Some other questions I’ve gotten lately:

Q: Will you be posting a spoiler thread so that we can talk about Liar without having to be super careful about spoiling people?

A: Only one person has asked for this. If there seems to be a demand of more than one I’ll put up a Liar discussion post.

Q: Is your tour final? Is there any chance that other cities will be added?

A: It’s final, alas. Sorry!

Q: Will you be doing any new writing posts soon?

A: I have a number of writing posts in the works including one on writing dialogue and another on how Scrivener affected the writing of Liar. But I’m happy to listen to requests. Just check first to see if I’ve already covered it.

Q: Have there been any reviews of Liar yet?

A: There have been. You can find pull quotes and links to reviews here. I don’t blog reviews because I find it extremely dull. And if it bores me than I figure it will bore youse lot even worse.¹

I’m happy to answer any further questions. But if it’s a spoilery question about Liar take it over to the FAQ.

Hope you’re enjoying your Sunday. (Or early Monday morning if you’re back home in Oz.)

1. It’s blogging about reviews I find dull, not reading reviews.

After talking to friends and hearing what youse lot think I wound up getting a Sony 505. While it’s not perfect and lacks many features I want,¹ it’s made a huge difference. While flying home to Sydney, I did not have to carry the usual 5 books in my backpack on top of the entire suitcase of books. All I carried was the eReader. My back thanks me. Profusely.

It turned out that the incompatibility with my Mac was not a problem thanks to this fabulous software, Calibre, which is incredibly easy to use and is yet to fail me in any way shape or form. Bless you, Calibre.

As predicted I’ve been using it to read manuscripts by friends, books I’ve been asked to blurb, and public-domain research and comfort books. (I’m yet to buy an ebook.) My eyes don’t get nearly as sore as they do when reading onscreen with my computer and I can curl up with my eReader, which I can’t do with my computer even though it’s wee (for a computer).

So, yes, I’m very happy I bought an eReader. However, I’m still waiting for the iPhone to have its own native eReader which is not tied to any particular retailer. Because I would like to have my portable electonic needs—music, mail, podcasts, camera, ebooks, texting, phone calls (ugh)—in the one location. I want an iPHone that’s roughly the same size as my Sony Reader. When that happens I’ll start buying ebooks.²

In the meantime, being able to read Pride & Prejudice, My Brilliant Career, Anne of Green Gables, Alice in Wonderland, The Getting of Wisdom and Ivanhoe whenever I want to is vastly happy making. I’m off to go make a donation to Project Gutenberg for making that possible (and to Calibre as well). Bless!

1. It does produce mangosteens whenever I want them or set off fireworks. Honestly!
2. Though I’m not going to buy ebooks without being able to preview what I’m buying. There are still too many companies not providing previews. I’ve had several friends who buy ebooks report that are still companies out there selling ebooks that are poorly proofed scans. Sometimes of paper texts. Not good enough.

I’d also like to give a big thumbs up to my Sony reader 505. It’s not perfect—I’d prefer a touchscreen and a faster page turn on PDFs, I’d also prefer my iPhone to be larger and be a reader on top of everything else it does³—but just for reducing the weight of my luggage I hug the ereader to my chest. I’ve been a lot faster reading mss. than ever before. W00t! Oh, how I hate reading mss. on my computer or in paper form. I am liberated.

What electronic device is making your life better right now?

1. 10 mins as opposed to 1 hour. Who knew? Other than Scott.
2. As you all know everything Stephen Fry says is golden unless it is about cricket. He supports the bastion of evil the English cricket team. Ewwww!
3. Next year I hear.

There is no planned UK edition as UK rights have not sold. The English language editions, both to be published in October, are the Australian one published by Allen & Unwin and the North American version published by Bloomsbury.

There will also be an audio version read by the amazing Channie Waites (scroll down to see the photo of her) for Bolinda in Australia and Brilliance in the USA. I was able to sit in on part of the recording session and plan to blog about that incredible experience (with pictures) next week. (Short version: my work brought to life! OMG!)

If you prefer to read in languages other than English Liar will also be published in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, and Turkey. I have no details yet on when those editions will appear.

I am hoping for a manga version, because I am always hoping for manga versions of my work. So far there has not been the faintest hint of a nibble in that direction for any of my books. Personally, I think How To Ditch Your Fairy would make the best manga series ever.

If you have any other questions fire away. I promise to answer them all even if it’s just to say, “Why are you asking me about stalactites? I don’t know anything about them. I can’t even remember if they’re the sticky up-y ones or the pointy down-y ones.”

Thanks so much for taking this conversation further. It’s crucial.

Scott went to Random.org for the numbers thus they are truly random.

The winners are comment numbers 49, 49, 109, 98, 4, 25 and 114:

• 49: Cristina:

  Faint by Linkin Park:
  “I am what I want you to want, what I want you to feel
  But it’s like no matter what I do
  I can’t convince you to just believe this is real”

  “Sin miedo a nada” by Alex Ubago [translated to the best of my ability]:
  “I die to beg you
  That you don’t leave my life
  I die to hear you
  Say the things you never say
  But I keep quiet and you leave
  I keep hope
  To be able someday
  To not have to hide the wounds
  It hurts to think
  That I love you a every day a bit more.”
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l04TzdcdOU

• 109: Zahra Ali:

  Oh no, someone told me I posted a song that was already posted. I don’t know if that’s allowed

  Just in case, I’ll post this one:
  ————
  OKaysions- Girl Watcher

  I’m a girl watcher, I’m a girl watcher…
  Watchin’ girls go by, hey, my my
  I’m a girl watcher, I’m a girl watcher…
  Here comes one now…

  I was just a boy when I threw away my toys
  And found a new pastime to dwell on
  Whenever I detects them there of the other sex
  I play the game I do so well on

  Mumble something female, my my, but you do look swell
  Could you please walk a little slower…
  Wonder if you know that you’re putting on a show
  Could you please walk a little closer…
  ———-

  My second creepiest song. He’s FOLLOWING her, it freaks me out xD Hope it creeps you out too!

• 98: Morgan Says:

  Does a parody song count? My friends and I made a parody of Stop and Stare by One Republic called “Stalk and Stare” The chorus goes-

  Stalk and Stare
  I think about you all the time
  I swear
  You are mine and I will never share
  oh oh ooooh

  Stalk and Stare
  When you are alone
  I am always there
  So tell your Boyfriend to beware
  oh oh ooooh

  Stalk and Stare
  I love the way the moonlight
  shines on your hair
  Without you there would be no air
  oh oh ooooh

  It keeps going and gets pretty crazy.

  But if it has to be song I would go with “Somebody’s Watching Me” By Micheal Jackson. This one of course is from the stalkee’s point of view. I want to know how no one thought of this song though!

  When I’m in the shower
  I’m afraid to wash my hair
  ‘Cause I might open my eyes
  And find someone standing there
  People say I’m crazy
  Just a little touched
  But maybe showers remind me
  Of Psycho too much
  That’s why

  (I always feel like)
  (Somebody’s watching me)
  And I have no privacy
  Whooooa, oh-oh
  (I always feel like)
  (Somebody’s watching me)
  Who’s playin’ tricks on me

  Then there is also “Kelsey” by Metro Station

  So take one word you said
  You put it in your bed
  You rest your tiny head on your pillow
  You wonder where you’re going next
  You got your head pushed to my chest
  and now you’re hoping that someone let’s you in
  Well I’ll sure let you in
  You know ill let you in
  Oh Kelsey, you.

  So don’t let anyone scare you
  You know that I’ll protect you
  Always,
  now through the thick and thin
  Until the end
  You better watch it
  You know you don’t cross it because
  I’m always here for you
  and I’ll be here for you
  (I know x3) I know how it feels believe me
  I’ve been there and
  (I know x3) I know what it feels like
  tell me Kelsey

  And I’ll swim the ocean for you
  the ocean for you
  whoa, oh Kelsey
  and I’ll swim the ocean for you
  the ocean for you
  whoa, oh Kelsey
  (i hear you darlin’)

  Find More lyrics at http://www.sweetslyrics.com
  Now it’s gonna get harder
  and it’s gonna burn brighter
  and it’s gonna feel tougher each and every day
  so let me say, that i love you
  you’re all I’ve ever wanted
  all I’ve ever dreamed of to come
  and yes you did come
  i want you so bad (so bad)
  can you feel it too? (it too)
  you know I’m so, I’m so in love with you
  i want you, so much
  i need you, so much
  i need your, i need your, your touch

  and I’ll swim the ocean for you
  the ocean for you
  whoa, oh Kelsey
  x4
  and you never ever let me in (let me in)
  x4

  The entire song is full of stalkerish sayings!

• 4: Remula:

  Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Catch You
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfUBdgQtjn4

  One of my favorite stalker songs, haha. XP

• 25: Erika:

  Definitely Helen Hunt by Hank Green. Hahaha
  http://wiki.dftba.com/index.php/Helen_Hunt

  Um… Plain White T’s are very stalkerish… Hey there Delilah, You and Me, Write You a Song, and I could go on…

  You Found Me by Kelly Clarkson, kind of the other person is the stalker here. I mean just read the chorus:
  “You found me
  When no one else was lookin’
  How did you know just where I would be?
  Yeah, you broke through
  All of my confusion
  The ups and the downs
  And you still didn’t leave
  I guess that you saw what nobody could see
  You found me
  You found me”

• 114: Tom Says:

  There is a song called the stalker song by the Australian comedy group Tripod. It sort of misses the point a bit because it’s meant to be a little (read: a lot) creepy. It is pretty funny, though.

  Check it out:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxwNIyJ2mDM

So. Man. Very. Creepy. Songs. So glad so many of you realise that stalking is not a sign of love!

The first four get a signed Love Is Hell plus a signed Liar sampler and the last two get a Liar sampler.

Winners please go here to send me your snail mail address. Or direct message me on Twitter.

Don’t.

I am well aware you only landed here because you googled “boy books” and are looking for somewhere to post your spam. I don’t accept paid advertising so I’m certainly not going to let you advertise for free.

The comments on this blog are for discussion. By all means recommend a book that you think is relevant to the discussion. I’m all ears for passionate recommendations of books people love when it’s relevant. But do not comment with an ad for your own book. It’s tacky, it’s boring, it adds nothing to the conversation, and I will delete your ad. If you do it again I will ban you from my blog.

That is all.

Lately there’s been a huge increase in spam here. The result of my current methods of combating it is that heaps of your comments are winding up in the moderation queue. As I have a very heavy work schedule at the moment I’m often not getting to those comments for hours at a time. Not good.

I’m thinking of installing one of those anti-spam word thingies where you have to type in a random word or grouping of letters to prove you’re not a spambot. However, I kind of hate them when they’re on other people’s blogs. They definitely put me off commenting.

How about youse lot?

Would you hate it if I added such a plug-in? Would you be okay with it if the words it generated were amusing and/or related to this blog? Like “quokka” or “mangosteen”?

Anyone got any other brilliant spam combating tactics?

Let me put it another way:

I DON’T HAVE ANY ARCs

The contact page also tells you who does have ARCs. Yes, right at the top of the contact page.

But please remember: publishers don’t give ARCs out to everyone. There’s only a small number so they have to be selective. It’s one of those “while supplies last” things.

Bloomsbury will be giving more away at IRA, ALA, and BEA.

Sorry to sound snippy but I’m getting way too many of these requests and I don’t have time to respond. I’m busy! I’ve got copyedits to check, 1930s research to do, my next novel to write, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it. I’m swamped!

I am thrilled that so many people want to read Liar. It’s truly wonderful. I can’t wait for you guys to read it either. I’m really enjoying hearing people start to talk about Liar and argue about what really happens. THOUGH DON’T SPOIL IT FOR OTHERS. If you really are bursting to talk about it but no one around you has read it: write to me. I’d love to hear from you.

Here’s hoping this enthusiasm to read the book is still going strong when the real proper book version of Liar publishes in October! Only six months away! How did that happen?

*Goes back to copyedits.*

As you were.

Update: Since there seems to be some confusion, I have attempted to clarify here.

Because the volume of letters has been going up in the last few months, and I’m not getting any faster at answering, ¹ I’ve decided I’m going to respond to questions asked on this website first. Especially the questions asked on the FAQs. That way the answer will be available for everyone and not just the people who email me. That’s fairer, right?

Currently I have four FAQs:

• There’s the Personal one: Where you can ask any questions that don’t have to do with particular books or writing. But let’s not get too personal.
• The one about Writing: This is where I answer all those tricky writing questions. I’ve answered many already so before you ask yours check that it hasn’t already been asked and also have a squizz at the posts on writing.
• About the Magic or Madness Trilogy: This is where you can ask questions about the trilogy. Don’t read if you don’t know the books. It gets VASTLY spoilery.
• And lastly there’s one for How To Ditch Your Fairy.

Before too long I’ll add a Liar FAQ. And I may add a publishing one. Though at the moment those questions are under writing.

Thus endeth the admin message. As you were.

1. Unfortunately, writing my books and responding to my publishers has to be the top priorities.

Another w00t worthy thing: I have just learned that the ARC (advances readers’ copies) of Liar have made it to TLA. Yee hah!² I have not actually seen it myself. So I’m eager to get my hands on a copy. Well, not eager so much as afraid. I know I’ll just open it up and go, “Crap. Typo. Also that section really doesn’t belong there. I need to move it. Another typod. Also I’m not sure this minor character’s got the right name. Perhaps I should have called them Rexford? What was I thinking! Crap. Yet another typo. And another.” Etc.

But I’m excited that people who aren’t my agent, friends, or publishers will soon be having a squizz at it. Liar is unlike anything I’ve ever written before and especially not like How To Ditch Your Fairy. Thus I am dead curious to see how people respond. I hope no one throws things at me.

Admin note: Sorry for everyone whose comments were held up in moderation yesterday. Wifi access was sketchy. I believe I have set everyone’s comment free at this time. Let me know if you still can’t find yours.

1. To be clear, I mean librarians who specialise in books, manga, anime, etc for teenagers, rather than librarians who are teenagers.
2. I am in Texas, after all. Though maybe it’s not spelled “yee hah”. That looks wrong.

Update: Looks like all comments trapped in moderation have now been released. Here’s hoping that’s the end of that problem.

• Book tour: this one’s obvious. Is for all the posts about book tours. In general, are they a good idea? And specifically, reports from on the road.
• Book challenges: this one’s for censorship, book banning, and challenges, which are sadly common in the land of YA.
• Publishing business: this is for the posts specifically about some aspect of the publishing business. Such as what an editorial letter is, money, and how to get an agent, publishing in Australia etc etc.
• Titles & names: I noticed that I talk about the problem of coming up with a title for my books A LOT. So here’s how you can find those posts in one easy click. I also wacked in stuff about chapter titles, and naming characters.
• Writing goals & milestones: This is more for me than anyone else. It collects together all my deadlines met, books published etc etc.
• Writing life: The whingeing, writer’s block, whether to blog or not, how little we get paid—all aspects of the life of a writer. Or, really, the life of this writer.
• Writing process: The nitty-gritty of writing. My ruminations on how to write a novel, how to rewrite, what I’ve learnt, what I haven’t, and my advice to other writers (for what it’s worth—prolly not much).

As a result of all the extra categories, I’ve gotten rid of the “writing and publishing” category, which was pretty much useless, and amalgamated the MorM books under one category: “Magic or Madness trilogy”.

Wow. I feel so organised. First new year’s resolution is now off the list!

For some reason the lj feed of my blog is broken and has no posts after 18 December. So while I have blogged every day since then none of those posts have shown up on that feed. I have no idea why and no idea how to fix it.

Perhaps one of you lj people knows how to fix it? I’d be much obliged.

Sadly, though my writing about this here is completely useless given that lj people rarely venture outside the world of lj. Oh well.

So far it has led me to many pleasures but few top the delight of the world’s worst Dalek cakes. I confess that I laughed so hard I cried.

Then it led me to this. The making of the most incredible cake I have ever seen:

Apparently it took twelve days to make. Wow. Just wow.

Thanks for chiming in on last post. I no longer feel like I have lost my mind. Just my website for a couple of days. And, praise Elvis, may it never happen again.

We can now resume normal blog activity.

For those who missed the post that was only visible to a handful of you for most of the day there’s a sneak preview of my latest published effort.

Thanks to everyone who wrote to share their concern about the absence and/or weirdness of my site today. It’s nice to know you care.

I’m getting lots of reports of posts not showing up and people not being able to comment.

Today has not been a happy justinelarbalestier.com day. I hate to be separated from my blog for so many hours. And it went down right in the middle of my putting up a teaser for my new story in Love is Hell. Wah!

If anyone can recommend a reliable new host I’m all ears. Or, you know, eyes . . .

There are already some suggestions over here. Thanks, Scalzi! I’d be curious to hear what others think of those suggestions.

I recently said NO to several antho invites. To Lauren Myracle’s fabulous Halloween dare. Not to mention doing an appearance on the Rachel Maddow Show.¹

Remember, how I got my mail down below 100? *Sigh*. Already they head back to scary out-of-control territory. I doubt I’ll be able to catch up until December at the earliest. Sorry!

I will attempt to keep blogging. You know, in order to stay sane, and delude myself that I’m actually communicating with real live breathing people, and not just communing with Scrivener and all the people I’ve populated it with. Plus, well, I’m kind of a blogging addict . . .

Thank you all for continuing to read and comment here. In the midst of this insanity it’s lovely to hear your voices. Bless!

1. Okay, not really. But a girl can dream, can’t she?

I have answered all my fanmail. Hallelujah! I am up to date with the universe! (If I didn’t reply to you—write me again. Your letter may have been accidentally deleted or misfiled or something.)

Er, 94. Someone just sent me a letter. Crap. Ninety-five. Why are people replying? The whole point of the exercise was to reduce my mail! Not generate more. Stop it! Don’t write to me!

Um, never mind.

Look over there: irradiated mangosteens mutating into killer monkeys!

Personal
Writerising
Magic or Madness Trilogy
How To Ditch Your Fairy

If you have more questions feel free to ask them over there.

There are spoilers in the MorM FAQ but they are at the bottom under a spoiler warning. There are no How To Ditch Your Fairy spoilers. Aren’t I good to you people?

Speaking of which, I just found out that HTDYF is a Junior Library Guild selection. This is quite the honour as they have a reputation for picking books that go on to be award-winners and bestsellers. If you look through their book selections you’ll recognise many fabulous books.

There was also a gorgeous new review over on the Ravenous Reader Reviews. I’ve never had so many reviews and comments and fan mail about a book before it was even published. I could get used to this!

Though publication is very soon: 16 September in the US of A. That’s nearly almost two weeks away!

My request for the redesign was pretty simple:

• Make it look as much like the existing blog as possible. Only, you know, better.
• Keep it clean and simple and easily navigable.
• Set it up so I don’t have to turn to a designer every time I have a new book to add.

Stephanie succeeded on all fronts. I love it. SO MUCH.

Not only is it beautiful but there’s loads more stuff such as:

• A How To Ditch Your Fairy section with a sneak preview, a list of known fairies, a glossary,² not to mention two deleted scenes—remember when I mentioned all the chapters I deleted? Well, now you can read a couple of them.³
• Two short stories that have never been online before. One from Gwenda Bond & Christopher Rowe’s fabulous Say . . . zine and the other from Cat Sparks‘ equally fabo Agog! Smashing Stories anthology. Both had smallish print runs and are not so easy to come by.
• The Afterword which only appeared in the Australian edition of Magic or Madness.

The musings, which were my pre-blog blog, have been added to the Archives so they’re much easier to access than previously. They stretch back to 2002. Some of them are quite revealing and some embarrassing. A few I’m very proud of.

I was sad to leave my old site behind. It was a gorgeous design and I’ll miss it, which is why I have this page to commemorate the old site and thank its designer, Deb Biancotti, for all her work.

Please have a bit of an explore. Let me know what you think and report any typos, broken links, weirdnesses that you find. I wants it to be perfect, I does!

Here’s hoping you like the new look as much as I do.

1. I never have to deal with Dreamweaver again! My happiness is huge.
2. Yes, all my novels come with glossaries.
3. It’s better than a DVD!

So if you have any questions about writing or publishing or my books or anything else that isn’t already answered on the FAQ fire away.

*Is it just me or does that sound vaguely obscene?

But I hate to be rude and I love to see new folks here. So,

To everyone else: sorry for not responding as much even though I read all your comments,¹ also for being months and months behind with email, for not having done that thing I promised I’d do for you, and for generally being as slack as, um, a very slack person.

Book comes first! Before hygiene, friends, nutrition, changing polls, health, admin and pleasure. Is just how it is.

1. Except for the ones about USian gridiron. Boring.

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 . . .