Scott Westerfeld's Blog, page 31

I'll be in France the next couple of weeks, so here's my ...

I'll be in France the next couple of weeks, so here's my schedule there:

Utopiales Festival

Nantes, France

Jeudi 11 Novembre

13 h 00 pm : conférence : Littérature adulte et Littérature jeunesse : Quelles frontières

14 h 00 pm: dédicace

Vendredi 12 Novembre

10 h 00 am : conférence avec les jeunes lecteurs

11 h 15 am : interview en anglais par des adolescents

16 h 30-18 h 00 pm : Conférence

18 h 00 pm : Dédicace

Dimanche 14 Novembre

11 h 30 am: conférence : L'Uchronie : un genre européen ?

13 h 30 pm : Rencontre

après-midi : dédicaces

Apparition Publique à Paris, France

Mardi le 16 Novembre

16 h-18 h

Virgin Megastore

Centre commercial des Quatre Temps

92 La Défense

Métro: Grande Arche de la Défense

Also, So Yesterday is out in Italian now, under the awesome title Fashion Killers.

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That's the busiest cover for SY in a while, but it's kind of cool.

And here's a video review in Italian:

Ganked from here

Can anyone translate this? To do so would make me happy.

Genre Cooties

So I go on tour, where I get to see loads of kids who are full of awesome, and who build crazy stuff like this for me:

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But then I come home to discover that the internet got stupid while I was gone. And not just regular internet stupid about cats or politics, but stupid about steampunk!

Perhaps the prime example is this post from the normally incisive Charles Stross, surely the most banal thing he's ever typed. I mean, pointing out that the Victorian era was imperialistic? Racist? Sexist? Had lousy labor laws and no class mobility? Like no one in the steampunk world was considering this?

News flash: the online world of steampunk is constantly engaged in exactly those issues:

Check out

these

articles

for a

start.

(Just added this one.)

Stross then challenges the world to write a "mundane steampunk" novel that would reflect the true nightmarishness of the long 19th century.

Um, we might begin with the book most associated with the current wave of steampunk, Cherie Priest's Boneshaker:

The Blight gas had poisoned the natural systems until the creeks and streams flowed almost yellow with contagion. Even the near-constant patter of rain could not be trusted. The clouds that dropped it may have gusted past the walled up city and absorbed enough toxin to wash skin raw and bleach paint.

But the Blight could be boiled away; it could be filtered and steamed and filtered again. And after seventeen hours of treatment, the water could be safely consumed… But first, it had to be processed. It had to go through the Waterworks facility, where Briar Wilkes and several hundred others spent ten or fifteen hours a day, hooking and unhooking brass cylinders and tanks, and moving them from station to station, filter to filter.

Yes, the current emblematic book of steampunk is totally Dickensian, but no one pays attention to that because it's got zombies and airships, and therefore must be a madcap lark. Because this whole conversation has been about flap copy, not actual texts.

By the way, I think I'm the first person in this whole internet kerfuffle to quote text from AN ACTUAL STEAMPUNK BOOK. And thus I win.

No wait. I win because the awesome kids who read my books built me a frickin' Tesla cannon:

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Now, agreed, many steampunk cosplayers aren't engaging with the greater questions inherent in the subgenre. Some even dare to dress up as aristocracy, and inherited titles are a bad thing.

But, dude, in mainline SF the single most popular costume is an imperial stormtrooper. And imperial storm trooping is RATHER MORE BAD than inheriting titles.

Not to go flat out into Sturgeon's Law mode here, but space opera is a subgenre of which an astonishing percentage is crap, both aesthetically and politically, and which gluts the bookshelves far more than steampunk. But no one will be declaring how much they hate it, because it's been around long enough that old people aren't bothered by it.

And yes, this is about YOU being OLD, steampunk-haters. (In spirit, not in years.)

THIS is why I don't write for adults. Their heads are all full of genre cooties and "Taj Mahal? Nah, don't like tombs." Whereas a kid will come home from the library with a mystery, an sf novel, an autobiography, and three books about sharks. That's how kids read, and when something's cool and fun and awesome (or weird and gnarly and thought-provoking), they don't worry about how many times it's been mentioned on io9, or whether it's that-genre-Fortnight on Tor.com.

In a word, they're way cooler than you are. Deal.

And here's a great story: At the school where they built the contraptions pictured above, a bunch of kids were dressed Edwardian. So at the end of my presentation I asked, "How're you finding those clothes?" Of course, the middle schoolers hated them, and we went from a few simple observations about clothing to a free-ranging discussion of classism, sexism—the girls hated the clothes a lot—and much more. When you're doing steampunk right, it's all there in the details.

Anyway, thanks to all my fans who came out. You're awesome. Sorry to bore you with this rant, but certain adults needed a spanking.

Watch the Chat (recorded)

My Ustream chat is over. But if you missed it, you can watch a recording of it here:

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Click here to watch.

And I believe I spaced on one question, about my favorite historical hero from this period. Having thought about it, I would have to say Hugo Eckener. He was the airship captain who flew the Graf Zeppelin around the world in 1929, and who used his national fame to oppose the Nazis while they were in power.

Thanks to everyone who watched and asked questions. Sorry to all of you whose questions I didn't get to. I tried!

Chatting NOW!

My Ustream chat is over. But if you missed it, you can watch a recording of it:

Click here to watch.

And soon I'll answer that question that I forgot to get back to. Favorite historical hero? Must think . . .

See You on the Internet

Justine and I are finally back home from touring, and want to say thanks to all the teachers, librarians, booksellers, students, and fans who made our trip so much fun, and for helping to make Behemoth a success. I'll be posting some cool pictures from the trip here soon. But in the meantime, here's something for those of you who didn't get a chance to see me live.

Tomorrow at 6PM US Eastern time, I'll be doing a live video chat for everyone and anyone who wants to come. Please click the banner below to RSVP, so that we can set up the bandwidth for the right number of participants.

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Unlike a text-only chat, you'll get to see and hear me. I'll start by giving some of my usual appearance talk, and then will answer your questions. You can send them in via Facebook, AIM, and MySpace through Ustream's social stream. On Twitter, I'll also be monitoring the hashtag #ChatSS.

For details, click the banner above to go to Ustream's site. Go down to "Upcoming Shows" and click the RSVP button next to my show. Then come back to that page at 6PM Tuesday, November 2 (tomorrow!). I hope you can make it.

And for all you guys doing NaNoWriMo, GOOD LUCK! Since I'm on tour, I won't be doing writing tips this year, but here's my advice from last year, and you can click here for the first of Justine's, and then keep going.

Here's the rest of the Behemoth tour:

New York City

Wednesday, November 3

6:00-7:30PM

Reading at NYPL, Jefferson Market Branch

425 Sixth Ave. at 10th St.

With Rachel Cohn & David Levithan, Sarah Beth Durst, Barry Lyga, Lena Roy, and Kieran Scott.

Nantes, France, Utopiales Festival

November 10-14

Many things. See the festival schedule.

Paris, France

November 16

4:00PM

Virgin Megastore

Centre commercial des Quatre Temps

92 La Défense

Métro: Grande Arche de la Défense

Miami, FL

November 21

Miami Book Festival

No details yet

Vancouver, Canada

November 24

7:00 PM

West Point Grey United Church Sanctuary

4595 West 8th Ave

Vancouver BC

Those dressed in Victorian/Steampunk costumes are eligible to win a signed framed print from Leviathan by illustrator Keith Thompson!

Tickets: $5.00 (can be used towards the purchase of a book at the event)

Click here for tickets.

Still Alive!

Barely. But the first leg of my tour is almost done. After Anderson's in Naperville tonight, here's where I'll be:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28

7:00PM

Borders

43075 Crescent Blvd.

Novi, MI 48375

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29

7:00PM

Ann Arbor District Library

343 South Fifth Avenue

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30

12:00PM

Provo County Library

550 North University Avenue

Provo, UT 84601

My keynote speech requires tickets, and I hear they're sold out! But google "Provo Book Festival" for details.

And don't forget my chat next week!

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And finally, I'll be in NYC as part of the NYPL readings series next Wednesday. Check my Appearances page for details, and for the November part if the tour in France, Miami, and Vancouver!

A Note on Names

I've been personalizing between one and two hundred books a day for most of this month, a process that means I have to spell people's names correctly, a lot. Names, unlike most words, can be spelled pretty much the way the owner (or their parents) wants. As a result, first names are a hotbed of creativity. And I assure you all, you Jazmyns and Shons and Madelens, that I applaud your innovation and uniqueness. The minor chaos these mutations cause for me during signings is a small price to pay for a world full of unexpected variation

In fact, my new game is to figure out which common first name has the most spellings. And at the moment, I think it's Caitlin, with forty-eight. Here's my logic:

There are six first halves of the name:

Cait

Cayt

Caet

Kait

Kayt

Kaet

And eight endings:

-lin

-linn

-linne

-len

-lenn

-lyn

-lynn

-lynne

And thus, six times eight is 48 ways to spell the same basic name, all pronounced exactly the same way. (In normal speech, anyway.)

Does this seem right to you guys? Or am I missing any?

But anyway, shine on you crazy Kate-lynns. And fill out that post-it clearly.

Here's the rest of my tour this month:

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25

7:00PM

Joseph Beth Booksellers

2692 Madison Road

Cincinnati, OH 45208

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26

4:30PM

Blue Marble Bookstore

1356 South Fort Thomas Avenue

Ft. Thomas, KY 41075

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27

7:00PM

Anderson's Bookshop

123 West Jefferson

Naperville, IL 60540

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28

7:00PM

Borders

43075 Crescent Blvd.

Novi, MI 48375

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29

7:00PM

Ann Arbor District Library

343 South Fifth Avenue

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30

12:00PM

Provo County Library

550 North University Avenue

Provo, UT 84601

Ustream Chat

Hey, all. Still on the road, and having a great time. Thanks to everyone who's showing up at the events. You're all awesome.

For those of you who are missing me on tour, I have a Ustream Chat coming up. Basically, it's me in video form answering your questions, combined with some kind of chat amongst yourselves.

Here's the banner. Please click to RSVP, so that we can set up the bandwidth for the right number of participants.

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And, as always, here's my schedule for the rest of the week:

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20

7:00 PM

Barnes & Noble

Mansell Crossings Shopping Center

Alpharetta, GA

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21

7:00PM

The Little Shop of Stories

133A East Court Square

Decatur, GA

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22

5:30PM

Quail Ridge Bookstore

3522 Wade Avenue

Raleigh, NC

Me This Week

Just had an awesome meal at Green Goddess in New Orelans, fuel for my next crazy week of touring. Thanks to everyone who came out at the Texas Book Festival, both for me and the ZvU event.

I am now galavanting across the south. See me at the cities below or in Cincinatti, Michigan, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and points beyond. Click Appearances in the menu above for more.

Just got the news that Behemoth debuted at #5 on the New York Times bestseller list. And I have all of YOU to thanks for that!

Now I must SLEEP.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18

4:00 or 4:30PM I DON'T KNOW! CALL TO ASK!

Octavia Books

513 Octavia Street

New Orleans, LA

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19

4:00PM

Signing only at Books a Million

757 Brookwood Village

Birmingham, AL

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20

7:00 PM

Barnes & Noble

Mansell Crossings Shopping Center

Alpharetta, GA

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21

7:00PM

The Little Shop of Stories

133A East Court Square

Decatur, GA

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22

5:30PM

Quail Ridge Bookstore

3522 Wade Avenue

Raleigh, NC

Still on Tour . . .

Heading off to Texas now, but I wanted to share some cool reviews, interviews, and images from the Behemoth tour so far. In no particular order:

You can now download Behemoth, read by the awesome Alan Cumming, as an audio book! Click to download from Audible or iTunes.

Check out this guest post I did for Figment, about the art of the Leviathan series.

And here's another post I did for the Steamed blog, which is cool for all things steampunk.

Here's an interview with me at Eve's Fan Garden.

And here's a slightly spoilery review of Behemoth at Boing Boing.

I AM ALL OVER THE INTERNETS.

But I'm also on tour, so if you live in . . .

Houston, Allen (near Dallas), or Austin, TX

New Orleans, LA

Alpharetta or Decatur, GA

Raleigh, NC

Cincinnati, OH

Ft. Thomas, KY

Naperville, IL

Novi or Ann Arbor, MI

Provo, UT

Nantes or Paris, France

Miami, FL

or Vancouver, Canada . . .

Then please check out my Appearances page for when I'll be near you.

Right now, there are exactly a hundred comments on the Behemoth spoiler thread. Maybe we should keep going there for book discussion, and use this thread to talk about the interviews or whatever.

And now, because I missed Fan Art Friday, here are some fan art images from the tour!

First, a great life-size version of Alek, which greeted me at River Dell Middle School.

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And here's Deryn, me, and the artists! (Sorry I forgot your names!)

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And the drawing on the left was given to me at a signing in Pennsylvania by Patrick. It's modeled on a real WWI propaganda poster, but changed to show Clanker sensibilities!

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