website stats

Bored now

This one’s for Robin.

You know what I’m sick of?

People generalising about YA in the exact same way they generalise about teenagers.

“YA is innovative and amazing. I love it!”
“YA always has a moral and is simplistic and full of easy-to-read words and fast moving plots.”
“YA is the future of America!”
“YA is full of smut and filth and pollutes the minds of our children.”

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Some YA books are shit. Some are brilliant. Some bore me. Some should never have been published. Some make me happy in a slightly guilty way. Some are the best thing I’ve ever read. Some really really aren’t. Some are simple. Some are complex. And some of them really piss me off.

Pretty much like adult books really.

Likewise teenagers are brilliant, stupid, smart, conformist, creative, challenged and challenging, bored, blissed out and any other adjective you care to think of. Sometimes all at the same time.

Much like adults really.

Why is that so hard to comprehend?

Posted by Justine at 0:01, May 16th, 2008 under Writing & Publishing | 4 Comments »

Other writers are crazy

I was chatting the other day with a writer friend who was all freaked because they don’t know what happens in their work-in-progress. We chatted for some time me making suggestions, them nixing the suggestions, when in the course of the chat it emerged that they hadn’t actually started the novel.

The work it was not in progress.

“Of course, you don’t know what it’s about or all of the plot yet!” I exclaimed. “You haven’t started it! You’ll figure it out as you go along,” I said.

“Are you insane?” they replied. “I can’t start writing until I know exactly what’s going to happen. There’ll be nothing to write!”

Am I insane? I thought. I don’t think so. I’m not the one who can’t start a novel without knowing every single thing about it ahead of time. That’s nuts.

A year earlier I was bitching to this same writer that I had no idea how my book ended. I had nine tenths of the book, but no ending, and I had no idea what to do.

They thought I was insane: “How could you get that far into a book and NOT KNOW THE ENDING?!”

Um. Cause that’s how I write books.

Another writer friend of mine had a complete snit fit when they discovered another book had the same title as their yet-to-be-published book. My pointing out three earlier examples just made the author cry. I tried to console them by explaining that there are heaps of books with the same title and that this is not a problem. There must be dozens of books called Leviathan. It’s no big deal. Honest.

They does not believe me. Because author is cra-zy.

Like the friend of mine who cannot get going with their book until they know what the first sentence is. It has to be perfect. They can spend six months just writing that sentence over and over and over.

Nuts?

I think so.

Someone else I know writes their books backwards. Ending first. Then middle. Then beginning.

Another one writes a complete first draft and then destroys it and writes the whole thing over again.

And then there’s the writer who will write an entire novel without knowing what their main character is named. They’ll call them X throughout the draft and then only at the end go, “Oh, now I understand them. Clearly their name is Jebediah.”

Barking mad!

I’m just saying . . .

Thank Elvis there are some sane writers like me around. Clearly you should only listen to my advice.

Posted by Justine at 0:19, May 15th, 2008 under Writing & Publishing | 37 Comments »

We know he sniffs chairs . . .

Don’t ask.

Via Cat Sparks.

Posted by Justine at 11:39, May 14th, 2008 under Writing & Publishing | 12 Comments »

I don’t mean you!

I am getting some upset responses from people who love their shrugs/leggings/formal shorts etc. and want to know how I dare to impugn them. I’m even being sent photos of said people in said fashion atrocities to prove their non-ugliness.

Clearly, I don’t mean you! Not any of you!

You are the one person in the world who can truly rock that look. And even in the unlikely even that you aren’t rocking it, well, if it makes you happy to wear said ballet flats/ugg boots/espadrilles then by all means wear them!

I have any number of fashion atrocities that I love dearly and wear often. I know that they are ugly. I know that other people think they are ugly, but they make me happy, so wear them I will. Mock away! As you all know I will feel no compunction about mocking your ugly clothing in turn.

So what is your favourite makes-you-happy hideous thing in your wardrobe?

Some would say I’ve already shared mine. Fie! I say. They are the most beautiful boots in the world.1

Mine was my possum slippers that fell to pieces I wore them so much. Right now it’s probably this indescribably ugly con T-shirt.2 It’s the most comfortable and ugliest T-shirt on the planet. Wearing it makes me happy.

And you?

  1. Shockingly I have several friends who consider western boots to be as ugly as ugg boots! Who would have credited it? [↩]
  2. I will not say which con. [↩]
Posted by Justine at 0:00, May 14th, 2008 under Writing & Publishing | 13 Comments »

Gypsy skirts. C’mon, you know you hate them.

I can’t believe no one’s voted against gypsy skirts either. Mis-matched flaps of coloured cotton (or worse synthethic) piled layer on top of layer in an unholy mess. What’s to like, people?

Also the next person who writes to me defending their hideous taste in liking ballet flats/espadrilles/formal shorts/shrugs/other fashion atrocity will be hit with a bad fashion curse. That’s right I will hex you so you never look good in clothes again. EVER.

Though, come to think of it, perhaps you’re all writing to me to defend these fashion atrocities because you’ve already been hit with the bad fashion curse. Hmmm. I will have to think further on a better punishment . . .

And for those who seem unable to find the poll: It’s to your right. In the sidebar. See? Where it says “Polls”. You’re welcome.

Posted by Justine at 13:52, May 13th, 2008 under Fashion, Frippery | 24 Comments »

Reading, voting, bidding

Some stuff I have been remiss in sharing with you:

Enjoy!

  1. Though your friend might be a bit cranky. [↩]
Posted by Justine at 10:56, May 13th, 2008 under Bloggery, Praising, Reading | 3 Comments »

Little round up

Firstly, the polls: I thought you all should know that the result of the poll was that Nevada is our chosen smoking state of the US of A. Closely followed by Wyoming. Hope you’re happy, Mr Williams!

The new poll is on fashion atrocities. I’m a bit cross that no one has voted for espadrilles yet. Oh, how I HATE them! Soles of shoes are not supposed to be made of rope! It’s UGLY, people! Are you all blind?! (Poll is to your right.)

Matter the second, the word count discussion has been interesting and enlightening. In fact, it made me realise more fully the why of my word count dislike. I do not care to share my day-by-day process. Don’t get me wrong I adore talking about process. But I like to talk about it overall: here’s some thoughts on rewriting, here’s a very silly set of suggestions for writing a novel, here’s how I wrote this book, here’s how I find looking at other people’s writing incredibly useful and so on and so forth.

But posting daily on my struggles or successes in the writing coal mine? Nah. Too close to the bone. I feel like I’ll come across as a massive whinger (Oh my Elvis writing this book is killing me! Why are leopard ballet sequence so bloody difficult?! What was I thinking?! I’m a hack! A talentless hack!!) or the most conceited self-satisfied writer in the universe (Wow, I am a genius! I am the Lord Barham of writing! Look at these pearls of unspeakable genius that I crafted today! How could perfection such as the crystalline words that coruscate from my fingers exist in this oh so imperfect world?! It astonishes me!). So I confine such thoughts to myself.

Oh, hang on—wooops!

Look over there: Leopards dancing! Flying giant woolly squirrels playing badminton with quokkas!

There is no matter the third.

As you were.

Posted by Justine at 12:05, May 12th, 2008 under Bloggery, Fashion, Frippery, Vainglory, Writing & Publishing | 13 Comments »

Made my day

Cricket Buzz just named its top 51 cricket blogs and I’m on the list!

Yay!

And also—how embarrassing! I have been very remiss of late when it comes to cricket blogging. I mean I haven’t mentioned the blessed sport since March and not written anything proper since January. Largely because (for reasons beyond my control) I have not been home since May of last year.1 Thus I have not been immersed in cricket culture and have not been keeping up with things such as the new Twenty20 Indian Premier League. 2

I like the idea of it in theory. But I hate the idea of it as a replacement for Test cricket. That will never happen! Or at least not in my lifetime.

I miss cricket. I must find ways to re-immerse myself. Or, I will, when this book is finished.

  1. Waaaaahhhh!!!!! [↩]
  2. The link is to a NYT article explaining the League which will amuse those of us who know about cricket and hopefully be a clear-ish explanation for those who know nothing. [↩]
Posted by Justine at 0:00, May 12th, 2008 under Bloggery, Cricket, New York City/USA, Next novel, Sport, Sydney/Australia | 5 Comments »

When the words do not flow

Yesterday was not one of my better writing days. My fingers were recalcitrant and my brain mutinous. After a couple hours of pointless battle with ‘em I gave up and read a vast deal of Sarah Rees Brennan’s blog.

What fun. Sarah is dead funny. Her and Maureen Johnson’s blogs are two of the funniest in existence. I especially enjoyed reading Sarah’s entries over the past year or so as she sold her first novel and talks about what it’s like to be an about-to-be-published writer. It made me all nostalgic for my more than a year of waiting for my first book to come out.

Sarah talks about all the various stages. The post on her first editorial letter is delightful as well as a really good explanation of what exactly an editorial letter is. The only thing I would quibble with is the idea that an editorial letter can vary in length from “two to twelve pages”.

I have a friend who once received a one-page editorial letter. Actually, it was more of one-line editorial letter and it ran something like this:

Beginning slow. Ending confusing. Protag unlikeable. Fix.

Another friend got one that was well over twelve pages. It was almost like the editor had written a novel about the novel. Bizarrely that super-long ed letter required less work from the author than the one-line ed letter. One never knows, do one?

I also loved her post about memoirs and totally agreed with her comments about Rachel Manija Brown’s brilliant memoir:

All The Fishes has something I would really like to see in other autobiographies. Rachel Manija Brown says that sometimes she doesn’t remember things: there are several scenes where she describes what she thought was going on, then details other people’s entirely different viewpoints, and leaves it up to the reader to decide. When wrapping up the book she gives us her mother’s perspective, which is a world apart from her own, because she wants to be fair. That is awesome. And it makes me trust her autobiography, because that’s what real life is. Nobody’s going through it as a monologue: there are other players around.

There are many memoirs and autobiographies that do this. Some of my favourites become a meditation on memory and how we construct our understandings of the world based on these memories. So what does it mean that we all remember differently?1 This always makes me think of that song from Gigi, “I remember it well” which is a duet giving totally different accounts of the same events: “We dined with friends. We dined alone. A tenor sang. A baritone. Ah, yes, I remember it well.”

Sarah’s blog is an excellent example of a really good writer’s blog. It’s well written, witty, entertaining and makes me what to read her books. It’s also a good example of how you can’t just conjure a good blog out of thin air as some new writers are being expected to do. Sarah’s been blogging for years: her archives go back to 2002; her book deal didn’t happen until 2007. She did not set out to have a Writer’s Blog to Publicise Her Writing thus it does not read in the awkward way that such blogs often do.

Yes, I have come across a few such lately. Debut writers merrily dispensing wrong advice about the publishing industry they as yet have no clue about because that’s what they feel they must do. “I’m a REAL writer now I must tell everyone how it works!”

Which is actually what Sarah does. The difference being—and it is a HUGE difference—that Sarah is very clear that she is talking about what is happening to her, and her understanding of it, and it is all new and strange and if anyone could clear up this particular point she’d love to hear from them. She never says “this is how it is”, she says “this is how it is for me“.

That’s why I cannot wait to read her debut novel. She didn’t set out to create a blog that would make punters want to read her books and yet that’s exactly what she’s done.

  1. For instance, Scott and me have totally different memories of how we met. [↩]
Posted by Justine at 10:59, May 11th, 2008 under Bloggery, Writing & Publishing | 9 Comments »

Word counts

I’m curious: Are any of you interested in reading about writers’ word counts? And if so why? Cause I confess I’m not sure I entirely get the point of blogging about it. And those who post ‘em on your blog why do you?

Don’t get me wrong I keep an eagle eye on my word counts. They are the measure of my days.1 I’m aiming to hit 60 thou by the last week of July. But, you know, it’s housekeeping. I don’t keep people posted on how many dishes I’ve washed, meals I’ve cooked, or hours I’ve spent exercising.2

Now, I know that I blog about many things that people find deadly dull such as quokkas and sport of any kind and that doesn’t stop me—actually it provokes me to further bloggage on topics of annoyance to the complainers. However, I can defend and explain why I blog on those topics. So to repeat my opening: why do you blog your word counts if you do? And does anyone other than the blogger of the word count get anything out of it?

Coming up soon: my post on the sport of quokkas.

  1. Better than coffee spoons. [↩]
  2. For the record: today I’ve washed no dishes, put together two meals, and spent an hour at the gym. I’ve also bitten off all my fingernails and failed to find my favourite T-shirt. Every second of today, er, yesterday, was a thrill ride! [↩]
Posted by Justine at 0:06, May 10th, 2008 under Bloggery, Sport, Writing & Publishing | 32 Comments »

My next book (Updated)

Some are asking what it is that I’m hard at work on. You know the thing that’s impeding my ability to get other stuff done like answer email?

It is a book.

Here is where I explain all about said book. I can also tell you that I estimate it will be about 60 thousand words long or possibly 300 pages. Unless it’s not.

There, hope you’re satisfied! You know so much that there’s hardly any point in reading it now. See what your questions lead to? I hope you’ve learned your lesson.

Update: No, no one has guessed the name of the song by a 90s all-girl band that I took the title from.

Posted by Justine at 0:15, May 9th, 2008 under Next novel, Writing & Publishing | 10 Comments »

Burma (Updated)

Current estimates say that in the wake of Cyclone Nargis 100,000 people have died and a million are homeless.

I’ve been trying to figure out where best to donate to make sure that the money actually goes to the people struggling to survive in Burma. Most people are saying that UNICEF and the UNHCR are the best bets seeing as how the UN is one of the few agencies getting aid into the country. So that’s what me and Scott have done.

If anyone else knows of other organisations who are able to get in and help, please let me know in the comments. Thanks.

Update: Lots of people have been suggesting Avaaz which is apparently getting the money directly to monks in the effected areas.

Posted by Justine at 21:39, May 8th, 2008 under State of the World | 11 Comments »

Ideas are Free, Part the Millionth

In the latest New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell talks about ideas being free-floaters and how as a result many things get invented over and over again.

He never quite says the obvious: that ideas are nothing unless you can do something with them. And then he conflates the having of an idea with actual creation:

You can’t pool the talents of a dozen Salieris and get Mozart’s Requiem. You can’t put together a committee of really talented art students and get Matisse’s “La Danse.” A work of artistic genius is singular, and all the arguments over calculus, the accusations back and forth between the Bell and the Gray camps, and our persistent inability to come to terms with the existence of multiples are the result of our misplaced desire to impose the paradigm of artistic invention on a world where it doesn’t belong. Shakespeare owned Hamlet because he created him, as none other before or since could. Alexander Graham Bell owned the telephone only because his patent application landed on the examiner’s desk a few hours before Gray’s. The first kind of creation was sui generis; the second could be re-created in a warehouse outside Seattle.

Well, sure, but heaps of people could (and do) get the same ideas as some great musician or writer or artist. Getting an idea is not the same thing as creating the work of art. Lots of writers have told the exact same stories. Many composers have written variations on particular folk tunes.

It’s not the idea; it’s what you do with it.

This is one of the reasons most writers (and other artists) never know what to say when asked “Where do you get your ideas?”

Because it doesn’t really matter.

The idea is the least important part of writing a novel. You can have the best idea in the history of the universe but if you don’t do anything with it or you write a crappy novel out of it? Well, then it wasn’t that great an idea, was it?

No matter what your field—science, engineering, the creative arts, cocktail making—ideas are in the air for the grabbing. All you has to do is the hard part:

Turn them into something real.

Posted by Justine at 8:13, May 8th, 2008 under State of the World, Writing & Publishing | 7 Comments »

Email backlog etc

I am still very behind with all my email. As I have a book due soonish and much much much more work to do on it, I suspect that I will not be getting through that backlog any time soon. For which my apologies! But, you know, my publisher pays me, which helps keep roof over head and rent paid and food in mouth—so they’re my priority.

I will continue to keep blogging daily and as much as possible responding to comments here. Cause if all I do is write all day I’ll go insane.

Anyway what I’m attempting to say is if I haven’t gotten back to you it’s not because I don’t love you but because I’m working my arse off.

Back to the book . . .

Posted by Justine at 15:40, May 7th, 2008 under Admin, Next novel | Comments Off

Rue de l’Arbalète

The Rue de l’Arbalète is a very fine street in the middle of Paris:

Here is me on the Rue de l’Arbalète being all excited on account of my surname. “Arbalest” is old French for crossbow; “arbalète” is modern French for the same:

Posted by Justine at 0:00, May 7th, 2008 under Writing & Publishing | 6 Comments »

Maureen Johnson has a big idea

Go check it out. It involves Kurt Vonnegut, NYC, and prat falls.

Have I ever mentioned that Maureen Johnson is the funniest person I know? Well, she is. Go enjoy her funny.

Posted by Justine at 12:56, May 6th, 2008 under Writing & Publishing | Comments Off

What I read on my travels

As usual I’m not going to mention the books that I didn’t like because I don’t want the authors to hunt me down and kill me.1 Writers are scary people.

I’m still on a bit of a crime binge. And have been reading a scary amount of adult books. Who’d've thunk there was some good books over on those shelves? Colour me, shocked.

So here are the novels:

Manhwa and manga read on the Queen Mary 2:

Have any of you read any of these? What did you think?

  1. Or their family and agents. [↩]
Posted by Justine at 0:18, May 6th, 2008 under Manga, Praising, Reading, Travelling | 13 Comments »

How To Ditch Your Fairy is almost real . . .

An ARC1 of How To Ditch Your Fairy just arrived! I am filled with squee. HTDYF is almost a real book!

Here’s what it looks like:

You know what the most fabulous part of it is? (Other than the quote from Libba Bray2 ) My name is as big as the title. My name is bigger than it’s ever been! Oh, happy day!

The happiness continues when I turn the ARC over and gaze on the back cover where there’s a marketing plan. A marketing plan!

I’ve never had one of those on the back of an ARC before. And it includes the words “multi-city author tour”. So maybe I’ll be getting to your city and have a chance to meet you later this year!

My very first author tour. Who’d've thunk it?

  1. Advance Reading Copy which looks like a paperback only it’s printed on heavier paper and as is full of typoes. They’re printed to send out early to booksellers and librarians to get them excited about your book. [↩]
  2. OMG! Libba Bray liked my book! [↩]
Posted by Justine at 0:00, May 5th, 2008 under How To Ditch Your Fairy, Praising, Vainglory, Writing & Publishing | 39 Comments »

Books about going to uni?

A commenter on Scott’s blog, Liset, asked:

now that i’m in college i get a little disapointed with the YA selection,
it seems to be filled with IT girls, and all that other non-sense.
I want a book where the main character is just stepping into being an adult, not 15 or 16 but 18-21.
I think I’m in an age that is highly ignored,
I can vote and join the military but I can’t drink, go to a club (on most nights) and I can’t find a book that talks about the first years of college!
It’s insane too, because college is seriously the most interesting thing.

Anyone got any suggestions for Liset?

I immediately thought of Diana Peterfreund’s Secret Society Girl. I can think of books where the protag is in that age range—Peeps for example1—but not where uni is the focus. I know there are plenty of books where it is but my brain is sluggish this morning. Help me out, please!

  1. Though I happen to know Liset has read that one. [↩]
Posted by Justine at 8:26, May 4th, 2008 under young adult literature | 26 Comments »

Ever wondered

What a Director of Production at a small press does? According to Yanni Kuznia who holds that position at Subterranean Press they do a lot:

My work starts after the publishing arrangements with the author, agent, and/or original publisher (if applicable) have been made. The computer file for the book is sent to me and from there I must: prepare the file for the designer; approve the initial book design, proof the book (either myself or send it to somebody else), find artwork, choose the materials the book will be printed on, and bound in, and send everything off to be printed.

Sometimes I think writing is the easiest gig in publishing. (Except for when it isn’t . . . )

Posted by Justine at 10:46, May 3rd, 2008 under Praising, Writing & Publishing | 2 Comments »

Thank you, Scalzi (updated)

He has just written the post I had just started tappety tapping in response to this post by Cory Doctorow. 1 Adult science fiction and fantasy is not the centre of the genre right now—YA is.

Go read it. What Scalzi said. Bless!

Update: Ron Hogan over at GalleyCat has fleshed out the numbers Scalzi cites. To put them in perspective—and share some wifely pride—Uglies was first published in 2005 and is still selling more than two thousand copies a week and that’s just according to Bookscan which does not cover all sales. Go, Scott!

It’s also wonderful to see Erin Hunter’s series doing so well, seeing as how well-written and smart it is. The latest book just came out and is selling like gangbusters!

  1. Disclaimer: Both gentlemen are friends of mine. [↩]
Posted by Justine at 12:14, May 2nd, 2008 under Writing & Publishing | 8 Comments »

Time to bitch about clothes again

I see that it’s more than a year since I last ranted about clothes. That’s ridiculous! It’s well past time that I ranted again!

Except that, well, on my European travels I didn’t see many clothes that offended me. Shocking but true.

I’ll admit that I’m not wild about ballet flats or kitten heels. But I can’t really get up into a frothing rage about them.

Low riders seem to have disappeared altogether. Formal shorts are getting very rare. There are no neon or pastel coloured clothes. Though some of the clothes I’ve been seeing bore me—none of them appal me. I know! I can’t believe it either.

Fortunately last night at the opera I saw some shocking numbers. One girl was wearing a black sack with a draw-string waist that barely covered her girly bits. Coupled with black spike heels so high that every step forward was an exercise in tottery danger. And she was not as hideously attired as the woman in the skin-tight leopard print dress with the black tulle layer over the top which she matched with white pumps. I do not lie.

What clothes fill you with horror right now? Share! You know you want to.

Posted by Justine at 9:04, May 2nd, 2008 under Fashion | 27 Comments »

One of those ex-smokers

Like David Sedaris I am an ex-smoker.

I started smoking when I was twelve. I’d just seen Rebel Without a Cause and thought the way James Dean held a cigarette was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I wanted to do that. I wanted to be like him.

So I started smoking. For awhile I smoked Rothmans because they were featured on the cover of one of The Jam’s albums—a band I was way into but none of my friends had even heard of. But I soon moved on to unfiltered Camel cigarettes because they came in such cool packets—I smoked Gitanes for the same reason—and because I was sick of having to explain to people about The Jam.

I was such a cool smoker that I could blow smoke rings. Not lame, see-it’s-kind-of-a-whispy-circle ones, but the real thing. I could also, while in my brief roll-your-own phase, roll cigarettes with one hand. Not very good ones, but recognisably cigarettes.

I quit when I was fifteen after being shown a gruesome anti-smoking film at school that included smokers smoking out of holes in their throats, smokers with limbs removed because of smoking-induced gangrene, smokers’ lungs drippy black tar, and wizened low-weight babies being born because of their smoker parents.

None of those images got me to quit.

Oh, no, it was the very brief mention of how smoking makes you ugly: stains your teeth (I’d started to notice that), shrinks the capillaries under your skin causing premature wrinkling (close up of a twenty-five year old with lots and lots of lines around her mouth—even at fifteen I knew twenty-five wasn’t that old), causes your hair to thin, and your eyes to redden, eventually turn yellow and fall out of your head.

If I kept smoking I would turn into a hideous crone!

Quitting was dead easy given that I’d never liked the taste of tobacco and had the extreme good fortune not to have gotten addicted. I’d solely been attracted by the Hollywood movie cool-osity of cigarettes. But smoking did not transform me into a dead American male from Indiana, did not give me one iota of his coolness. I’d gone through three years of a habit I didn’t much like for nothing but yellow teeth, wrinkles and eyeballs that could soon depart my head.

Needless to say the fifteen-year-old me was very cross indeed and became the most vehement anti-smoker you can imagine, which is pretty much where I remain. Especially after seeing people, such as my grandmother, die painful smoking-caused deaths.

I have rejoiced as more and more cities and countries implement smoking bans. Our recent and glorious tour of Europe was especially fabulous because now even places I thought would never do it—France, Germany, Italy, the UK—have brought in excellently stringent smoking laws.

The glorious spread of non-smoking laws has made the countries that have yet to comply more and more intolerable. It was shocking in Austria and Switzerland to see people smoking pretty much wherever they wanted to. Especially as they mostly wanted to smoke in my face at restaurants.

I have now decided that I am only going to countries where smoking is banned in public spaces, or, at the very least, in restaurants. Sadly, this means I can’t visit Spain, which I’ve been wanting to return to for years and years. Sorry, Lawrence. There’ll be no China, India or Russia in my near future. Bulgaria is also off my list. In fact, smoking is so insanely out of control in Bulgaria that I have a suggestion:

Why not declare Bulgaria Europe’s smoking country? Then all the other European nations can ban smoking completely and their smokers can move to Bulgaria, where they can happily smoke in cinemas, hospitals, or anywhere else that takes their fancy. Burma can be Asia’s. Though China’s so big you’d probably have to give over a whole province for the smokers. Maybe two.

The US is also on the big side. Maybe it needs a designated smoking state. Dunno what state it should be, though definitely not New York or California. What do you lot reckon?

Australia doesn’t really have the population to support a whole smoking state. Plus every one of her states and territories have fabulous bits; I couldn’t in good conscience give any of them to smokers. But I am willing to cede them Fort Denison, though we’d have to tow it further out to sea so their fumes don’t get blown back into the city. Just think future school children would never be forced to visit Fort Denison again.

We’d all win!

Posted by Justine at 0:11, May 1st, 2008 under New York City/USA, State of the World, Sydney/Australia, Travelling, Writing & Publishing | 26 Comments »

From Little Things Big Things Grow

This is one of the biggest selling songs at home right now, despite only being available for purchase online (but, sadly, only if you’re in Australia):

For context the apology by Kevin Rudd and Paul Keating’s Redfern Spech:

Here is the original song by Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly:

I so wish I was back home . . .

Posted by Justine at 3:28, April 30th, 2008 under State of the World, Sydney/Australia | 2 Comments »

Magic Lessons in Brazil

The Brazilian cover of Magic Lessons looks like this:

I likes the retro cool. Looks well next to the Brazilian Magic or Madness.

Posted by Justine at 0:00, April 30th, 2008 under Magic Lessons, Writing & Publishing | 3 Comments »

Wee explanation

Of the current poll on whether you write more than you read. I came across a claim by a published writer (who I will not name) that they write more than they read. I was incredulous. Even if you were to count every jotted note, every letter, every form filled in, it still seems extraordinarily unlikely that would outweigh all the reading. Think of all the cereal packets, instructions, words on tickets, buses, clothing labels. We read every second of every day even if you never open a book.

This writer, however, was specifically talking about books, not even newspapers and magazines. They claimed that they wrote more books than they read by a large margin. This was because a) they wrote a great deal and b) they tried to read as little as possible so that it would not overly influence their writing.

Reader, I boggled. I boggle still.

Books—fiction, non-fiction—are the biggest influence on my own writing. Reading as little as possible is my idea of hell.

I don’t imagine the people who who checked “yes” to the question were talking just of books, but I’d be dead interested if any of you would like to explain what you meant in the comments. Ta!

Posted by Justine at 13:46, April 29th, 2008 under Writing & Publishing | 15 Comments »

Southampton: City of Tenuous Jane Austen Connections

While we waited to board the mighty Queen Mary 2, we wandered around Southampton, stopping Marks & Spencer for knickers, and into Forbidden Planet to stock up on manga for the voyage and (joy!) I signed their stock of the paperback editions of all three volumes of the Magic or Madness trilogy1.

We also goggled at the many Jane Austen plaques. Here, for my mother’s delectation, is a sampling:

Most excellent. Hope you enjoy, Jan!

  1. I love Forbidden Planet. They’re the only English bookshop that stocks my books. Bless them! I also signed copies at their store in London. [↩]
Posted by Justine at 0:00, April 29th, 2008 under Travelling | 5 Comments »

Locus Awards 2008

This is old news to many of you but I just found out that Scott and me are finalists for the Young Adult section of the Locus Awards. And the woo hoos ring out across the Larbfeld world!

YOUNG ADULT BOOK

Extras, Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse; Simon & Schuster UK)
The H-Bomb Girl, Stephen Baxter (Faber & Faber)
Magic’s Child, Justine Larbalestier (Penguin Razorbill)
Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin (Harcourt; Gollancz)
Un Lun Dun, China Miéville (Ballantine Del Rey; Macmillan UK)

Quite the strong list, eh? Being on a shortlist with Ursula Le Guin makes me feel faint. Let me fan myself a moment. For those who are wondering this is not the first time me and Scott have been on the same shortlist. We’ve been up for Aurealis, Ditmar and Norton Awards at the same time and now the Locus. Wow, I can’t believe our books have been on so many shortlists! It’s ridiculous and wonderful and the most excellent good luck.

The Locus Awards honours much fabulous work this year (as it does every year) but I was particularly thrilled about two mates of mine making the Best First novel list. Congratulations to Christopher Barzak who made the list with his brilliant and very moving One For Sorrow and Cassandra Clare for her unputdownable hilariously funny City of Bones. They’re geniuses both and I’m stoked other people have noticed! YAY!!!

Posted by Justine at 16:01, April 28th, 2008 under Magic! Magic! Magic! Oi! Oi! Oi!/Magic's Child, Vainglory, Writing & Publishing | 8 Comments »

Boat

Tomorrow I will be on a boat. Is big boat.

Posted by Justine at 16:18, April 21st, 2008 under Travelling | 7 Comments »

Things I REALLY don’t like

You know what’s wrong with contemporary fantasy of any flavour?

Not enough Elvis.

What’s up with that?

Also they should all be set in Bolzano, Dapto, Enugu or Guayaquil.

On your bikes. Except for Alan, of course.

Posted by Justine at 11:32, April 19th, 2008 under Bloggery | 9 Comments »

Thing that remains a mystery

As detailed in my previous post I have learnt much on this trip, but one thing remains a mystery:

How do women get around in high heels on cobble stone streets without destroying their ankles?

Every European city we’ve visited has had much cobble-stoneage and yet almost all the women are in high heels. It is bewildering. I have gone over on my ankles wearing the most comfortable and supportive of footwear. No harm was done because my beloved boots have non-ankle-spraining super powers. Yay boots!

I saw one woman get her heel stuck between stones. She came to a sudden and whip-lash looking halt, before bouncing about, trying to extricate herself. She was promptly rescued by a kind gentleman (who unlike me didn’t stand their giggling helplessly) and tottered off on her way as if nothing had happened. But that’s the only mishap I’ve seen. I suspect there are high-heels-on-cobble-stones training camps all over Europe.

Paris continues to be fabulous. Even without cobble stone related accidents. I don’t want to go home.

Posted by Justine at 13:02, April 17th, 2008 under Fashion, Travelling | 20 Comments »

And now we are in Paris

Which I can report is wonderful though cold. Great food, great gorgeousness, great people. Thank you, Luis and Maude, for showing us such a great time!

Several people have written to ask what on Earth we are doing galivanting about Europe. I could have sworn that I mentioned why at some point. But here it is again for those what missed it:

We are here to do research for Scott’s next book part of which is set in the European alps. As it involves air ships we went for a ride on a Zeppelin. We also came to attend the Children’s Book Fair in Bologna, to launch Extras in the UK, to get some writing done, to catch up with some of our European-based friends such as Coe Booth, David Moles and Ben Rosenbaum who are all in Basel at the moment, and to eat lots of wondrous food (see poll to your right).

Things learned on the trip so far:

And now I must return to having fun in Paris. As you were!

  1. Oh, okay, I can’t speak for the whole German-speaking world, but Austria was pretty dire. And what’s with all the smoking everywhere? [↩]
  2. Other than Sydney. [↩]
Posted by Justine at 13:39, April 15th, 2008 under Sydney/Australia, Travelling, Writing & Publishing, young adult literature | 15 Comments »

Seen in Germany + some news

Look what I saw in an actual bookshop, RavensBuch in Friedrichshafen! Isn’t it gorgeous?:

Yup, it’s the German version of Magic or Madness. It’s even more beautiful in real life. Sigh. The book next to mine (the yellow one) is by John Marsden. Two Aussies together in Germany. I’ve been stunned by how many Aussie books I’ve been seeing in translation on our travels. Oodles of them by the likes of Trudi Canavan, Sara Douglass, Sonya Hartnett, John Marsden, Garth Nix, Marcus Zusak etc., etc. World domination!

Speaking of Germany. Random House Deutschland has just made an offer for How to Ditch Your Fairy. A very enthusiastic offer and they’ll be publishing it in hardcover. I am very happy. I met my German publishers in Bologna and they’re all lovely. Possibly because they’re all named Susanne.

This is the first time one of my books has sold to another market before publication. Very exciting. HTDYF will be out in the US in early September. And I may be sharing the cover with you some time soon . . .

Posted by Justine at 6:18, April 13th, 2008 under