Austin Aslan's Blog, page 7
July 23, 2014
Thanks owed to Dr. Daniel C. Dennett
The first edition of ISLANDS isn’t even out yet (T-minus fourteen days but who’s counting!) but I’m excited to announce that a slight change has been submitted to my editor for the next edition. I’ll be adding Dr. Daniel C. Dennett’s name to the acknowledgements. I wasn’t able to track him down before the book went into lock-down mode while it was in the queue for printing, but a concerted effort recently finally resulted in success. One of my favorite passages in the book was partly inspired by an essay I once remember having read online, an essay that expressed wonder about an aspect of sea turtle evolution. I channeled that memory of the short essay into my story when it was still just a fun writing project I had going on the side of my Masters degree studies. I had no memory or recollection of who wrote the essay (in fact, I’m pretty sure I had seen it in a second- or third-generation reposting somewhere on the Web) but I was finally able to track it down. Since then, Dr. Dennett and I have corresponded briefly and he’s pleased to learn of my plans for attribution.
What scene am I talking about? You’ll just have to read the book! Or if you’re the type that thrives on spoilers, you can find further reference to it on Sara Mae’s wonderful book review on her science blog, here.
ISLANDS audiobook has a voice!
The ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD audiobook has a narrator! Leilani has a voice! Talented voice actress Allyson Ryan will be in studio next week to record the unabridged production for Audible.com and Brilliance Audio. Very exciting. Check her out here: http://www.allysonryan.com/
July 16, 2014
Excellent ISLANDS interview…
Curious about how my role as a scientist affected the writing of ISLANDS? Is my novel an “eco-thriller” or not?
I was recently interviewed by Joshua David Bellin, “The YA Guy,” on his blog of the same name, for his series on the subject of nature in YA books. I’m very pleased with how the interview turned out. Please check it out here!
http://theyaguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/ya-guy-presents-ya-for-nature-with.html
June 28, 2014
“Summer YA Novels We Can’t Wait For”
I was thrilled to come across this blog’s summer reading list, and to discover that ISLANDS was one of the seven suggestions!
June 27, 2014
Stay tuned for FULL JACKET reveal!
The full jacket for The Islands at the End of the World will be revealed exclusively on Fallfourteeners.com on July 5. Visit the site to learn more, and don’t forget to return on July 5 for the big reveal!
June 24, 2014
11/22/63
11/22/63 by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
So, I guess this is the 21st century Stephen King: long-winded by half, but clever as ever and still at the very top of his game. You. Can’t. Help. But. Keep. Reading. This. Novel. But by God, what is _wrong_ with his editor? This book should be _at least_ 300 pages shorter. I don’t think it would miss a single beat if it got axed by at least that much. Maybe more. 400? 500? And I don’t think I’m just a bitter author whose editor is always demanding further cuts–I think King is honestly a victim of his own success. These books are TOO LONG! We need to do an intervention. With King. With his publishers. #TOOLONG!!!!
That said, I appreciate the genius of this magnum opus and would recommend it to anyone. Push comes to shove, hell if I know precisely what I’d cut. Truly, my complaints about length are VALID, but this book is worth gobbling up nonetheless. I mean it. Sometimes we suffer through minor inconveniences for great thrills, don’t we? 40 minute wait to ride Splash Mountain? This book is a better trade off than that. By far.
King’s not a big time-travel buff. Maybe here and there with the Dark Tower series. I’m sure he’s tackled it before. But I’m so glad he dived head first into it here. He doesn’t only take us back to the late 1950′s and early 1960s with a fully-submersible sensory overload of potent sights, smells, sounds, dialects, and mannerisms that would make Michael J. Fox and Robert Zemekis green with envy, he does it with a time-travel mechanism that’s utterly unique to my experience, well thought-out, clever, internally sound, and soooo cool! And JFK. Folks, we’re here to undue the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I can think of a few authors who could approach this daunting topic with respectability, but is there anyone in the universe who could do it with as much pizzazz and Stephen King? Really? Is there?
Well researched, well imagined, and waaaay too intriguing for your mortal mind to resist, this is a must read, even in spite of the fact that you must read three-to-four hundred too many pages in order to get to the end.
June 10, 2014
Another starred review!
My second industry review has just been published, from School Library Journal, and it’s also a star! I love this quote, which cuts right through the fantastical elements of the plot and goes right to the novel’s heart: “Aslan’s debut is a riveting tale of belonging, family, overcoming perceived limitations, and finding a home.”
Check out the full review here: http://www.slj.com/2014/06/reviews/grades-9-up/scandals-first-love-and-genre-bending-fantasy-gr-9-up-fiction-reviews/#_
June 2, 2014
Starred Review from Kirkus!
My first industry review has been published. Kirkus Reviews has awarded THE ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD a star! A distinction primarily notable within the book industry, a starred review is received by less than 1 out of 10 reviewed books! It helps position the novel closer to the front of bookstores and libraries. Check out the generous review for yourself on the Kirkus website.
My personal favorite quote: “Aslan’s debut honors Hawaii’s unique cultural strengths—family ties and love of home, amplified by geography and history—while remaining true to a genre that affirms the mysterious grandeur of the universe waiting to be discovered.”
May 22, 2014
ISLANDS will be an audiobook!
I’m stoked to report that we’ve just inked a fab deal with Audible.com, an Amazon company, who will produce ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD into an honest-to-God digital audiobook! Brilliance Audio will handle eventual hard copy CD sales. As I’m sure you know, audiobooks are becoming quite popular these days, as our commuter culture and access to handheld digital content intersect. As a busy dad and child chauffeur who lives with the bobcats and javalinas and gila monsters in the beautiful desert outside of Tucson, I’ve become very reliant on audiobooks to keep up with reading as I schlep kids to and fro and attend PhD classes on the UofA campus. It’ll be such a hoot to listen to my own audiobook soon as I mosey down the road!
May 19, 2014
Junior Library Guild licenses The Islands at the End of the World
I’m pleased to announce a wonderful honor: Junior Library Guild has licensed THE ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD as an official “Junior Library Guild Selection.” This will give ISLANDS a huge leg up in the library world, and the book’s flap will also be hallmarked with the JLG’s official designation.
