Fierce Reads Tour

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I’m still on tour, in Dallas at the moment, headed to Cleveland next. But I wanted to mention that for the next few events, I’ll be part of a group of authors known as Fierce Reads 2017.

This gaggle of scribes includes Erin Beaty, Taran Matharu, Kristen Orlando, and me. We’ll all be together in Parma OH, St Paul MN, Santa Cruz CA, Austin TX, and Coral Gables FL. They’ll be appearing without me in Menlo Park CA and Las Vegas NM. (And I’ll be doing solo events in Toronto CA, Rhinebeck NY, and NYC.)

Since we’ll be traveling together, appearing together, and eating together for more than a week, I thought I’d get to know them first.

This is what I discovered:

Erin Beaty
@ErinBeatyWrites

Book
The Traitor’s Kiss

Three things that describe your book:
“Spies, lies, and smooching.”

Strangest reaction you’ve ever gotten to your book?
“I begged my readers to give me feedback on the romantic scenes, but hardly anyone would give me more than a thumbs up. But then I got a lot of great feedback and specific advice from my mom, which was ewwwwwwwww.”

What were you doing when you found out you were going to be published?
“I was ironing a bunch of shirts for my brother-in-law’s wedding when my agent called to say I was going to an acquisitions board. When the offer itself came through the next week, I was getting ready for the wedding’s rehearsal dinner. After that, the whole night is pretty foggy.”

Taran Matharu
@TaranMatharu1

Book
Battlemage (Summoner series, book 3)

Three things that describe your book:
“Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Pokemon.”

Strangest reaction you’ve ever gotten to your book?
“I have had two marriage proposals from readers I have never met.”

What were you doing when you found out you were going to be published?
“The was actually about to go into one of those sensory deprivation tanks to clear my head, where you float suspended in water for an hour. You’re supposed to relax and let your mind go empty. Let’s just say it didn’t work out that way!”

Kristen Orlando
@KristenOrlando1

Book
You Don’t Know My Name

Three things that describe your book:
“Dangerous double life.”

Strangest reaction you’ve ever gotten to your book?
“I just got the most irate email from a reader: ‘HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR READERS????? I finished it a few minutes ago, threw the book across the room, and had to contact you immediately to express my great disdain about your ending. I feel sad and awful and empty and hopeless!!!! Why did you do that to me???'”

What were you doing when you found out you were going to be published?
“I was at work when I got the call. I went into the stairwell, jumped up and down and then called my husband.”

For details of all Fierce Reads events, click this link.

To check out the rest of my tour, click here.

Hope to see you all on the road!

HORIZON is out TODAY!

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My new book, Horizon, is out today, March 28!

What’s It About?
A group of Brooklyn kids on a robotics team are flying to a competition in Japan. But on the way their plane is seized by a mysterious force and crashes. When they step from the wreckage, they find themselves stranded, at odds, and in a jungle full of strange and terrible creatures!

Basically, it’s like Hatchet, but geekier. And like Lord of the Flies, but way less depressing. And like Lost, except the characters are lost but the writers aren’t.

Explosions! Survival! Who will lead them home?

Is There a Trailer?
No. I mean, yes:

Is This Book Standalone?
“Standalone”? I barely even know what that word means.

Horizon is the first in a seven-book series, one of Scholastic’s multi-author, multi-platform deals, like 39 Clues and Spirit Animals. I wrote the first novel myself and outlined all seven of the books, but six other authors will write the rest. They have to catch all the balls I’ve thrown in the air. (Suckers.)

The second installment is by Jennifer A. Nielsen, and the other authors are secret for now. But trust me, there are some cool people involved!

What Does Multi-Platform Mean?
Computer stuff!

There’s a Horizon game for computers, phones, and tablets. Download through your phone/tablet store or play through your browser right here. Also at that link is a big community of other fans exchanging clues and secrets and game hints.

I’m a gamer from way back (me in the 1970s, basically) so the game has been a blast to work on. My robotics team characters are based on the smart, nerdy kids I hung out with around the gaming table.

Here’s a discussion between me, my editor, and the game’s designer on the Scholastic podcast.

Wasn’t This Book Supposed to Come Out a While Ago?
Yes, January 17. But the super high-tech, fancy cover broke the printing factory, so it was delayed. That’s life on the cutting edge, my friends.

Our scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could make this cover, they didn’t stop to think if they should.

Are You Touring for this Book?
Yep, I’m headed all over the country for both this book and Spill Zone, my graphic novel. All tour details can be found right here.

Cities include: Holmdel NJ, Canton CT, Collegeville PA, Raleigh NC, St. Louis MO, Pasadena CA, Menlo Park CA, Washington DC, Athens GA, Buford GA, Dallas TX, Parma OH, St Paul MN, Santa Cruz CA, Toronto Comic Arts Festival, Austin TX, Coral Gables FL, Rhinebeck NY, and New York NY.

What’s the Age Level?
Fairly high middle grade. In other words, it’s closer in age and feel to my Uglies books than, say, Zeroes.

Read and excerpt or buy the book online by clicking here.

Me at ECCC

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Seattle-dwellers! This weekend I’ll be at Emerald City Comic Con, promoting my new graphic novel, Spill Zone.

Come see me at any of the following panels and signings:

(I’ve already done all these events. Thanks to everyone who came and saw me!

I’ll be on tour for both Horizon and Spill Zone over the next few months. Watch this space for details!)

Spill Zone

Posted on by scott

Exciting news: I have a graphic novel coming out in May 2017, but you can start reading it now!

It’s called Spill Zone. It’s set in the aftermath of an unexplained event that destroyed a small city in upstate New York. It follows a pair of sisters orphaned by the Spill.

The oldest, Addison, is a young adult providing for her little sister by sneaking into the Zone and taking photographs of the strange phenomena there—the ultimate outsider art.

addison_spill_zone

Her little sister, Lexa, hasn’t spoken since the Spill, but has an eerie connection with the doll she carried out from the wreckage of their hometown.

lexa_spill_zone

The question is, what really happened that night? And what connection does the doll Vespertine have with the Spill?

The cool thing is, you can start read the comic NOW online. It’s not all up yet, but we’re adding six pages every Wednesday.

Go to thespillzone.com or click here to start reading.
Or click here to pre-order the actual printed book!

By the way, the art is by the amazing Alex Puvilland, with colors by the wondrous Hilary Sycamore.

monster_spill_zone

Rest of the Tour

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I still have a few more events this year for the second book of the Zeroes trilogy, Swarm!

Swarm cover 150

I’ll be at Colorado Teen Con October 15, at The Strand Oct 20, and at YALLFest November 11-12.

Here are the details:

COLORADO TEEN BOOK CON

This book con is in Denver, and is run by the wonderful tattered Cover bookstore. I’m giving the closing keynote. The rest of my schedule is TBD.
More details here.

THE STRAND
Thursday, October 20
7:00PM
Strand Bookstore
828 Broadway
@ 12th Street, NYC

I’ll be celebrating the release of David Levithan and Rachel Cohn’s The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily, along with fellow authors Melina Marchetta (Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil), Justine Larbalestier (Razorhurst and the forthcoming My Sister Rosa), and Paul Griffin (When Friendship Followed Me Home).
More details here.

YALLFEST

This yearly event will have many YA authors. It’s in Charleston, SC, November 11-12. Specific schedule TBD. More details here.

That’s it! Hope to see you at one of these events.

Swarm Tour!

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The second book of the Zeroes trilogy, Swarm, is almost out!

Swarm cover 150

As per my autumn tradition, I will be on tour, hitting the San Francisco/Bay Area (Menlo Park, Santa Rosa, and SF) the Phoenix/Tempe area, Chicago, Princeton NJ, and New York City.

I’ll also be at New York Comic Con in early October. See the end of this post for details.

Here are the dates. Hope to see you somewhere!

Note: the time for the Wednesday event at Book Passage was incorrectly listed previously as 7 PM. It takes place at 6 PM.

    SAN FRANCISCO/BAY AREA

Monday, September 26
7PM
KEPLER’S BOOKS
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA  94025

Tuesday, September 27
7PM
COPPERFIELD’S BOOKS
Montgomery Village Shopping Center
775 Village Ct.
Santa Rosa, CA 95405

Wednesday, September 28
6PM – Please note: this was incorrectly listed as 7PM previously
BOOK PASSAGE
1 Sausalito – San Francisco Ferry Bldg #42,
San Francisco, CA 94111

    LOS ANGELES

Thursday, September 29
7PM
BARNES AND NOBLE
189 Grove Drive
Los Angeles, CA  90036

    PHOENIX

Friday, September 30
7PM
CHANGING HANDS
6428 So. McClintock
Tempe, AZ  85283

    CHICAGO

Monday, October 3
7PM
ANDERSON’S BOOKSHOP
5112 Main St
Downers Grove, Il  60515

    NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

Tuesday, October 4
7PM
BARNES & NOBLE
3535 US Route 1
Princeton, NJ  08540

Wednesday, October 5
6PM
BOOKS OF WONDER
18 W. 18th Street
New York, NY  10011
This appearance will be with Krystal Sutherland, a fellow Australian and author of Our Chemical Hearts. I’m really excited for you to meet her!

    NEW YORK COMIC CON

Friday, October 7
12:30PM
Let’s Get Lost Panel
Hudson Mercantile Bldg.
500 W 36th St
New York, NY 10018
It’s been said that a good book can take you places…and no one knows that quite as well as readers of fantasy and science fiction. In this panel, travel to new (and occasionally familiar) worlds with MG & YA fantasy and sci-fi authors as they discuss the challenges of crafting an entire world out of thin air. Featuring me, Delia Sherman, Danielle Paige, James Dasher, Cristina Arreola, Jeff Giles.
You need a Bookcon ticket to attend this event.

After-Panel Signing
1:45 – 2:45pm
Location: same as above.
Notes: wristbanded, 150-person maximum signing. I’ll be giving away and signing posters as well as any books you bring!

Friday, October 7
4:00PM
Scott Westerfeld Poster Signing!
Location: First Second Booth in Javits Center
I’ll be signing and giving away Spill Zone posters and 25 Spill Zone galleys! (You need an NYCC ticket, of course.)

Sunday, October 9
12:15PM
First Second 10th Anniversary
Javits Center
Room 1B03
2016 marks graphic novel First Second Books’ tenth anniversary. Publishing books like American Born Chinese, This One Summer, and The Sculptor, First Second has taken graphic novels to a new level — and to new readers. Join publisher :01 in this tenth anniversary celebration! Featuring me, Mark Seigel, Penelope Bagieu, Box Brown.
You need an NYCC ticket to attend this event.

In November, I’ll be at YALLfest in Charleston, SC!
November 11-12
Specific schedule TBD.

That’s it for now. If I’m missing your city, town, or local iceberg, I apologize. I love you all, but you outnumber me.

Horizon! (new series announcement)

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I have a new series of books coming! (Also, some new appearances to announce, including SDCC. See below for details, but first:)

This seven-book series is called Horizon. It’s about a group of kids who are in a mysterious plane crash and “step from the wreckage to find themselves stranded, at odds, and under threat from curious and terrible creatures.” (Scholastic Newsroom)

Basically, it’s a mix of Lost, Hatchet, and Lord of the Flies. Explosions! Survival! Who will lead us home?

HORIZON-small
(The weird-colored parent of the cover is actually a separate, transparent jacket that you can take off to see the photograph in its normal state. It’s pretty cool in real life.)

This is one of Scholastic’s multi-author, multi-platform series, like 39 Clues and Spirit Animals, which means two things:

1) The book will have a big digital element, with games for computers, phones, and tablets and lots of community chat space.

2) I developed the series, have written the first novel, and have outlined all seven of the books, but six other authors will write the rest. (The second installment is by Jennifer A. Nielsen, with the other authors secret or TBD for now.)

It was really cool, coming up with seven books’ worth of stuff, whole also knowing I didn’t have to write them all. It’s kind of like juggling, except after I throw the balls up, someone else has to catch them. (Heh. Suckers.)

I’m a gamer from way back, in that I used to play D&D in the 1970s, so the game part of it has been a blast to work on. My characters are mostly members of a robotics club, a lot of whom are based on the smart, nerdy kids I first met around the gaming table.

Note that this book is middle grade, so it’s closer in age and feel to my Uglies books than, say, Zeroes.

Here’s some more about the series from Publishers Weekly.

The first book comes out Jan 17, 2017. Hope you take a look!

And now two upcoming appearances:

I will be at San Diego Comic Con next week, appearing with Ransom Riggs, Melissa de la Cruz, and James Dasher on this panel:

I READ IT BEFORE IT WAS A MOVIE
Saturday July 23, 2016 10:00am – 11:00am
Room 7AB
Each day, our newsfeeds blow up with items of more amazing sci-fi/fantasy books being optioned for film or TV, and bookstore shelves are filled with cinematic tie-in novels to geeky summer blockbusters. But what does it take to make the jump from page to screen, and back again? Authors explore the journey of stories from page (both prose and comics) to screen (multi-media) and even stage, and vice versa. Maybe this illustrious group will be able to answer the question of whether it really is better to read the book before seeing the movie! Ransom Riggs (Tales of the Peculiar), James Dashner (The Maze Runner), Melissa de la Cruz (The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Prequel), Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Zeroes), Ben H. Winters (Underground Airlines), and Comic-Con special guest Peter David engage in conversation with moderator Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly

We will all be signing after the panel, 11:30am-12:30pm, in signing area AA09.

I’ll also have my own private signing here:
Mysterious Galaxy Booth
Booth #1119
Sunday July 24, 2016 11:00am – 12:00pm

And later this year, I’ll be at YALLfest in Charleston, SC!
November 11-12
Specific schedule TBD.

Hope to see you there!

Uglies Quote

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I love this window at the Library Center in Springfield, Missouri:

UgliesQuote

Also, you should go take this twitter poll: