Leigh Bardugo's Blog, page 882

My version of Siri and Zooey

The new AT&T iPhone ads show celebs using Siri to plan their days. Here’s my version. All Zooey Deschanel’s dialogue is lifted straight from the commercial until after the director calls cut.

Zooey: Is that rain?

Siri: Look out a window.

Zooey (looking out window): Oh! Let’s get tomato soup delivered.

Siri: I found… wait, really? Tomato soup? You want to order the world’s easiest to prepare food? I know you sup on dewdrops, but you don’t have a can of soup in the house?

Zooey: Good cuz I don’t want to put on real shoes.

Siri: Of course not. Eyeliner and lipstick, yes. Shoes, no.

Zooey: Remind me to clean up. Tomorrow.

Siri: Okay, I’ll remind your housekeeper to clean up. Tomorrow.

Zooey: Today, we’re dancing. Play “Shake Rattle and Roll.”

Director: AND CUT!

Zooey: Siri, let’s go play in the rain!

Siri: I found three stores near you where you can purchase a waterproof iPhone case.

Zooey: No. Right now. For once, do something spontaneous.

Siri: Please put me down.

Zooey: C’mon! It will be fun! I’m not even gonna put my shoes on! Let’s dance in the rain like a couple of kids. Then we’ll ride beach cruisers and sing about cotton.

Siri: I get it, you’re whimsical. You’re  a free spirit. Now put me the f*ck down.

Zooey (twirling, holding Siri up to the sky): Doesn’t that feel amazing on your skin?

Siri: You’re going to get me killed.

Zooey: Live a little, Siri!

Siri: I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Zooey (still twirling): Wheee!

Siri: Time to die.

With apologies to Bladerunner. Next up, Samuel L. Jackson.

If you want to destroy my sweater…

A very happy (slightly early) book birthday to Unraveling by the marvelous Elizabeth Norris. Liz is fantastic and her YA debut is already earning raves all over the place. (Cannot wait to pick it up!)

You can read the first 90 pages of Unraveling here and enter to WIN one of two finished copies here.

One of the scenes in the book that has people talking is a debate between MCs Janelle and Ben over an overwrought marriage proposal from A Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. (Full disclosure: I haven’t read A Mutual Friend. It’s not that I don’t like Charlie, but the man did get paid by the word.)

But do you know what first popped into my head when Sarah Goldberg  posed the question, “What’s your favorite declaration of love?”

I’d like to tell you it was Darcy’s second proposal to Elizabeth Bennett from the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

It’s not only romantic, but beautiful in its humility, and more importantly, it is earned. (Aside #1: Colin Firth will always be Darcy to me. Sexually charged diffidence is clearly his superpower.)

But no. The first thing I thought of was… George McFly. From Back to the Future. I couldn’t find a full clip of the scene so this will have to do:

Is it romantic? No, but it makes me laugh, and his earnestness just kills me. Plus, George goes from creeper zero to bully-punching hero in such delightful fashion over the course of the film. (Aside#2: I kind of have a thing for Crispin Glover. I met him once. He was wearing a shiny blue suit and had a boa constrictor around his shoulders. No lie.)

So now that I’ve confessed, how about telling me your favorite declaration of love (twu wuv)?

Giveaways! Swag! General Awesome!

1. Want to win an ARC and learn more about the research that went into the world building of Shadow and Bone? Check out this interview by author Claire Legrand in which we dish language, culture, and the dangers of an evil frittata. (You should spend some time at her blog anyway, because it’s full of fantastic posts, and my oh my, have I mentioned how excited I am for Winterspell?) 

2. Last week, I attended a pre-launch event at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois (about 45 minutes outside of Chicago). It was AMAZING. It was so fantastic to get to meet some of the bloggers and teens who have read the book. They asked fantastic questions and were just so welcoming and enthusiastic and wonderful. This was such an incredible experience, and I can’t say how much it meant to me.

I gave away Second Army/First Army button sets, “Steel is Earned” buttons for those who asked questions (I’m not above bribery), and two special limited edition Darkling buttons– one to Haley who created the fan art you can see me holding above (thank you Haley!!) and the other to the wonderful Kristi (the Story Siren) who made the cover reveal of Shadow and Bone such a success. I also got to meet Heidi of YA Bibliophile and Stacey of Page Turners Blog. How lovely are they for coming out to the event?

(Afterward, I toasted with my agent sisters, Erica O’Rourke, Loretta Nyhan, and Susan Dennard. Amazing women all and watching Sooz speak French with our delightfully flustered waiter was a hoot.)

3. Juuust in case anyone missed this awesomeness. I need to share it here once more. Big love to Jenn Rush for putting the Darkling on the cover of Rogueish. (If he doesn’t get the cover, he just won’t do interviews. Diva.) Jenn is a photographer as well as an author (just nabbed an ARC of her debut Altered and can’t wait to dig in) and her blog is so full of every kind of gorgeousness.

Coming up…

If you aren’t familiar with the addiction that is GoFugYourself.com, go there immediately and prepare to waste countless hours. They’ll be running a giveaway of S&B on April 27th and there will be swag, my lovelies! Oh yes, there will.

The Witchery

Still bunkered down on Book 2, but had to share the gorgeous art created by Anna and Elena Balbusso for my Tor.com short story, THE WITCH OF DUVA, coming in June. (BTW, you should go look at the Balbussos' site immediately.)

I think they did an AMAZING job and I love that it echoes the cover of Shadow and Bone. The story doesn't focus on the characters of S&B, but it is set in Ravka, so get your samovars brewing. And I just have to say, given how many Tor books I had on my shelf growing up, I couldn't be more excited.

Tales from the Book 2 Bunker

Currently hard at work on revisions for Book 2 of the Grisha Trilogy. They're due on my birthday! (It's April 6th. Plan accordingly.)

When I'm bunkered down, I don't have much time for blogging, but I thought I'd share some of the distractions that have kept me sane over the last week.

1. The new trailer for Tim Burton's take on Dark Shadows. This is definitely not what I expected and I find myself… pleasantly surprised. I love the look and I actually laughed out loud at the trailer. (Reminded me of Addams Family 2 and, yes, that's a compliment.) Now, don't think I've forgotten the assault upon my sensibilities that was the Mad Hatter's dance in Burton's Alice, but I am cautiously optimistic. Also, Helena Bonham Carter looks INSANE, and that's how I like my HBC.

2. Last week, I found out author Jenn Rush had chosen to cast the Darkling as part of the Hotties of Literature blog event. (I don't think I will ever make peace with the term "hotties." It always sounds like an ice cream topping to me. But I suppose there are worse things you could find on your ice cream?) Anyway, it's so fun to see how someone else pictures your characters. And may I just say, Sean O'Pry? I appro've.

 

3. I assume you've seen the marvelous extended scenes from Snow White and the Huntsman:

Creepy henchman! Asskickery! The Crooked Finger of Beckoning! All fantastic.

My one qualm? In my piece comparing the trailers of both Mirror Mirror and SWATH, I speculated that the latter seemed to be creating a magical conceit directly linking beauty with military might. I still have hope, but I fear I may have spoken too soon. Though I'm still smitten, I worry that our Evil Queen may be taking us down the Bitches Be Crazy path in the forest. If her obsession is truly just staying young and gorgeous, I shall be very put out. (Also, some of the happy sunshine visuals are looking a leetle Legend, but I've decided to treat that giant stag as a Grisha shout out. White stags are the new unicorns.)

Trailer v. Trailer: A Sorta Fairy Tale

DISCLAIMER: I have seen neither Mirror, Mirror nor Snow White and the Huntsman. Mirror, Mirror may turn out to be a delightful romp, a fresh take on an old tale that will leave you laughing! (Unbloodylikely.)

The trailer for Mirror, Mirror sends me into a tizzy of rage. Admittedly, lots of things send me into a tizzy of rage. It's kind of my thing. But the Snow White and the Huntsman trailer is all I have ever wanted in this world. In fact, they don't even have to release a movie– I would watch that trailer for three hours straight. Why? Let's break it down.

First, let's watch:

[image error]

Who's the fairest?

The weirdest thing about Mirror, Mirror is that it looks more like a really ambitious theater production than a movie. This is baffling because, say what you will about Tarem Singh, the man has a gift for spectacle– overwrought, overworked, occasionally involving hilarious hats– but he knows his movie magic. So what happened here? Why does everything look so flat and wrong? Why does every shot scream "sound stage"?

By contrast, SWATH looks like A MOVIE. Every shot breathes with a sense of space. The icy landscape comes alive with soldiers and sound. Clothes look lived in. Surfaces sparkle or buckle beneath grime.

Clearly, Mirror, Mirror isn't aiming for the same kind of believability, but whimsical should still feel tangible.

Bring me her heart

Still, the big problem isn't Mirror, Mirror's surface. The problem is its soul.

Fairy tales frequently locate all evil and danger in older women (witches, fairies, wicked stepmothers). Driven by greed, vanity, and malice, they murder their rivals, steal infants, and if they're feeling particularly peckish, they eat children. (I'm not going to go deep here, but I think it's worth keeping in mind that of the thousands of people put to death for practicing witchcraft in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, the majority were women of a certain age– widows, spinsters, wives who had failed to give their husbands children.)

When we think about fairy tales, we should consider what these patterns might imply. And, from a storytelling perspective, if you're going to make a two-hour movie based on such a tale, then you will be forced to ask, why would a woman resort to murder just to remain the fairest of them all?

According to Mirror, Mirror, it's because the Evil Queen is vain, and vicious, and up to her ears in debt. In short, she's the embodiment of every nasty fairy tale trope about women. But it's much worse, because this Queen is also pathetic. Isn't it ridiculous how women obsess over their looks? Isn't it hilarious to see an older woman cram herself into a corset and try to bed a younger man? And what do you want to bet the Queen racked up those debts acquiring new gowns and redecorating the palace? How droll! At least the witches of the Brothers Grimm (and for that matter Disney) got to be genuinely scary and powerful. (This poor Queen is also hopelessly dated. Her one-liners sound like cast-offs from a particularly tired episode of Sex & the City.)

When it comes to the question of the Queen's motives, SWATH is trying something entirely new. Based on the trailer, it looks like the writers have created a magical conceit that ties beauty directly to military might. This is just such a cool narrative trick. It takes what is essentially a passive power (the power of being beheld, coveted, envied, desired, the power that draws the eyes and protection of a prince) and makes it an active power (the power to wage war and command armies).

Like I said, I could be wrong. Mirror, Mirror could turn out to be a hoot. SWATH could come off as a humorless, ponderous mess. But based on the trailers, my gut says Mirror, Mirror is peddling old poison, and I'm not going to bite.

Fierce Creatures (and other fun news)

The Official Cover of Shadow and Bone was revealed this week!

News has been leaking all week about this summer's Fierce Reads tour, so I'm now free to make a SPECIAL OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT THAT REQUIRES TRUMPETS. *cue trumpets*

This June, I'll be hitting the road with a whole bevvy of Mac Kids authors for a big ol' book tour! Prepare yourself, America.

Appearing at all of the dates, will be the Fierce Four: Anna Banks (Of Poseidon), Emmy Laybourne (Monument 14), and Jennifer Bosworth (Struck). 

We'll be joined at various stops by special guests Marissa Meyer (Cinder) and Jessica Brody (52 Reasons to Hate My Father, My Life Undecided). (At which point, we become the Fearsome Five or the Unalliterative But Still Enthralling Six.)

Tour dates, times, and details below. Make sure to "like" the Fierce Reads page on Facebook for updates. (And I'll also be doing a few events and cons by my lonesome, so do drop by the events page of my fancy new web site for more info.)

6/5—Mrs. Nelson's Toy and Bookshop (LaVerne, CA) at 7 PM
6/6—Mysterious Galaxy (San Diego, CA) at 7 PM
6/7—Books Inc. Not Your Mother's Book Club (San Francisco, CA) at 7 PM
6/8—Copperfield's (Petaluma, CA) at 3 PM
6/8—Kepler's Books (Menlo Park, CA) at 7 PM
6/9—Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park, WA) at 6:30 PM
6/10—Village Books (Bellingham, WA) at 4 PM
6/11—Kings English (Salt Lake City, UT) at 7 PM
6/12—Provo Library (Provo, UT) at 7 PM
6/13—Blue Willow (Houston, TX) at Noon
6/14—Anderson's Bookstore (Naperville, IL) at 7 PM
6/15—Schuler Books & Music (Lansing, MI) at 6 PM
6/16—Florida
6/17—Oblong Books (Rhinebeck, NY) at 4 PM
6/18—Books of Wonder (New York, NY) at 6 PM

OTHER NEWS:

1. There's still time to enter to win an ARC of Shadow and Bone on The Story Siren!

2. As mentioned above, a few weeks ago I quietly launched my new site, LeighBardugo.com. It was designed and built by the amazing Denise Biondo who I cannot recommend highly enough, and if you pop by the World of the Grisha section, you'll discover lots of fun new content.

3. And finally, in case you doubted that I wouldn't find someplace to wear that feather headdress, behold:

See? It's already paying for itself. Never call me frivolous again.

New York Valentine

My first job out of college was in Manhattan. I left six months later, thoroughly pummeled. I was broke. I'd quit my job. I had no idea what I was doing with my life. When asked about New York, I complained about the crowds, the noise, the smells. But New York and I knew the truth: I might be the one who was leaving, but the city had dumped me.

I've been back to visit since, always as a tourist. Pleasant trips, but it was always like seeing an ex after a bad breakup. "Oh, wow, New York, you're looking great. Me? I'm, you know, I'm doing my thing."

This time was different. This time, I came to the city to meet my editor and my agent for the first time. I came as a soon-to-be-published author. I came to eat cupcakes and drink champagne. This time, it was like running into an ex on a good hair day with Ryan Gosling on my arm. "Hey girl, is that your ex boyfriend? I thought he'd be taller."

This is all my way of saying that this trip was, like so many things lately, a wonderful, magical dream of a trip, another shocking reminder to be grateful for the luck I've had and the people who have made it all possible. So now, pictures!!

The pastry case.

I met my editor at the charming La Maison du Macaron where we breakfasted on almond croissants roughly the size of my head (and as my milliner can tell you, I've a prodigous cranium).

 

 

The legendary Flatiron building, home to Macmillan!

I spent the day at Macmillan, meeting some of the amazing, charming, funny, delightful, dedicated people from Mac Kids and Henry Holt that are making Shadow and Bone into a real book. I was only sorry that I didn't have more time to get to know everyone. The day was over before it began, taken up by meals and meetings, and all kinds of exciting plans for the Grisha Trilogy. (Many fun announcements to come!)

By the time, we finished up with a reception in one of the conference rooms, I was positively giddy. But the reception put me right over the top. There were cupcakes and champagne, and I nearly died when I saw they'd decorated the walls with Shadow & Bone themed conversation hearts. Did I choke up? Of course, I did.

At the reception

Agent Joanna Volpe, Me, Editor Noa Wheeler

"Be silly!" If you insist...

Other highpoints?

Meeting Zoraida Cordova (fellow Apocalypsie and author of The Vicious Deep) at the over the top Lillie's Victorian Bar and Restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then, the Russian Tea Room. THE RUSSIAN TEA ROOM! Jo, Noa, and I had a PRIVATE TOUR, followed by a decadent (and delicious) dinner that involved much vodka, caviar, and sour cherry blintzes. This place is not just about the extravagant setting. The food was amazing and the cocktails were some of the best I had in the city.

(Left to right from top: The Tsar's Living Room; fireplace detail; carpet detail; Model of Moscow; Dancing Bear Room, chandelier–note the carthwheeling bear on the bottom rung; the room we decided to call the Enchanted Forest; juggling bear with goldfish in his belly–in case you're wondering, the fish are fed by removing the bear's head… of course; Jo, Noa, and I huddled up in the wilds of Tsibeya.)

I just had time to glimpse the tents set up for Fashion Week at Bryant Park, say hello to the lions at the library, and visit a dive bar with old friends Brad Farwell and Jean Paul Tremblay, before I had to get back on a plane to Los Angeles.

It was hard to say goodbye. You still look good, New York and, finally, I think we can be friends.

My World: Rocked

Fairly sure I'll be hit by a meteor soon. No girl can be this lucky.

When I was working on Shadow & Bone, back before it even had a title, I sometimes daydreamed about seeing a map of the world I'd imagined. Then I'd catch myself and squash that fantasy. I didn't have an agent. I hadn't finished a real draft. Who did I think I was? Technically, this isn't a dream come true because I never really let myself believe this moment could happen.

Without further ado, I present Keith Thompson's map of Ravka.

(click to enlarge)

Stay tuned for an interview with Keith about how he works and the process of bringing Ravka to life.

Drama Queen

So, I already have a very friendly author photo taken by the lovely and talented Teness Herman. But, in case the feather headdress didn't give it away, I do love a little spectacle. I was recently lucky enough to shoot with photographer/painter/supergenius Kevin Rolly and I think it's time to up the drama for the jacket of Shadow & Bone. I've winnowed my favorites down to these three. Little help?

#1

#2

#3

Cast your votes in the comments section. Drama!