Japanese Midnighters = Fawesome

Posted on by scott

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

Posted on by scott

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

Posted on by scott

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

Posted on by scott

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

Posted on by scott

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.

Photos of Peeps-world

Posted on by scott

For all you Peeps fans out there, an article in the NY Times today has tons of photographs from the underworld of New York City. These are exactly the sort of ancient sewers and abandoned industrial places that I had in mind while Cal was skulking around and chasing vampires.

If nothing else, this article proves that I didn’t make any of the underworld-y stuff up. This tunnel looks uncannily like one that Peeps spends many pages in:


photo by Steve Duncan, nicked from the NY Times

A gentle warning: One of the spelunkers in this article takes tasteful nude photos of herself underground. If the unclothed (but discretely concealed) human body melts your brain, don’t look!

Here’s the slide show version, with audio.

And don’t forget we’re still blogging at Inside a Dog. The LOLYAs contest is on for 36 more hours!

New Midnighters Covers

Posted on by scott

Yes, I realize that Justine and I have been spending all our time over at Inside a Dog, but I have not utterly abandoned you!

Here, for your viewing pleasure, is the first cover for the new trade paperbacks of Midnighters!

Pretty cool, huh? That’s Jessica of the red hair and green eyes, of course.

Remember, these are the same old book, just with new covers. And they aren’t available until early January 2008, so don’t go scouring for them. But I thought I’d give you guys your usual chance to sneak peak and comment.

Or you comment over at Inside a Dog.