buy them from me. But it’s not like I’m going to manufacture things and then (shudder) mail them. I don’t do packages and stamps very well.

But with Extras coming out in just six weeks, I suppose it’s time to let the t-shirts flow. So I invite you all to the launch of . . .

Yes, it’s the online store for shirts and hoodies that reveal your Ugly (and Midnightery) side. Behold a few examples:

All these and more are available right now by clicking right here.

A few notes:

1) As with all online clothes shopping, check the size info carefully. I chose Spreadshirts.com because they’re very clear about the measurements of their stuff. Just click the product details for info.

2) I don’t get any money from this, but one dollar from each shirt goes to Katrina relief. If anything goes wrong with an order, please bug Spreadshirts and not your humble and clueless author.

3) If you think these shirts are lame, feel free to design your own at Spreadshirt or Cafe Press. Click here for a big tridecashirt file. And here for a big file with all the Midnighters symbols. Rock out and share with the rest of us.

4) Yes, they ship to Australia and many other countries, but it costs.

5) Discounts on bulk orders (25 of the same thing).

Hope you find these fine wearables amusing, and let me know if you have any Special requests. (nyuck, nyuck.)

Again, here’s the store.

Peeps in Hebrew

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Another package from a faraway land, this hebrew version of Peeps!

This is the most impenetrable (for me) version of Peeps so far. Because the alphabet’s different, it’s pretty hard to compare editions and see how things are translated. I can’t even find the website of the publisher, Modan.

And sorry about the lousy focus, but can anyone read the subtitle?

Speaking of all things peeps-like, here’s my new favorite sentence: “Jaded zombies acted quietly, but kept driving their oxen forward.” It uses all 26 letters! Much better than that quick brown fox dude.

And in other news, this was recently spotted online: the very first review of Extras so far. Don’t worry, there are no spoilers.

Slo Yesterday

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I got a cool package yesterday, the Slovenian version of So Yesterday! Check it out:

Now, Slovenia is not a place I know much about. The Wikipedia article tells me it has a population of two million, less than 1% that of the US, less than Brooklyn. So they must read a lot per capita, otherwise I can’t see how they’d make money with translated books. I mean, what percentage of those two million are teenagers to begin with?

Below is the first page—of Chapter 1, not Chapter 0. It’s clearly a Slavic language, but even knowing the text, I can’t figure too much out. But I love the word inovatorka for “innovator.”

Annoyingly, I’m not finding any Slovenian translation tools that work, so I leave it up to you guys to translate the title. Something about “cool”?

Of course, it occurs to me that I shouldn’t be so clueless about this place. Parts of my next trilogy, Leviathan, will take place in Slovenia. Or rather, what’s now called Slovenia, and was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire back in 1914.

For Slovenian speakers and crazed compleatists, here’s the website where you can buy Lovci na Kul.

And in other news, The Last Days has been long-listed for an Inky over at Inisde a Dog. Yay!

October Tour

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Hey, everyone. Sorry I’ve been gone so long, but it’s, like, summertime and the living is easy. Plus, I’ve been reading for the National Book Awards, usually a book a day. Doesn’t always leave time for other stuff.

But the crack publicity team in charge of the Extras tour has not been resting! They’ve been planning many exciting appearances (and tedious flights) for the first half of October. The schedule looks something like this . . .

October 2-4: Chicago, IL
October 6-9: San Francisco, CA
October 11: Seattle, WA
October 14-15: Lexington, KY

Update: I will also be doing some stuff around NYC the week of October 22. I forgot to put that in the schedule because, you know, I live here half the year.

If no town near you is on the list, I sincerely apologize. Alas, that’s the way it is. The factors that go into a tour like this are many and arcane. Are there indie bookstores in a city? Trade shows? Librarian conferences happening?

It’s all very mysterious to me. I go where I’m told.

But I’m happy that I’ll be seeing at least four cities’ worth of you guys. This is my first real tour, and I’m both excited and nervous. Luckily, Justine has agreed to go along with me, so I won’t be lonely on all those airplanes.

Obviously, this is just a rough outline. I’ll post the actual appearance times and locations when they’re confirmed.

In the meantime, I’ll be posting more often for the rest of the summer. That snooze was enjoyable, but it’s all over now. And yes, the samplers giveaway will continue at some point, and other surprises as well.

Aya ASCI image courtesy of Text-Image.com.