Justine Larbalestier

reading, writing, eating, drinking, sport

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This has been a great year

I just found out that both Scott and me made School Library Journal’s best books of 2005 list. Scott for Peeps and me (obviously) for Magic or Madness. We is most happy. For me it’s more icing on an already well-iced cake.

I’d like to take a moment to (incoherently and jetlaggedly) say how amazed I am by how Morm has been doing. It’s my first novel. I’ve seen lots of first novels published, so I knew what to expect. The reviews have been amazing, the placement in bookshops, and the response from readers. After we hooked up with our foreign rights agent, Whitney Lee, I had hopes of selling into countries other than the US and Australia (where the book is set), but I wasn’t really expecting it to happen. But it’s now sold in Thailand, Taiwan, France and Germany. I keep having to pinch myself.

As long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a writer, to make a living writing stories. And now I am.

Posted by Justine at 6:45, 15 November 2005 under Magic or Madness trilogy, Praising, Scott's books, Vainglory, Young Adult literature | 13 Comments »

Comments

  1. Lizwick Says:

    That’s great! You have worked so hard and you deserve every bit of praise. I can’t wait to read the next book.

    November 15th, 2005 at 9:26 am

  2. Jenny D Says:

    it’s great, justine! it’s the flip side of your post about not publishing when super-young. you wrote this book as a grown-up, and it’s subtle and complex and really wonderful especially in its voice in a way that i doubt your ten-years-ago self could have pulled off, no? so all this success is extremely well-deserved.

    November 15th, 2005 at 9:39 am

  3. CAAF Says:

    Awesome, lady! And I agree with Jenny, it’s an incredible novel. Well deserves all its plaudits & laurels & garlands & rosebuds & keeping its authoress’ coin purse plump. Yay for you & Scott!

    November 15th, 2005 at 11:17 am

  4. jason erik lundberg Says:

    kick ass! conga rats to you and scott!

    November 15th, 2005 at 12:19 pm

  5. marrije Says:

    and the year’s not even over yet!

    November 15th, 2005 at 7:04 pm

  6. Lauren McLaughlin Says:

    Go Justine!

    November 16th, 2005 at 4:26 am

  7. Dave Schwartz Says:

    You guys rawk. Seriously, I tremble before the combined power of The Two Who Have Thirteen Letters in Their Last Names. Leave a little world for the rest of us to conquer!

    November 16th, 2005 at 4:54 am

  8. 8. Justine Says:

    Thanks, everyone. You make me blush! Though that’s what I get for such a tickets-on-myself post. I was giddy and couldn’t help myself.

    Lizzy: Welcome! And thanks. You certainly got to witness a lot of the lead up. Thank you, supportogal!

    Jenny D: No way could I have written this book when I was wee. (Though the ten-year-old me wouldn’t agree: “I can too write good! I can too!”)

    CAAF: from now on I’m going to think of all the cool publishing news as plump-coin-purse moments. I loves it.

    Marrije: It isn’t? Oh my God! Side note: how do you pronounce your name? I think of you as “Mary”. Is that right?

    Dave: there are ten letters in Scott’s surname and twelve in mine . . . What cool maths are you doing to make us tridecolagisms?

    November 16th, 2005 at 5:21 am

  9. Cherie Priest Says:

    [:: is violently jealous, but in a friendly way ::]

    ;-)

    November 16th, 2005 at 8:04 am

  10. marrije Says:

    ackshewerly, justine, it’s more like ‘mariah’, like mariah carey, may she live a long and blissful life far away from any cameras. i promise you that’s the only way she and i are even remotely alike.

    November 16th, 2005 at 8:09 am

  11. 11. Justine Says:

    Cherie: [::makes mental note not to meet Cherie in person::] Switch to YA, sweetie, there’s way more best-book-of-the-year lists and being translated opportunities.

    Marrije: Mariah. Got it. Thanks! It beats thinking “Mary” or “M——-”

    November 16th, 2005 at 12:00 pm

  12. janet Says:

    mazel tov!

    It’s a fine book, and very much its own self, which is a rarity.

    November 16th, 2005 at 12:50 pm

  13. 13. Justine Says:

    Janet: thank you!

    November 19th, 2005 at 9:47 am

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