Leigh Bardugo's Blog, page 880

Hi Leigh! I was recommended Shadow & Bone (Gathering Dark? Is there a preference?) recently and I was aching for a good read after being deprived for 4 years (also known as Art School). I read it in its entirety in 3 hours and I LOVED. it. It's so visually

Oooh! I’d be honored to see S&B inspired art from you!

Thanks for the kind words. I’m so glad you enjoyed the book and that you chose S&B to relieve the art school fiction drought. (Shadow and Bone is the US title and The Gathering Dark is the UK title, so no real preference.) I also appreciated the wardrobe shout out as I have a serious fondness for textiles and costuming.

sixpaperdolls2:FA, 2012: Alina Starkov, Shadow and Bone, Leigh...

sixpaperdolls2:

FA, 2012: Alina Starkov, Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo

So beautiful! And I love that you chose this moment to depict.

Chicago! AND TREATS!

People. PEOPLE. I’m headed to Chicago for two amazing events. Plus, I have a crazy secret awesome content to announce! Read on. IF YOU DARE.

Five Good Reasons to Read at Andersons Bookshop, 7pm

With Susan Dennard, Veronica Roth, Dan Krokos, Me, and Erica O’Rourke.

We have a limited number of SECRET CONTENT booklets to give away that feature deleted scenes, alternate POV scenes, new pages from upcoming sequels, and… one of two NEVER BEFORE SEEN GRISHA POSTERS!! Only 240 to go around, first come, first serve, so get on in there early. Details here. (And don’t worry, even if you can’t attend the event, you can still order signed books online and get the secret special treats!)

If you are coming out to Andersons, in addition to the secret special content, I’ll have Shadow and Bone swag on hand, including the official nail polish (so purty). AND I’ll have a few limited edition Darkling buttons (we only made 100 and I’m quite stingy with them) for any fans who go above and beyond.

And… WORLDCON!!!

If you want to know why I’m so bloody excited about WorldCon, click here.

My schedule:

Friday, August 31
10:30 am Signing
Even if you don’t want a book signed, come by and keep me company won’t you? I’ll have swag on hand. *lures you with gestures*
Location: Autograph Tables
 
1:30pm What’s Hot in YA
with Aurora Celeste, Bryce Moore, Emily Jiang, Gwenda Bond 
Location: McCormick
 
7:30pm YA Movies: What’s Worked and What Hasn’t?
with Anna Sheehan, Deirdre Crimmins, Michael Levy
 
Saturday, September 1
9:30am Reading
Schedule permitting, Rae Carson will be joining me!
Location: Addams
 
6pm Turn Up the Steam: the Steampunk Continuum
with David Malki and Kenneth Hite 
Location: San Francisco Room
 
After that, I head to Germany, then Belfast, then London, then Austin Teen Book Festival! Let’s jet set, lovelies.

An Apology to Goodreads friends/fans

Okay, so I'm officially a dullard.

I didn't realize that comments posted here were different from those posting to my blog, so I haven't been checking in and responding and I feel like a complete jerk.

But now that I understand, you know, THE INTERNET, I promise to do better.

Thanks for dropping by and thanks to all who have commented on previous posts!

xo
Lb

Hello, Germany!

This month, Book 1 of the Grisha Trilogy will be published in Germany under the title Grischa: Goldene Flammen!!

1. In September, I’ll be visiting Germany for the first time to visit the Harbourfront Festival in Hamburg to celebrate the launch! SO. MANY. WOOTS.

2. Can I just say that I love the German cover? I’m not sure it could be more different from the US version, but it has this lovely retro feel and there’s something so haunted in Alina’s expression.

3. My wonderful German publisher is doing a little scavenger hunt for their bloggers, and they sent me this to put up on the blog:

“Das Problem mit dem Verlangen ist, dass es uns schwächt”, flüsterte er und ließ die Lippen über mein Kinn gleiten. Vor meinem Mund hielt er inne. Und dann – ich konnte es schon fast nicht mehr ertragen – drückte er seine Lippen endlich auf die meinen.”

In case you were wondering, here’s the English translation of the excerpt they chose:

“The problem with wanting,” he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, “is that it makes us weak.” And then, at last, when I thought I couldn’t bear it any longer, he brought his mouth down on mine.”

Hotchacha!

And… I just found out that my short story Witch of Duva will be available in German as well!

Can’t wait for September. And if people have recs for Berlin, Hamburg, or Belfast (yup, headed there after), I’d love to hear them!

Podcast: Batman Looks Bangin!

Hello, lovelies!

I hope to have some new giveaways and awesome art to share with you soon in honor of Shadow and Bone going into its THIRD PRINTING. Woots!! *tosses confetti*

For now, I hope you’ll check out my appearance on The Big Pull Podcast with host Kurt Mattila, Brent Woods (American Dad), and Mike DiMartino (co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra– OKAY??). I’m not going to lie, I was REALLY nervous and there’s a lot of giggling.

Part 1 on iTunes or here

Highlights include:

We debate The Dark Knight Rises vs. The Avengers, female villains, and we discover that Brent really digs Voldemort.

I explain the word “squee.”

Favorite Quote: “The ladies love Loki… and his pointy, pointy hat.”

 

Part 2…

Okay, here’s the thing. I don’t think I can link to this segment here because it is just  NOT SAFE FOR WORK. Lots of swearing, bizarre and salacious Bane imitations, and the discussion of… um, blue appendages in The Watchmen. I sing. Twice. This is what happens when you put a bunch of nerds in a room and feed them wine.

Highlights include:

Fanfic and the appeal of the badboy, the possibility of a Wonder Woman movie, and the Man of Steel trailer.

Mike and I bond over our love of the Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson.

I try to make sense of the claim that my book shares themes with 50 Shades of Grey.

If you want it, you’ll have to go hunt it down for yourself.

 

GIVEAWAY! SSaD Outbreak!

All week, we’re celebrating the launch of Susan Dennard’s Something Strange and Deadly with amazing one-day giveaways.

The winner of yesterday’s SSaDOutbreak giveaway is Sara M.! Make sure to contact Kat Zhang to nab your ARCs of ORIGIN by Jessica Khoury and SKINNY by Donna Cooner.

For my giveaway, I wanted to focus on the unique historical setting and steampunk style of SSaD. Susan Dennard’s 1876 Philadelphia is a city bristling with new technology and necromancy– think corsets, brilliant inventors, society parties, and, of course, the walking dead.

Armed only with a parasol, how does one take out a zombie?

Words to live by.

So, today and ONLY TODAY, you have the chance to win

A black lace PARASOL inspired by heroine Eleanor Fitt

 

and

 

A QUERY CRITIQUE from agent Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary.

 

Yes, that’s right. Not only can you stay out of the sun in high Victorian style, you can have your work critiqued by a fabulous agent who not only reps me and Susan Dennard, but also (ahem) Veronica Roth.

You have two ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment below.

2. Tweet about this giveaway using hashtag #SSaDOutbreak and #parasol

Suggested tweet: Today only! Win a #parasol and query critique from agent Joanna Volpe!! Join the #SSaDOutbreak at http://wp.me/p1fTUr-wl

Please note: This giveaway is US only. Entries close at MIDNIGHT, so get on it!

The winner will be announced tomorrow on the next stop of the blog tour, so be sure to check back. Here’s what’s still ahead:

- Friday 7/27: Amie Kaufman chats about SS&D and love interests

- Monday 7/30: Marie Lu takes a look at SS&D and action

- Tuesday 7/31: Susan Dennard announces the grand prize winner!

In the meantime, don’t forget to enter the grand prize giveaway for a chance to snag some epic prizes– an amazon gift card, highly coveted ARCs, crits from authors Erin Bowman and Sarah J. Maas and agent Joanna Volpe, and more! For details on how to enter, click here.

Dark Knights, Bad Girls, Red Lips

I’m in revisions so I’m going to skip a full review, dodge the politics, and just offer these few thoughts on Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises:

* Despite my love for all things Batman, I was dreading watching this film. The trailers made it look so unrelentingly bleak, and with a running time of almost three hours, it felt like a pretty miserable way to celebrate my friend Morgan’s birthday. Well, turns out I not only have to eat my hat but my cape and cowl as well, because I LOVED IT.

I think this is because, more than any of the Batman films, it felt most true in spirit to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. This was the graphic novel that brought me back to superhero comics as a teen. Say what you will about Miller, but I think this book was for me what Watchmen seems to be for everybody else. It was bloody and brutal and sad and so effing human. Also, goofy 80s sunglasses.

* Bane’s accent seemed really over the top, like a punchy Sean Connery imitation. Also, when the bat symbol caught fire and he said, “Imposhible!,” did anyone else want to shout, “Inconceivable!”?

* Catwoman. When Hathaway was cast, I wrote about the Kitty Conundrum here and my response to this Catwoman is basically a good-natured shrug. I love that Hathaway played with caricatured female response and male reaction to that response. I love that Nolan made her insane heels functional if not utilitarian. I guess I just hoped that he would dirty her up a little.

Anarchy descends, yet Catwoman is still rocking a shiny blowout and a perfect red lip? I get that her glamor is basically DC canon (though Miller went to town on her in a totally depressing way), but I don’t get why everyone else gets dragged into the muck and she stays so… glossy.

There’s also nothing scary about her. If she’s meant to occupy a morally gray area and she doesn’t mind using guns or making mayhem, why doesn’t she feel like more of a threat? I suspect there’s a point to be made here about femininity, evil, and the grotesque, but for now, I’ll settle for saying that, one of these days, I’d like to see a genuinely terrifying super villainess on screen.

(Sidenote: Though she’s not strictly super, I’ll be curious to see what happens with Angelina Jolie as Maleficent. But after the whole Grendel’s Mom fiasco, I’m keeping my expectations in check.)

 

 

Comic Con UPDATE

I’m now free to announce that I’ll be appearing at San Diego Comic Con!

UPDATE: I will be doing two signings, and appearing on a marvelous panel.

1. SATURDAY, 1:00 to 2:00pm
Signing at MCPG Booth (1220)
 
I’ll be signing copies of Shadow and Bone and giving away swag. There are rumors that I’ll have a limited number of POSTERS featuring Keith Thompson’s map of Ravka to hand out along with custom Shadow and Bone NAIL POLISH.
 
2. SUNDAY, July 15th – Noon to 1:00pm
Panel and Signing (Room 25ABC)
 
What’s Hot in Young Adult Fiction— Strong protagonists, engrossing romance, humor, action, and angst! Panelists offer a Q&A session and chat about the hottest new titles and trends in YA fiction. Moderated by Nathan Bransford (Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe) and featuring Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone), James Dashner (The Maze Runner series), Kami Garcia (co-author of the Beautiful Creatures novels), Tahereh Mafi (Unravel Me), Melina Marchetta (Froi of the Exiles), Lish McBride (Hold Me Closer, Necromancer), Myra McEntire (Hourglass trilogy), and Scott Westerfeld (Uglies). Room 25ABC

(I don’t know how I lucked onto this panel, but I hope to get in some quality fangirling before anyone realizes I crashed the party.)

Signing to follow at Sail’s Pavilion (1:30-2:30pm, area AA09). I’ll have lovely swag to bestow here, too.

Going to be there? Let me know on twitter or leave a message below so I can keep an eye out for you. (I can also guarantee that I’ll be prowling around anything remotely Game of Thrones related.)

Comic Con Countdown (and an apology)

I’m now free to announce that I’ll be appearing at San Diego Comic Con! I don’t know how I lucked onto this panel, but I hope to get in some quality fangirling before anyone realizes I crashed the party.

SUNDAY, June 15th – Noon to 1pm

What’s Hot in Young Adult Fiction— Strong protagonists, engrossing romance, humor, action, and angst! Panelists offer a Q&A session and chat about the hottest new titles and trends in YA fiction. Moderated by Nathan Bransford (Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe) and featuring Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone), James Dashner (The Maze Runner series), Kami Garcia (co-author of the Beautiful Creatures novels), Tahereh Mafi (Unravel Me), Melina Marchetta (Froi of the Exiles), Lish McBride (Hold Me Closer, Necromancer), Myra McEntire (Hourglass trilogy), and Scott Westerfeld (Uglies). Room 25ABC

Signing to follow at Sail’s Pavilion (1:30-2:30, area AA09). And YES, I will have Shadow and Bone nail polish to give away!

Going to be there? Let me know on twitter or leave a message below so I can keep an eye out for you. (I can also guarantee that I’ll be prowling around anything remotely Game of Thrones related.)

I also just want to apologize for not doing a better job keeping up with the blog and replying to comments lately. Between the Fierce Reads tour, the blog tour, and ALA, I got a wee bit overwhelmed. But I really do appreciate every shout and I promise to be a more mindful hostess in the future!