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Went for a long walk yesterday through Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Rushcutters Bay. It's spring here and almost everywhere smelt like jasmine. ((
Sorry, Margo, but it truly did.)) The sounds weren't quite as lovely. Spring seems to be the season of renovations in Paddington so the hills were alive with the sound of jackhammers. That and really pissed off birds. One of which shat right in front of me: had I been a fraction faster . . . splat of eww on my head. ((No, I don't care that it's meant to be good luck.))
Mostly I was thinking about Sekrit Project, which I've been rewriting since THE DAWN OF TIME and seems to be getting no closer to as ...
Posted by Justine at 12:25, September 13th, 2012 under Ideas, Listening, Praising, Sydney novel, Whingeing, Writing life, Writing process |
At the moment I am loving this song, "Heart Killer", by Gossling. A friend describes her voice as like P J Harvey on helium, which is about right. She has one of those very, very weird voices that people love or loathe. Kind of like Blossom Dearie, who I also adore. And, yet, Minnie Mouse singing does not make me happy.
Anyways, "Heart Killer" is a femme fatale song. A song from the point of view of the woman who is the breaker of hearts. The point of view bit is key because there are an ocean of songs about evil, mean, cold women ((Often called things like "Devil Woman" or "Devil in Disguise" or "Cold as Ice" etc etc.)) who ...
Posted by Justine at 7:46, September 12th, 2012 under Listening, State of the World, Sydney novel |
Since a few of you expressed mild interest in the speech I gave at
Sirens in October last year I thought I would share it with you. The theme was monsters and my speech involved me showing many monstrous images. Yes, that's my disclaimer, I wrote this to be spoken to a real life audience with funny pictures and the funny may not work so well without the kind and appreciative live audience. Or something. *cough*
Here it is:
Monsters I Have Loved
Ideas = Brain Monkeys According to Maureen Johnson
Like every other writer ever I get asked “where do you get your ideas” a lot. Today I thought instead of answering that question in the ...
Posted by Justine at 7:02, May 31st, 2012 under Cons & Other Gatherings, Fans & readers, Feminism, Ideas, Ironical (This is Writ), Listening, New York City/USA, Praising, Ranting, Reading, State of the World, Sydney/Australia, Travelling, Viewing, Writing life, Writing process |
I have decided that I love songs about women who don't want to be married. I decided this while listening to lots of Gillian Welch. Twas the song "Look at Miss Ohio" which triggered this decision. Also my annoyance with certain lines in Beyonce's "Single Ladies". "Put a ring on it"? What are we living in the 1950s or something?! Uggh.
Then I realised I couldn't think of any other songs about women who have priorities in life other than getting married. ((This probably reflects more on my dreadful memory than anything else.)) Other than the "I never will marry" song:
I never will marry
I'll be no man's ...
Posted by Justine at 23:17, March 4th, 2010 under Bloggery/Internetty Stuff, Feminism, Listening |
In the last few weeks I've spent an inordinate amount of time talking about the writing of Liar and making much use of
jigsaws as a metaphor to describe said writing. Turns out that Margaret Drabble has also been thinking long and hard about jigsaw puzzles---longer and harder than me, truth be told--- ((Though can truth be told when I'm discussing Liar?)) and has written a whole book on the subject: The Pattern In The Carpet, which I am now longing to read.
You all need to listen to this
interview with Margaret Drabble about her personal history with jigsaws. Romana Koval is one of my favourite interviewers and the whole thing is utterly delightful from start ...
Posted by Justine at 19:37, October 26th, 2009 under Book tour, Liar, Listening, Praising |
Yup, it's finally here. Liar is now officially out in the world in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA! Is it just me or did that take FOREVER?
Also available for the first time today (officially) the audio books of
Liar and
How To Ditch Your Fairy. As well as the gorgeous US paperback of How To Ditch Your Fairy which as I may have mentioned multiple times is
my favourite cover of all time. (Look to your left at the squashed fairy.)
If you can't afford to buy new books right now, but are desperate to read Liar, I recommend getting your local library to buy a copy (if they haven't already) or having a friend who ...
Posted by Justine at 12:49, September 29th, 2009 under How To Ditch Your Fairy, Liar, Listening |
I have been remiss in mentioning that the US paperback of How To Ditch Your Fairy also makes its appearance on 29 September. ((It's already available in paperback in Australia.)) That's right, finally FINALLY, the fabulous new US paperback cover will be out there in the wild, available for all who want it. ((I do know some of you prefer the US hardcover and Oz paperback version. Madness!)) I have waxed lyrical about
Danielle Delaney's design before. It truly is the best cover any book of mine has ever received. It captures the spirit of the book, it's funny, and I adore the colour scheme. Happiness in my eyes!
To celebrate the new cheaper edition of How To Ditch Your ...
Posted by Justine at 14:01, September 14th, 2009 under How To Ditch Your Fairy, Listening |
Okay, this, I'm really excited about. Remember when I posted about
getting to sit in on the recording of the audiobook of Liar? Well, now you can listen to some of it.
I'm thrilled and delighted with the amazing job Brilliance Audio did. Channie Waites is perfect reading in Micah's voice. But don't listen to me, listen to her, and make up your own mind:
01 Part01-01-Telling the Truth
The audio version of Liar publishes at the same time as the book in both North America (29 Sept) and Australia (1 October). Here are the links to buy the Liar audiobook in North America:
CD and
MP3. And in Australia:
CD.
Hope you like it as much as I ...
Posted by Justine at 16:14, September 10th, 2009 under Liar, Listening |
I have been promising for some time that I would write about how most love songs are actually about stalking. However that time is not now on account of I am behind with everything. So far behind that I can't continue any feuds with other YA writers or---much much worse---follow the Tour de France. Yes, it's that bad. Again.
In the meantime tell me what your favourite/most appalling stalker song is in the comments below. I will send a signed (by me and Scott) copy of the anthology
Love is Hell to the commenter whose stalker song selections most amuses me. Or at random if the busy-ness makes my brain not function enough to decide. You can find the first ...
Posted by Justine at 13:32, July 4th, 2009 under Listening, Love is Hell, Writing process |
Posted by Justine at 0:00, May 29th, 2009 under Cons & Other Gatherings, Liar, Listening, New York City/USA |
Posted by Justine at 15:35, May 5th, 2009 under 1930s NYC novel, Listening, Research, Viewing |
Posted by Justine at 2:02, May 2nd, 2009 under 1930s NYC novel, Listening, New York City/USA, Research, Viewing |
Posted by Justine at 7:59, February 26th, 2009 under Liar, Listening, Research |
Posted by Justine at 7:27, February 21st, 2009 under Book tour, Cons & Other Gatherings, Listening, New York City/USA, Sydney/Australia |
Posted by Justine at 0:00, November 10th, 2008 under Listening, State of the World |
Over at Daily Kos, Meteor Blades (via Scott) has an
article on accents in which he points out that, yes, everyone has one and quotes Geoffrey Nunberg
being smart on the same topic:
If authenticity is a matter of heeding your true inner voice, then it probably isn't surprising that people listen for signs of it in the way you speak. And our idea of an authentic accent reflects our idea of the authentic self. It's the natural speech you sucked up from the surroundings you grew up in, unfiltered and uncorrected. It's how you're supposed to sound when you're talking to yourself.
It's also a delusion. Or at least if your speech is like yourself, it's because both are ...
Posted by Justine at 11:46, November 1st, 2008 under Bloggery/Internetty Stuff, Listening, New York City/USA, Praising, Sydney/Australia, Travelling |
Recently the
National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra launched
Sounds of Australia a collection of recordings to mark Australian history and culture. One of the most recent additions was "Most People I Know (Think that I'm Crazy)" by Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs.
Fair enough, thought I. That's a song I've heard a million billion kajillion times and think of as being very Aussie. I also thought it was one of our first hits overseas. However, my extremely accurate research indicates that that might not be so. I've been asking several of my USian friends if they know the song. So far none of them do. ((Except for Scott and I think he's tainted from having spent ...
Posted by Justine at 0:00, June 26th, 2008 under Listening, Sydney/Australia |
I have been conducting a series of scientific experiments on how to cure homesickness. Here is my latest finding:
LISTENING TO MUSIC FROM HOME DOES NOT WORK.
In fact, it makes it much much worse. I have been listening to Oz music for the last four hours. Some of it music I don't even like. So far I have cried 4.7 times.
I feel my findings are conclusive and I can now cease the experiment.
Next: The stabbing-your-hand-with-toothpicks cure.
Wish me luck.
Posted by Justine at 13:38, June 19th, 2008 under Listening, Sydney/Australia |
Posted by Justine at 12:33, May 19th, 2008 under Listening, Praising, State of the World, Sydney/Australia |
When homesickness eats at me I listen to
podcasts. I listen to
news broadcasts,
talk shows, shows about
sport,
science,
design,
culture. I don't care just as long as I'm hearing voices from home.
One of the my favourites is
The Book Show ((Which I can't help thinking of by it's old name,"Books & Writing")). Ramona Koval's voice and sense of humour soothe me and the range of coverage is excellent: old books, new books, local books, o.s. books, books in translation, poetry, essays etc. etc. ((Though it'd be nice if there was more YA coverage. I keep waiting for the show devoted to all the Oz YA writers storming the world: ...
Posted by Justine at 0:00, May 18th, 2008 under Listening, Praising, Reading, Sydney/Australia |
I went and saw
South Pacific this week with the fabulous Delia Sherman and Ellen Kushner. My head's been stuffed full of those songs ever since. It's definitely one of my favouritest musicals. I'd only seen the movie before and, well, "good" is not a word you can use to describe it. But the stage production at Lincoln Centre is wondrously good. I'd go see it again in a heartbeat.
I've seen so few musicals live. Kiss Me Kate is, I think, the only other one I've seen as an adult. Loved it! My resolution for this year is to see many, many more. I'm dying to see
Passing Strange. And I'm convinced that getting to see good productions ...
Posted by Justine at 12:41, March 7th, 2008 under Listening, New York City/USA, Viewing |
I've been an Elvis fan since I was a
small child. I can recognise pretty much any Elvis recording within half a bar. I have loved his music longer than I've loved anyone else's. When I'm down the only remedy is "Viva Las Vegas" (or any number of his gazillion other recordings). Today is the thirtieth anniversary of his death. I cried then even though I was only little and I'm a little weepy about it today.
I am not one of those fans who has any illusions about the man. Yes, when he died he was a grotesquely overweight junkie. Yes, there are many other performers who were more talented and innovative than he. Yes, Big Mama ...
Posted by Justine at 0:16, August 16th, 2007 under Listening, New York City/USA, State of the World |
Posted by Justine at 12:52, March 31st, 2007 under Bloggery/Internetty Stuff, Cons & Other Gatherings, Cricket, Listening, Praising, Ranting, Reading, Research, Sport, Viewing, Words & Language |
This morning at brunch we were subjected to dread awful music played too loudly. ((How loudly? It was audible. That was too loud.)) A whole CD's worth.
"What is this crap?" I asked. "I've never heard it before. I hope never to hear it again."
Scott looked at me like I was deranged. "You've never heard this before?"
I affirmed that I had not and was grateful that was the case. He continued to doubt me, asserting that the band had been huge in the eighties, and unless I grew up under a rock I could not have avoided hearing them.
"What band is it?" I asked. Scott looked blank and waved his hands around. "You know, one of those one-word bands ...
Posted by Justine at 13:46, March 25th, 2007 under Listening, Mangosteens, New York City/USA, Sydney/Australia |
Posted by Justine at 20:54, March 3rd, 2007 under Listening, Reading |
I cannot explain why this make me so very very very happy. It just does.
Australian fast bowler, Brett Lee, in a duet with Indian legend
Asha Bhosle. Why don't more cricketers sing?
The song is currently no. 4 on the charts in India. Wonder if they'll release it here?
Posted by Justine at 14:49, January 21st, 2007 under Cricket, Frippery, Listening |
Posted by Justine at 14:25, January 10th, 2007 under Food, How To Ditch Your Fairy, Liquids, Listening, Praising, Sydney/Australia, Viewing, Writing goals & milestones |
Posted by Justine at 18:39, September 20th, 2006 under Listening, Magic or Madness trilogy, Scott's books, Vainglory |
This seems to be the year of books being published what I have a vested interest in of such proportions that the fact of them being in print makes me all teary.
First there was
Julie Phillips' long-awaited
Tiptree bio, later there will be Yvette Christianse's just-as-long-awaited debut novel
Unconfessed, and right now there is
Ellen Kushner's The Privilege of the Sword.
I've been a Kushner fan since 1988 when her first book, the unspeakably wonderful Swordspoint, helped get me through a tedious illness. My friend, Jane Pritchard (bless you, Jane!), loaned it to me along with a whole stack of other excellent books, but Swordspoint was the only one that I reread instantly. It's been a touchstone ...
Posted by Justine at 15:26, August 29th, 2006 under Listening, Praising, Reading |
Blessed release: Magic's Child is now on its way into Polly Watson's genius copyediting hands. Thank Elvis!
I confess I was worried. Especially when Penguin's spring catalogue arrived with Magic's Child listed as if it was an actual finished book. Gah! I thought. Booksellers will be ordering a non-existent book!
Well, it exists now---in finished form even! And, if you don't object to a moment of skiting, it's not too foul, not too foul at all. Phew!
Rather than thanking all the peoples what helped (their moment of glory is in the book's acks) I'm gunna list the music what got me through the last few gruelling weeks:
Benny Goodman Sextet (with Charlie Christian prominently featured)
Billie Holiday
Blur (Think Tank---thanks
Andrew)
Cat Power (Moon Pix---thanks ...
Posted by Justine at 2:25, August 28th, 2006 under Listening, Magic or Madness trilogy, Praising, Whingeing, Writing goals & milestones |
Posted by Justine at 13:22, March 19th, 2006 under Cons & Other Gatherings, Cricket, Listening, Magic or Madness trilogy, New York City/USA, Reading, Scott's books, Young Adult literature |
I hope everyone who celebrates today or any of the cluster of days around it---or who's just enjoying the days off work or school---has a most excellent end of the year. I plan to.
I'd like to adopt the USian custom of giving thanks (yeah, yeah, I know they do it on a different day---whatever!). Here's what I'm thankful for:
That I'm home in Sydney living in the best place ever:
Flying foxes at dusk! Huge decks! Huge bath tub!
Views! Amazing
pubs,
cafes &
restaurants within spitting distance! Southerly breezes!
That I'm home in the land of continuous cricket coverage! Of beautiful beaches! And the best avocadoes (yes,
Mely, you need to move here, not smelly ...
Posted by Justine at 10:57, December 25th, 2005 under Cricket, Food, Liquids, Listening, Praising, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
Posted by Justine at 13:43, October 20th, 2005 under Basketball, Cons & Other Gatherings, Cricket, Food, How To Ditch Your Fairy, Liquids, Listening, Magic or Madness trilogy, New York City/USA, Scott's books, Sport, Travelling, Words & Language, Young Adult literature |
Posted by Justine at 0:24, October 17th, 2005 under How To Ditch Your Fairy, Listening, Magic or Madness trilogy, New York City/USA, Writing life, Young Adult literature |
I finally did it. I finally got a photo of a hummingbird. Hell, I got two. What kind of a genius, am I? And it required no patience or planning at all. I just happened to be in the kitchen with the camera.
You see it? There in the centre right of the photo, just behind the pale purple flowers.
No? Well how about in this photo:
This time look just left of the pale purple flowers.
Okay then, here's the first photo again, but this time cropped with the hummingbird dead centre:
And the second, also cropped and in the centre:
See it? Isn't that cool? You don't see it? Look closer, damn it! See the grey blur? See the ...
Posted by Justine at 13:26, October 11th, 2005 under Frippery, Listening, Travelling, Viewing |
"Rampage" is one of the best radio documentaries I've ever heard.
Over the last few years Australian war artist
George Gittoes has been documenting the war in Iraq through the music of the conflict---the sounds being listened to and made by US troops in Iraq. Now he's travelled home with the soldiers and found himself in a whole new war zone---America.
Miami specifically. In his previous documentary, Soundtrack to War (
chunks of which were used in Michael Moore's Fahrenheidt 9/11) one of the soldiers he followed, Elliot Lovett, said that Iraq was a doddle compared to where he lived in Miami. Gittoes followed him home and discovered that it was true.
Listen to it
here.
Posted by Justine at 0:40, September 11th, 2005 under Listening, New York City/USA, State of the World |
Georgette Heyer books remain most excellent on the umpteenth reread. On this occasion Venetia, Frederica, and Sylvester. Am unable to decide which I like better: Venetia or Sylvester. Right now am tilting towards Sylvester on account of authoress Phoebe's roman a clef, the hero, Sylvester's attempt to "mount" the heroine, and the truly appalling Sir Nugent Fotherby. But the sexy talk between Venetia and her Wicked Duke Damerel is hard to go past.
Can't stop listening to Missy Elliot's latest The Cookbook. Current fave: "We run this".
The latest New Yorker has a gorgeous account of just how much
Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) drank in a day:
At about ten o'clock, he would have his "morning draft"---usually "small" (or weak) beer, but ...
Posted by Justine at 20:12, July 26th, 2005 under Food, Liquids, Listening, Reading |
Watch the Tour on the tellie while following the cricket through the BBC's online radio and exchanging emails about it with your sister. Apparently I don't multitask well. My head hurts. Thankfully the Tour is finished for the morning and I can concentrate on the cricket.
Am really enjoying the cricket right now.
McGrath is bowling like a demon. He's already gotten fivefer. Ha ha! I knew that Australia getting out for 190 was all about the wicket, not about the bowling. Of course now that Australia is in it's all about the bowling not the wicket. No, I am not one-eyed.
Oh my, I'd forgotten about the BBC commentator---Blofeld's appallingly plummy accent. It is to gag. Ack. Ack. Ack.
Update: ...
Posted by Justine at 11:30, July 21st, 2005 under Cricket, Listening, Sport, Tour de France, Whingeing |
Yup, at long last, after an
epically long search, I'm agented! My new agent is Jill Grinberg of Anderson Grinberg Literary Management. She's fabulous. Fulfills every one of my
perfect agent requirements (which, as I've mentioned, all the other agents I met also fulfilled), and liked and understood my twelfth-century Cambodia novel (which only one other agent was into).
Jill also brought an extra something I hadn't even realised was important to me: she understands the Australian market and its relationship to the UK one. Given that she represents a slew of other Australians---including such wonderful writers as Alison Goodman, John Marsden, and Garth Nix---it figures.
I'm feeling dead chuffed with my decision, but also a little sad about ...
Posted by Justine at 13:57, June 23rd, 2005 under Listening, Publishing business |
Cherie Priest is a very funny woman.
Her latest post slew me. In answer to her question: yes, absolutely. It is not only a writer's job, it is their duty to eavesdrop.
Posted by Justine at 11:56, June 23rd, 2005 under Listening, State of the World, Words & Language |
Interwebby thingies I read and enjoyed today:
Tingle alley has some flittering thoughts about how fascinated she is by other writers' acknowledgments
here and
here. Me too!
Some more
Australian gloating about the coming Ashes series.
A cool review of
David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy.
Lesson learned today: sometimes google is definitely not all that, and a trip to the library is required. My attempts to find out more about the recording, publishing and reception of Bill Broonzy's"Get Back (Black, Brown and White)" inspired by Josh's comment
here yielded close to nothing. Anyone out there got any leads please to let me know!
I finished up with the oz version of
magic or madness---damn it's hard to ...
Posted by Justine at 17:22, June 9th, 2005 under Cricket, Frippery, Listening, Reading, Sport |
Tonight I have managed staying awake until 2:50AM. Well, that is the time at this moment. I am bedward headed, but not quite there yet. (Shelly, I am but a sliver of my former self. Apologies.)
Things I learned at WisCon today (or, er, yesterday):
Robin McKinley and Scott Westerfeld have completely different modes of writing. Scott's is more sensible, but Robin's sounds like a whole lot more fun.
Ex-friend Mely might possibly regain friend status. maybe. If Serenity is never mentioned. Ever.
Doselle is the same age as me! And Lauren.
Good wine that costs money is way better than free cheap beer, especially when drunk with the likes of Chris & Gwenda.
Elad is a darling.
Pan Morigan is amazingly talented and, on top of ...
Posted by Justine at 3:58, May 29th, 2005 under Cons & Other Gatherings, Listening |
So here I am back in Madison, Wisconsin for the annual feminist sf convention,
WisCon. I just figured out that this is my seventh WisCon, while that's nothing compared to the folks who've come here since the very first one way back in the olden days, it's pretty damned amazing. There's no other gathering like this of any kind that I've been to that many times. Such a committment!
Not only have I been coming here since 1996, I've also been actively involved on the convention committee. First organising the academic programming, and for the last few years, the readings programme, (that is organising the writers who want to read their work aloud for the enjoyment of the rest ...
Posted by Justine at 17:12, May 26th, 2005 under Cons & Other Gatherings, Listening |
Awhile back Gwenda called on me to do this meme thingie. However,
my musings are too high-class a location for such low-brow frippery (that's right, Mely, I mock your mock!). But now that I'm slumming in blogland with the rest of youse . . .
1. The person (or persons) who passed the baton to you.
Gwenda the Spenda
2. Total volume of music files on your computer.
10.89 GB. Not a tonne . . . Haven't managed to get done ripping all my cds on account of them all being in Sydney in a storage unit. Sigh. I am missing my seventies Elvis. I surely am. And Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Play the Blues. Double sigh.
3. The title and artist ...
Posted by Justine at 11:18, May 25th, 2005 under Frippery, Listening |
One time
Scott was taking his niece Renee for a ride through Times Square in a pedicab. They'd just seen a Broadway show. He leaned back in the rickshaw and stared at all the lights around him, the neon, huge TV screens, advertisements several stories high. Scott's been a New Yorker a long time now, but living in the East Village he rarely does touristy things like Broadway shows or gaping at the electric splendour of Times Square, yet to his surprise he was loving it. From ground level, from the middle of the street, without having to crane his neck upwards, he could see how extraordinarily beautiful it was.
He sat in wonder staring, while ...
Posted by Justine at 0:00, November 3rd, 2004 under Listening, Musings, New York City/USA, Viewing |
Raymond Chandler would lock himself in a room for four hours every day. In that time he didn't have to write, but he wasn't allowed to do anything else. Not write letters, do crossword puzzles, play solitaire, read the newspaper; he could only write. Eventually boredom forced him to it.
A writer friend of mine claims there is no such thing as writer's block, only writer's procrastination. "Writer's block," she claims, "has taken on a kind of mythic status for writers and wannabe writers, and become this curse or disease the hapless writer catches. Crap. It's laziness pure and simple. Anyone can write any damn time they want to.
"If I'm having difficulty getting going I just type ...
Posted by Justine at 22:59, January 9th, 2004 under Excuses, Listening, Magic or Madness trilogy, Musings, Travelling |
The Algonquin, Andrea Marcovicci, Frank Loesser, and lots of diamonds
Posted by Justine at 22:14, November 19th, 2003 under Listening, Musings, New York City/USA, Praising |
Scott and Justine get up way too early in the morning
Posted by Justine at 22:41, June 21st, 2003 under Listening, Musings, New York City/USA, Scott's books |
