Scott Westerfeld's Blog, page 6

Hey, I’m on tour right now! Click here for a list of appearances! In the meantime:

Below is the first of six character illustrations for my new book Zeroes, written with Margo Lanagan and Deb Biancotti. The image is by Jennie Gyllblad.

Her real name is Riley, but she goes by Flicker:

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Click here for bigness

Collective Optical Hijack

Flicker can’t see through her own eyes, but she can borrow those of anyone around her. in other words, in a room alone she can’t see. In a room with a few other people, she can see quite a lot. And in a huge crowd, she’s almost omniscient.

All the Zeroes’ powers work this way: the more people around, the stronger they are. Crowd-sourced superpowers!

Here’s a passage from Zeroes to give you an idea of how Flicker’s vision-hijacking works:

Flicker was in the concierge’s eyes.

      His long fingers were scrolling a touchpad screen, his gaze flitting across requests from customers arriving in the next week. The hotel was filling up, thanks to the big Fourth of July display. Everyone wanted a room with a view of the old Parker-Meridian Hotel, which was scheduled for demolition during the show.

      Every minute or so the concierge looked up, scanning the lobby in a discreet and professional way. Perfect for keeping watch.

      Flicker saw herself in her wingback chair, her bright red dress easy to spot. But as she gave herself a smile, the concierge’s gaze slipped past her and came to a rest on a huge man strolling across the lobby floor.

      The concierge stared. It was hard not to. The guy was as wide as a door, all shoulders and thighs. He wore a shiny black t-shirt made from enough silk for a parachute. Five other big guys cruised across the lobby floor with him, a formation of battleships.

      A man in a Magnifique staff uniform came up and started talking to them, and the concierge’s eyes dropped back to his computer screen.

      Flicker sent her vision into the big guy’s eyes. She couldn’t hear anything from across the lobby, but it didn’t seem like a confrontation. The two were huddled close, the big guy’s eyes moving warily from side to side.

      The hotel staffer, a short man with a shaved head, held out his empty palm, and the big guy pushed a stack of twenties into it. In return, the staffer produced a hotel keycard and slipped it into the breast pocket of the big guy’s shirt.

      This was getting interesting. Flicker unfolded her cane and stood.

What I like most about Jennie’s work is that it combines illustration with collage. As you can see here, Flicker’s background is created with yarn and watercolor. So the characters are sort of like superpowered paper dolls.

Tune in over the next couple of weeks to see the rest of the characters. Click here for more about Zeroes.

It’s out now in Australia and the UK, and on Tuesday, Sep 29 in the US.

Below are all the public events for the 2015 Zeroes Tour. Cities include Sydney, LA, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Fort Collins CO, St Paul, Lansing MI, Atlanta, Nashville, Cincinnati, Princeton NJ, and New York City!

Zeroes comes out Sep 29 in the US, Sep 24 in the UK, and Sep 22 in Australia. Click here for more about the book.

All three of us—me, Deborah Biancotti, and Margo Lanagan—will be at the following events:

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Tuesday, September 22

6:00 PM for 6:30PM

KINOKUNIYA BOOKS

Levek 2, The Galeries, 500 George St

Sydney, NSW 2000

RSVP to: [email protected]

or 02 9262 7996

LOS ANGELES, CA

Tuesday, September 29

7:00 PM

BARNES & NOBLE

1201 3rd St. Promenade

Santa Monica, CA  90401

SAN DIEGO, CA

Wednesday, September 30

7:30 PM    

MYSTERIOUS GALAXY BOOKS

75943 Balboa Ave

Ste 100

San Diego, CA  92111

SEATTLE, WA

Thursday, October 1

7:00 PM    

THIRD PLACE BOOKS

17171 Bothell Way NE

Lake Forest Park, WA  98155

 

PORTLAND, OR

Friday, October 2

7:00 PM   

POWELL’S BOOKS, INC.

Cedar Hills Crossing

3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd

Beaverton, OR 97005

PORTLAND, OR

Saturday, October 3

Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

Booksellers only. Details to come!

 

FORT COLLINS, CO

Monday, October 5

7:00 PM    

OLD TOWN LIBRARY

201 Peterson St

Fort Collins, CO  80524

ST. PAUL, MN

Tuesday, October 6

6:30 PM    

RED BALLOON BOOKSHOP

891 Grand Ave.

St. Paul, MN  55105

LANSING, MI

Wednesday, October 7 

7:00 PM        

SCHULER BOOKS & MUSIC

2820 Towne Center Blvd

Lansing, MI

48912                                                             

ATLANTA, GA

Thursday, October 8

7:00 PM

LITTLE SHOP OF STORIES

133A East Court Square

Decatur, GA  30030

NASHVILLE, TN

October 9 – 11

Southern Festival of Books

Details to come! 

CINCINNATI, OH

Monday, October 12

7:00 PM  EST

JOSEPH BETH BOOKSELLERS

Crestview Hills Town Center

2785 Dixie Hwy

Crestview Hills, KY 41017

PRINCETON, NJ

Tuesday, October 13 

6:00 PM

BARNES & NOBLE

3535 US Route 1

Market Fair

Princeton, NJ  08540

NEW YORK, NY

Wednesday, October 14

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST

BOOKS OF WONDER

18 W. 18th Street

New York, NY  10011

CHARLESTON, SC

November 13-14

YALLFest

Details to come!

(Me only. No Margo or Deb.)

A few FAQs about my tours:

Wait. What is Zeroes again?

My next book, written with Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti. Click here for more info.

What happens at these book events?

We will talk for about half an hour, telling you all about how we wrote Zeroes. Then we will answer your questions (about anything, pretty much) for another 20 minutes or so. And finally we sign books. You can bring books from home, and our books will be available for sale. (Not just Zeroes, old stuff too.)

Can we bring lots of books to sign?

We will try to sign all your stuff. If you have a giant bag of books, it’s best to wait till the end of the line. Some bookstores may have stricter rules. I tend to ignore them, or will meet you secretly in the parking lot to sign your extra books, or cast, or pet wallaby.

How early should we arrive?

I’m not that famous. My events tend to have about 50-100 people. Just get there half an hour early, and you should be fine!

You guys aren’t coming to my city. Should I yell at you about this?

Nope. We don’t arrange out own tour. Publicists do it. Yell at them!

Can I cosplay, make a sign, or bring you a gift?

Yes, totally, and maybe. No edible gifts, please, and nothing big or hard to carry. Remember, I’m flying between all these cities!

You didn’t answer my question.

What am I, psychic? Ask it in the comments below!

The Uglies series has a new set of audiobooks out, with a new reader, . (Wolf of Wall Street)

Here’s a sample from Uglies:

And here’s a sample from Pretties. It’s the scene in which Tally and Zane first kiss!

Download your copies here:

Uglies

iTunes

Audible

Pretties

iTunes

Audible

I’ll be talking about my next novel, ZEROES, at San Diego Comic Con next week, in company with my co-authors, Deb Biancotti and Margo Lanagan. We have our own panel to discuss the book!

We’ll have swag and chapter samplers there as well. The details:

“From Zeroes to Heroes”

Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, Deb Biancotti

Thursday, July 9, Noon

Horton Grand Theater

444 4th Ave.

San Diego, CA

Please share this graphic with ALL YOUR SDCC-GOING FRIENDS!

Time Magazine has a cover story about ubiquitous plastic surgery this week, and I am quoted in my capacity as Author of Uglies and Fake Expert on Body Image Stuff.

Behold:

At Book Expo America, I spoke with Jessica Mazo about Zeroes, my next novel, cowritten with Deb Biancotti and Margo Lanagan.

Behold:

Readers of the Uglies series may remember Aya’s pal Moggle in Extras, a semi-intelligent hovercam that tracks her around, providing footage of her exploits for her feed.

It seems that someone has invented something similar, but called it Lily.

Lily, of course, uses rotors instead of magnetic lifters, and only has 20 minutes battery life. It costs $500 if preordered now before anyone has reviewed a real one, and will be twice that when it ships next February. (Buyer beware.)

Here’s the camera’s official site, and you can find tons of other articles around the web.

It’s not quite Moggle, but it’s proof of concept. And why wouldn’t we all want our own hovercam following us around?

(Thanks to everyone who sent me this!)

A quick reminder: Justine and I will be at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, NY this Sunday! (May 10, 4PM) Click here for more details.

And now, here’s the Australian version of the Zeroes cover!

Behold:

I think it’s pretty cool. The authors’ names are more balanced (Deb and Margo are Australian, after all) and it’s a little jazzier and less gritty than the US one. (Shown here for comparison.)

The UK cover will be revealed soon!

What do you guys think?

I’m doing three events in May: an appearance at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, NY; several panels and a signing at the Romantic Times Conference in Dallas, TX; and a few things around Book Expo America here in New York City.

Oblong Books

Sunday, May 10, 2015

4:00pm

6422 Montgomery Street

Rhinebeck, NY 12572

Justine and I will be talking about our new books, Razorhurst and Afterworlds, and of course signing whatever you want us to sign.

Here’s a link to the event.

Romantic Times

Dallas, TX

May 12-17

I’m on three panels:

YA: From Magic to Gadgets to Alternate Worlds, A YA Fantasy Primer for Writers

Thursday, May 14, 2015 – 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Atrium Level (2nd Floor)

Room: Bryan-Beeman B

Uplifting Service

(Justine and I are special guests in this librarian-focused event.)

Thursday, May 14, 2015 – 2:45pm to 3:45pm

Atrium Level

Room: Cotton Bowl

Humble Beginnings: Your Favorite YA Authors Share Their Teen Writing

Saturday, May 16, 2015 – 4:30pm to 5:45pm

Atrium Level

Room: Gaston

Also, I’ll be at the huge Book Fair signing on May 16. Several of my books will be available for sale there.

Note that you have to get admission to the RT Convention to attend an of these events.

And finally, I’ll be at several events around Book Expo America and Book Con here in NYC.

Book Expo

Javits Convention Center

Friday, May 29th

10:30 – 11:30 am, Zeroes signing (in signing area)

3:30 – 4:45 pm, CBC Tea (room TK)

BookCon

Javits Convention Center

Sunday, May 31st

2:00-3:00 pm, Afterworlds signing

3:30-4:30 pm, The Big Bad Theory

(Sci Fi Panel, moderated by CharlieJane Anders)

More details to come!

On Saturday, April 11, Justine and I will be at Teen Book Con in Houston. Each panel presents four times a day, so you’ll be able to catch us both:

“The Secrets That Bind Us”

Ally Carter

Lindsay Cummings

Justine Larbalestier

Henry Turner

“Reality Need Not Apply”

Lydia Kang

Megan Miranda

Kristen Simmons

Tommy Wallach

Scott Westerfeld

Click here for details on Teen Book Con.

On April 13, we’ll be in Austin, where Justine is doing an event with Ally Carter and David Levithan. (I will be lurking around.)

Book People

603 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78703

Monday, April 13, 7PM

Click here for more info.

We will also both be at TLA, the Texas Library Association’s convention in Austin. Those events are for con attendees only, but we hope to see lots of fantastic Texan librarians there!

And finally, Justine and I will be doing an event in Mexico City on April 20. It’s our first public event in Mexico, and we’re very excited!

More details on that soon, right here.

(Also, if you want to donate to a great program for teenage writers of fantasy and science fiction, check out the Alpha Workshop. I’ve taught there, and it’s the best.)