Patrick Ness's Blog, page 9

Chaos Walking Stories!

I'm still travelling (and travelling and travelling...) so a quick hit. I'm being asked a lot about the Chaos Walking short stories, and yes, they're available free to everyone!  Just go here (or if you live in Australia here) and get 'em.  Tell me what you think!

In the meantime, super warm greetings to all the new commenters (from around the world!) and I'm sorry I can't answer every question.  I'm on the road, up before dawn to get to the airport...

Bit of a break

It might be a few weeks before I can update again, so just wanted to say, don't worry!  I'm working, working, working.  Lots of exciting things that I'll be able to announce soon, I promise.  In the meantime, why not buy The Crane Wife or pre-order More Than This or better yet, get both of them at a proper bookstore?

I'm often on Twitter spouting nonsense, so do press the button to the left to follow me.  In the meantime, greetings to the new commenters, and see you on the other side of June!

Songs to Carry

Oh, it's been a busy time. I'm travelling like crazy, doing lots of stuff I can't talk about yet, and then more travelling. Had a big meeting about what's going to be happening with the publication of More Than This in September, which is very cool.  I'm travelling again soon (including an appearance at ALA in Chicago), so I'll update when I can.  In the meantime, greetings to all the new commenters from all over the world (including All Saints English class, a self-proclaimed older reader, a commenter in French, and a concerned fan from Germany (to whom I can say, don't worry, good things are coming)).  In the meantime, how about an iPod EP about carrying your own weight?

Carry, Tori Amos - Hard to be lukewarm about Tori, but her latest album's great.

Carry Me, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Oh, this a beautiful song.  Such a beautiful, beautiful song.

Carry My Urn To Ukraine, Army of Lovers - Oh, this is a batshit song.  Such a batshit, batshit song.

Don't Carry It All, The Decemberists - What would an EP be without the Decemberists (or Nick Cave?)

Voices Carry, Til Tuesday - Aimee Mann should have loads more fans.

Enjoy.  See you again soon!

Hay Festival Saturday & Sunday

Just back from Australia (and VERY jetlagged) but a quick hit to say that I'm at the Hay Festival this Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday is a Crane Wife event with Matt Haig, and Sunday is a YA event with a preview(ish) of More Than This.  Hope to see you there!

Greetings to the new commenters (and yep, I remember you, Mary who was asking...)

Doctor Who story out today!

In haste, as I'm in Sydney on tour, but my Doctor Who short story "Tip of the Tongue" is out today!  Have a look, interested to know what you think.

Meantime, greetings to the new commenters (and thanks), and if you're in Sydney this weekend, stop by!

Free brand new Chaos Walking short stories!!

As promised, the brand new Chaos Walking short stories are now online for fans of the book.  Australia has its own site to get them here, and the rest of the world can get them here!

Hope you like them.  They're meant as companions to the book, so it's best to read each book first.  The New World is that one about Viola coming to New World and works best after reading Knife; The Wide, Wide Sea takes place just before the first Spackle War and stars Mistress Coyle, so best read after Ask and the Answer; and Snowscape stars Lee and Wilf and takes place after the end of Monsters of Men (so definitely read Monsters of Men first!).  Hope you like them, love to know what you think.

Greetings to the new commenters, now back to my lovely New Zealand/Australia tour...

Dr Who video and NZ/Australia tour!

I'm just about to leave for two weeks in New Zealand and Australia (so there might not be updates for a bit, though I do hope to have info on how to get the new Chaos Walking short stories up very soon)), but before I go, the video of me talking about my Doctor Who short story is up!  Have a look, I say Doctor Who type things and am dressed perhaps slightly too casually.

In other video news, someone's put up a clip of my Carnegie speech last year where I defend teenagers.  Much better dressed in this one, too.

And if you're in Australia or New Zealand!  Come see me!  Here's the schedule:

Auckland Writers and Readers Festival

16 May - 1230pm, Schools Event (might be sold out)

17 May - 530pm, Free YA reading event with Libba Bray, Kate de Goldi & Paula Morri

18 May - 1pm, Solo Crane Wife event (do please come, I get nervous when it's just me!)

Melbourne Writers Week

20 May - 615pm, Evening paired event with Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Sydney Writers' Festival

23 May - 4pm, Big Read event with Lauren Beukes, Sheila Heti, Nicolas Rothwell, Annette Shun Wah and Arnold Zable.

25 May - 1130am, Solo event about Crane Wife (see above for coming along!)

26 May - 1130am, Storytelling event with Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Greetings to the new commenters!

I wrote the new Doctor Who short story!

Oh, yes, I did.  It's for the and is part of the Puffin are running all year, with people like Eoin Colfer and Philip Reeve each writing a brand new story featuring one of the Doctors.  Mine's called and is out 23 May.  The has where you can in the UK, Australia and the US.  Then in November, all 11 stories are going to be collected in a book.  Cool stuff, let me know what you think.

I should have info soon on how fans of Chaos Walking will be able to get the new stories electronically.  In the meantime, greetings and I'm off to New Zealand and Australia soon, so hope to see some of you there.

UK Chaos Walking rejackets out today with new short stories!

Today is official publication date for the new UK rejackets of Chaos Walking.  Aren't they pretty?  And they each come with a Chaos Walking short story.  The Knife of Never Letting Go has "The New World" short story, The Ask and the Answer has a brand new story "The Wide, Wide Sea" featuring Mistress Coyle, and Monsters of Men has a new story "Snowscape" starring Wilf and Lee which takes place after the end of Monsters of Men.  Hmmm...

Also tonight I'm at Bristol BookSlam with Matt Haig.  Tickets are only £5 on the door, so if you're West Countrywards, come and see us.  Greetings to the new commenters and more soon....

US news! And other things

I've been on the road for the last 10 days, which is why no updates!  But I return with news that I'm definitely going to be in America this year for book stuff!  I'll be on a dystopia panel in June in Chicago with Veronica Roth, Cory Doctorow and Lois Lowry (though this could be librarians-only, I'll let you know!), but then I'm back in September for the National Book Fair and a bunch of other things, which I'll post here as soon as it's all finalized.

In the meantime, don't forget the rejackets of Chaos Walking in the UK with brand new short stories "The Wide, Wide Sea" and "Snowscape" (which features Wilf and Lee and a surprise at the end).  You will be able to get the stories online, too, details as soon as I know them, but that part's definite.

And of course I've been promoting The Crane Wife (which has split opinion like no other book of mine! Fun!) and dropping hints for More Than This, which comes out in the Autumn.  Busy!

Be sure to check me out in Bristol next week for Bristol Book Slam and take a look here for all the details of my New Zealand and Australia tour in May.

Finally, HUGE greetings to all the new commenters.  I've tried to answer a few questions and would also like to extend special greetings to Ms Edholm and her class in Sweden who read A Monster Calls.  More soon!