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Because we’ve all been enjoying my Russian covers lately, I want to show you one of the paintings without any clutter, like my name and the title.
So here’s The Last Days (sequel to Peeps) from our Russian brothers, pure and unadulterated:
Not sure how YA this looks, given how much it ups the ante on the bondage-y look of the first cover. And points are subtracted because no cat, but that’s made up for by Brooklyn Bridge bonus points!
Here’s the cover with the title and stuff, which for some reason I can’t find except in low-res form.
If anyone finds a bigger version with type, please let me know.
And now, three other things:
1) If you want to check out more of my foreign covers, Michael Grimm is building a site with all the Westerfeldian foreign covers he can find. It’s not done yet, but it has a ton of covers, including ones I’ve never received copies of. (Serbia, I’m looking at you!)
2) Team Human, the next book by my lovely wife Justine and Sarah Rees Brennan, just got it’s third starred review, this one from Publisher’s Weekly.
“This smart and entertaining novel—part Nancy Drew with vampires, part thoughtful and provocative story about assumptions—fully blooms in the second half. Themes of honest friendship and freedom of choice mix with zombies, accidental romance, a diverse and complex cast, and sharply funny dialogue to create a thoroughly enjoyable read with a core of unexpected depth.”
3) Sticking with Justine, last year she gave a Guest of Honor speech at Sirens, a fantasy lit conference in Colorado, about monsters, feminism, and Elvis. (And about being raised on an aboriginal settlement, being a fan of problematic songs, movies, and many other things.) She’s just turned it into a lengthy post on her blog, which can read by clicking here.
Okay, that’s it. No FAF this week, because we are on the fortnightly schedule at the moment. But I’ll have a new Manual of Aeronautics art reveal voting thread up soon!
Just a few minutes ago my little dog Violet started barking! I opened the front door and found a brown box. The return address? NY, NY!
“It’s Peepsqueak!” I yelled!
I pulled at the sticky packing tape and ripped open the box! Oh my goodness! Peepsqueak was all packaged up with his own tag. Next I had to cut him out of a plastic bag! I will have to talk to Beth at Harper Collins about giving him breathing holes next time. He was no worse for wear and now is sitting comfortably on a chair in my family room.
Merry Makers is the toy company that made Peepsqueak They have made other fun characters like Olivia, Splat the Cat, Lama Lama, Junie B. Jones and more. Peepsqueak has not stopped talking about them since he came.
Merry Makers has decided to license Peepsqueak for all the world to buy! How exciting! Keep an eye out for him come late January.http://www.merrymakersinc.com/index.html
Yesterday at 2PM, me and a hundred-ish fans from the WesterForum hung out for about an hour and a half, and I answered many questions. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, I’ have compiled them into this blog post, typos and all! (So. Many. Typos.)
Enjoy:
“What kind of juice do you like?”
There are many juices I love. Mango! Pear! (Especially pear cider.) Apple!
“So Scott there’s been a rivalry going on (on the forum obviously) , based on the question : If the crew of the Leviathan got in a fight with Special Circumstances who would win? What’s your opinion?”
I think in a close-quarters fight the Specials would win, because they’re too quick. But in a proper battle, the Leviathan could mess them up with strafing hawks or bat-poo without ever being in danger.
“WHATS GOING ON WITH CROY?! CAN YOU GIVE US ANY INFO ON HIM?! ”
That info will be released at Leaky Con and Comic Con. THAT’S ONLY A FEW WEEKS. But I can’t tell you anything now, except maybe . . . you will SEE HIM.
“Did you use the same models on the cover of Goliath that you used on Leviathan and Behemoth?”
Yes. Same models, same photo shoot on the same day. Sometime I’ll show you guys the unaltered photos.
“At any point in Behemoth, does Dr. Barlow know that Deyrn is a girl? It has been a topic of great debate.”
Hah! Not saying now, but you WILL learn the answer to that in Goliath.
“Have you ever met someone in real life who reminds you of your characters?
Or vice versa.”
Hmm, not really. Although sometimes I see someone and say, ‘Whoa, he/she’s a total pretty!’
“Nice to meet you, btw. (and tell hi to Justine (Mrs. Larbaleister (sp?)) for me, please!)”
It’s Dr. Larbalestier, in fact.
“Can Justine cook?”
She’s a great cook of Thai food, and she wants me to add that she’s a good boxer too. (She’s been taking lessons.)
“What TV shows do you watch?”
Game of Thrones, Treme, just finished Vampire Diaries,
“This isn’t really a question, just a comment. I thought you’d like to know that I used to like history, and Leviathan made me love it again. I might even try writing something historical-ish myself. ”
Yay!
“Is Lilit lesbian/bi? (Please say yes.)”
They didn’t really have those categories for women back then, but she would be if she was alive today. (Strange but true fact: Male homosexuality was illegal in England back then, but female homosexuality wasn’t because lawmakers REFUSED TO BELIEVE IT EXISTED.)
“In Uglies, there are many messages, some obvious, some not so much. What messages/lessons do you want readers to take away from Leviathan?”
Hmm. I think that the big theme is about how different sides of a conflict (war or just ideological/technological) see each other, and how that can change when people are forced to work together.
“What kind of music do you like? (Do you like Florence+and the machine?)”
I like minimalism and trip-hop, and I don’t know of this Florence person.
“What is your opinion on the Hunger Games? (Will you see the movie?)”
Want to see the movie. Liked the first book, but didn’t read the others.
“When will you go on tour?”
September 17. DON’T KNOW WHERE YET! NOT MY CHOICE WHERE.
“Would you like to join my band of Ninjas?”
I have already infiltrated your band of ninjas!
“Do you like writing about diseases? Peeps was about parasites, Innoculata had to do with a virus and in So Yesterday the main characters dad is a Epidimiologist (I think).”
I love all kinds of biology, like beasties too. Studied philosophy o
0 Comments on Forum Meet-Up Transcript as of 1/1/1900
Yes, you read that right, and I’m typing it again, because it’s that much fun:
Manga. Head. Explosive. Goo.
It’s a brand of hair gel made by Garnier, to create those delicious mohawk-tastic heads of hair just like your fave manga characters. Don’t believe me? Here’s the website.
Can anybody find a photo of actual Manga Head Explosive Goo in a store? I need to see it.
Okay, now that that’s dealt with, a few more cool images, starting with a SCARY DOLL ALERT!
This is the Italian version of Peeps, published by Fazi. Although Justine can’t look at it, due to her scarydollaphobia, I love it and can’t wait for a matching treatment for The Last Days.
Hey, I just noticed the secret color-coded message in the title, which works in English as well as in Italian. See what I mean? Kewl.
And in Скотт Вестерфельд news, we have Jonathan and Jessica looking very fantastical on the cover of the Russian Midnighters 2: Touching Darkness . . .
I could just look at foreign edition covers all day sometimes. So much easier than, um, writing.
Speaking of which, it’s back to the Leviathan mines for me!
11 Comments on Manga Head Explosive Goo, last added: 2/7/2009
Wow, that Peeps cover is really creepy, I’m with Justine on this one!!
She should get Maureen Johnson to take to the American Girl Place to overcome her fear, like she did with Libba Bray!
Joey-la said, on 2/7/2009 8:01:00 PM
I mean Maureen Johnson took Libba Bray to American Girl place to overcome her fear, I just re-read what I wrote, and it didn’t really make much sense!
Kai-la said, on 2/7/2009 8:05:00 PM
From the Garnier site: “Manga Head Explosive Goo will give your hair superhero powers.”
Indeed.
Love the look of both the foreign edition covers, though, I wonder about Jess’ dress? Not what I would pick for battling ancient predators.
Kayla said, on 2/7/2009 8:24:00 PM
Um if you want a picture of the Manga Head Explosive Goo in stores, you don’t really need one, seriously, if you’re in Aus atm, go to coles or Woolworths, shampoo aisle, they’re EVERYWHERE with a bunch of other Garnier products, I have like all of them
presley said, on 2/7/2009 8:25:00 PM
wow, that is some mad crazy hair. the doll on the cover is a bit creepy, but really neat! i love foreign covers!
Dahlia-wa said, on 2/7/2009 8:29:00 PM
Finally, my dreams of having Yu-Gi-Oh’s rediculous hair have come true!!!
That might be good to have if I ever go to Comic-Con (no idea who I would dress as).
Foreign covers are cool. I think when Necropolis by Anthony Horowitz is available in the US I’ll order it on Amazon so I can get the English cover (it is sooo much cooler. Don’t believe me? Look it up on B&N and Amazon).
Click my name. We might be doing another live blog soon. Still debating.
Rosie-Wa said, on 2/7/2009 8:40:00 PM
dude i need some of that hair gel and i thought the midnighters cover said tony hawkus or something lol!
Sabrina said, on 2/7/2009 8:52:00 PM
Hey Scott, this is a purely random comment to tell you that my 48-year-old, married-with-two-kids mother, who doesn’t read, ever, beyond Woman’s World Weekly, Reader’s Digest, or the latest Sylvia Browne, loves the Uglies series so much that after she recently thumbed through the copy I had lying on my kitchen table, she ran out and bought every single book for herself. I’m know you were totally writing for middle-aged middle America with those, so there you go.
Emi-la said, on 2/7/2009 8:52:00 PM
WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YAY!!!!A NEW POST!!!!!!!!!
Emi-la said, on 2/7/2009 8:53:00 PM
oops!!!I meant Yay not Way!!
Haley~Hyperness is ICY said, on 2/7/2009 8:57:00 PM
WOAH. SCARY GEL. BUT AWESOME. love how it says “explosive” in the name. makes it sound…awesomer.
That doll book cover is really creepy…but that is why I love it so much i think.
and the midnighters…that is kick butt.
Those of you who’ve read Peeps will no doubt remember toxoplasma gondii, the cat-borne parasite that can infect humans and change their personality. An old pal of mine, science journalist and blogger Rebecca Skloot, is a bit of an expert on toxoplasma, having written this article on whether the parasite causes “crazy cat-lady syndrome.” Fascinating stuff.
She’s just posted this charming video of a possibly toxoplasma-positive rat who LOVES its little cat friend.
For those of you who haven’t read Peeps, toxoplasma controls its rat host’s brain, making the poor creature seek out cats in hopes of getting eaten. This is because toxoplasma can only reproduce itself in the stomach of a cat. But as Rebecca points out, if the cat takes the pacifist route and simply refuses to eat the rat, it can stay uninfected.
Stephenie Meyer fansite Twilight Moms has declared my Midnighters series its Book of the Month. Join the Twilight Moms discussion here. (Well, you have to be a mom, or at least 25, or married to be a Twilight Mom, but you can always read the discussion.)
10 Comments on Toxoplasma Heaven, last added: 1/6/2009
Okay, so we’ve all read vampire novels. You know, Twilight (excellent!!), that kind of thing. But Peeps gives us a new angle on the whole vampire theme. In Peeps, vampirism is a disease, actually a parasite, transmitted through saliva. Cal, an otherwise average kid in his early twenties, has had the misfortune to be infected with the parasite after a wild night with an enigmatic woman named Morgan. But he’s one of the lucky ones. The ordinary symptoms of the parasite are insanity, bloodlust, and intense aversion to light and to the things the infected person once liked. Cal is just a carrier, one of the lucky 1% of “peeps”- parasite positives- whose only symptoms are an extended lifespan, superior reflexes and strength, and intense cravings for meat.
Before Cal knew he had the parasite, though, he infected several girlfriends. So now, he’s a member of a secret organization, the Night Watch, dedicated to eradicating the parasite. But when Cal discovers a secret basement with a peep-cat, even though cats are not supposed to be a host for the parasite, and other mysterious occurrences, the Night Watch is stunned. Something odd is going on, and it’s up to Cal to find out what.
This is a fairly entertaining book. Granted, not one of Scott-la’s best works, but not his worst either. The first two-thirds of the book were awesome, but then I kind of lost interest and the ending was pretty lame. I still have to say, though, worth reading. I especially liked the way the book included information about real-life parasites (although don’t read these if you have a weak stomach!) It’s got that typical Scott-la style that makes you want to keep reading, even when you get to the lame ending.
I rate this book three-and-a-half daggers, and I will be reading the sequel, The Last Days.
Yours, Tay-la
0 Comments on Peeps by Scott Westerfeld as of 1/1/1900
Though Peeps is probably my second favorite book by him, after all the Midnighters ones (which would technically make it fourth, but you know, whatever). The Last Days is pretty awesome too, though totally unrelated.
Well, after a very productive month in our Undisclosed Location, Justine and I have both finished our next books! Much wooting occurred.
Of course, there’s still all the rewriting, editing, cover designing, catalog printing, marketing and selling into stores that has to happen. All of which means these books won’t be published until, oh, about a year from now.
This is why Bogus to Bubbly is coming out on October 21, to make the long year of waiting fly past. (Zoom.)
In the meantime, I can get back to blogging a bit more often. Thank you all for your patience during crunch time! Sorry to have been away.
There are a few things I missed. First, here’s the cover for the Brazilian version of Peeps:
I really like this cover. It’s sort of like a graphic novel, with plenty of peeps-like images. As you can see, the title is Os Primeiros Dias, or “The First Days.” I guess “peeps” didn’t translate into Portuguese, so the publishers thought it would be cool to set up the sequel, The Last Days.
I wish I’d thought of that. Well, except that when I was working on Peeps, I didn’t realize I was going to write a sequel.
And if you’re a Peeps fan, you totally have to read this article in the NY Times. It’s about a scientist who infects his patients with hookworms (as in Chapter 5, aka “Bahamalama-Dingdongs”) . . . on purpose!
So here’s the story: David Pritchard, the scientist in the article, noticed that people in Papua New Guinea who were infected with hookworms were less likely to suffer from asthma and hay fever. Now, this was nothing new. As I point out a few times in Peeps, parasites are so intertwined with humans that we can get sick when we don’t have them around.
Basically, your immune system has evolved to deal with lots of parasites—our ancestors lived in a very dirty world compared to us. But these days, people in industrial societies have hardly any parasites, so our immune system gets bored and starts making trouble. Sort of like a third-world army with no enemies to fight, it starts trying to take over the government. Allergies, asthma, Crohn’s disease, and other auto-immune issues may be related to people being too darn clean!
Dr. Pritchard wondered if hookworms were suppressing the Panuan’s immune system, and helping them escape hay fever. So, in the proud tradition of mad scientists everywhere, he used himself as a subject. That’s right, he infected himself with hookworms, which sounds . . . itchy. He has since expanded to larger human trials, and so far the treatment seems to work well on allergy sufferers. Maybe one day it can be used for more serious conditions, like Crohn’s Disease.
Good luck to him. Plus, I love this last paragraph:
“I gave myself 50 worms, and I felt it,” he recounted. “I had stomach pains and diarrhea. But with 10 worms, we’ve ascertained a dose that does not cause symptoms. The patients are happy. They’ve kept their worms, and I get an e-mail a day from people all over the world who want to be infected.”
See? Everything in moderation.
Even worms.
12 Comments on Done and Done, last added: 8/27/2008
i dont care what it does, i do not want a hookworm!!!
p.s. first comment!!!
Liset said, on 8/27/2008 1:42:00 PM
ew…
and
WOOOOOT!
the cover looks like a bomb comic book!
mi gusta!
A scott westerfeld comic book would make me happy…
megan-la said, on 8/27/2008 2:11:00 PM
yay! finished!
w00t =D
Casie said, on 8/27/2008 2:16:00 PM
Frankly? Allergies suck… but I don’t know if I’d be brave enough to give myself parasites to be rid of them. If I got them when I was younger and it was just part of my daily life, nothing that was taught to me to be “gross” or “icky,” then I think I would be okay - but now? Yeah… I think I’ll pass this time around. w00t for experimental medical treatment working, though! (and Leviathan, of course!!!)
-Casie
Haddy-la said, on 8/27/2008 2:30:00 PM
congrates for finishing your book. best peeps cover ever! no hookworms for me, thanks mr. selfinfecting mad scientist
Andrea-la said, on 8/27/2008 3:04:00 PM
cool….hookworms ROCK!
Kenzie-La(new post peeps) said, on 8/27/2008 3:06:00 PM
WOOT!! awsome fawsome foolie coolie cover, I always like graphic novel art(even though I dont really read it)
weird infecting people for a purpose t stop getting infected with something worst, kinda like chicken pox and small poxs. all around WOOT!
Emily-wa said, on 8/27/2008 3:37:00 PM
Hmmm… hookworms are interesting. Who knew worms could actually HELP people?
I’m trying to get my hands on Peeps, but libraries are turning against me lately… Anyone here read The Dark Hills Devide? it’s the next series I’m reading, I’ve got the first book in my rooma dn i’ll start it when I finish the book I’m currently reading, TimeCat… which is a bit boring and elementary. Anyway, let me know if anyone liked it!
Jay-wa said, on 8/27/2008 3:54:00 PM
First- book writing/editing/designing should be faster.
Second- Ew.
But, WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nelly said, on 8/27/2008 4:14:00 PM
That’s kind of depressing that the book probably won’t come out for another year or so. But getting it finished is always a step in the right direction!
I’m not sure how I would feel about purposely infectiong myself with hookworms. Luckily my allergies aren’t bad enough for me to have to find out. But it’s still an interesting thought. It makes you wonder what kind of medical discoveries they’ll make next.
Sir Tessa said, on 8/27/2008 4:15:00 PM
That is totally gross and not the first thing I wanted to read in the morning.
Congrats and welcome back.
kristen-la said, on 8/27/2008 4:16:00 PM
ew, the worms were kinda strange.
but congrats on finishing your book (so far)!!!!
First off, here’s an explosive and painterly version of the cover of Uglies, by Refrigerate Kate.
And in a darker and more manga-licious vein, a rendering of Moz from The Last Days, remixed with the peeps parasite itself. Brought to you by Freed Wings.
Me, I’m just sitting around writing Leviathan these days. One day soon (like, really early next year) I’ll have some actual news about that.
10 Comments on Fan Art Wednesday, last added: 12/19/2007
wow, those are really fawsome!! i like how they fused moz with the parasite
Rainy said, on 12/19/2007 4:30:00 AM
I love the first one. At first, when I glanced at it, I thought it was grafitti maybe on a brick building somewhere; that would be cool.
Yaay! Today is my last day of school!!!!…until next year
bri-la said, on 12/19/2007 4:54:00 AM
that is so awesome. ive never read the last days so the second one didnt really make any sense but that first one is amazing. *stares in wonder*
u just keep up that work on levithan scott-la. im kinda enjoying the abscence of book insanity and just some totally randomness. speaking of levithan, i got a book by him [David Levithan] the other day @ the library. its call “are we there yet” i havent started reading it (im currently reading a book by john green). i was at the library and i saw it (”are we there yet” not the book by john green) and i was like “hmmm…levithan…where have i heard that before…. OH YA!!” and i remembered that u named ur new book after him so i figured he must’ve been a good writer if you were gonna name ur book after him. any ways keep up the good work, i know its gonna be awesome.
bri-la said, on 12/19/2007 4:55:00 AM
o and also POST MORE FAN ART! i personally luv it (and im not too good at it so… ya)
Ashley-la said, on 12/19/2007 6:19:00 AM
they are deff fawesome
Morganne-la said, on 12/19/2007 6:32:00 AM
I like the Uglies picture! And the one of Moz is cool, too. But they’re both fawesome! Hm… I wish I was good at drawing and painting and stuff.
Kelsey-chan said, on 12/19/2007 6:33:00 AM
1st off: WOAH!!!!!!! Dis is my first time that I’ve been on since the change. O_O (yeah I know, I’m slow, but we’ve been X-mas shopping)
2nd off: WOAH!!!!!!! Dat is fawesome pictures! I love manga/anime. Wish I could draw like that. *wistful sigh* But alas, I can not. I yuv it sooooooomuch!!!
Kelsey-chan said, on 12/19/2007 6:34:00 AM
Oh, in case it wasn’t obvious, I LOVE THE NEW LAYOUT!!! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3,<3<3<3<3
Lizzy-wa (CHASING MIDNIGHT WEREWOLVES!) said, on 12/19/2007 6:49:00 AM
humph. i want news now. humph. i also want more Hiro chapters. *sigh*.
-Lizzy-wa OUT!
heidi-la said, on 12/19/2007 7:31:00 AM
Excellent art. Wonderful books to inspire.
Scott, I’m captured by your books!!! Keep writing.
wayy fawesomer than our cover, thats for sure.
hmmm..i wonder how many westerverses there are now??
Wheres the whole new layout? the polls? i’ve been waiting for them..
kheidi-la said, on 12/15/2007 11:01:00 PM
the cover looks very fawsome!
um on a different note i have had way way to much time on my hands and well…
SCOTT
& To all that it may be concerned to!!!!
I have a problem with the uglies trilogy heights… ya I read into things a little much but I have facts
Uglies page 23 paragraph 3:
The reality jerked at her shoulders and thighs, the webbing of the jacket cutting viciously into her. She was taller than pretty standard, she knew; the jacket probably wasn’t expecting this much weight.
In this paragraph it states that tally is taller than pretty standards
Uglies page 279 paragraph 3:
Tally stepped onto a fist-sized stone on the path and found an uneasy balance on it. They were eye to eye now.
In this paragraph it states that David is taller than Tally because she had to stand on a fist sized stone to be eye to eye with him (so I’m assuming that he is also taller than pretty standards)
Pretties page 26 paragraph 1:
“What would you give the view?” it was Zane, suddenly next to her, looking all of his two-meter maximum pretty height in the ancient black uniform.
In this paragraph it stated that the maximum height was two-meters which is 6′5″ (just a fact I thought I would add to this … observation)
Pretties page 75 paragraph 5
She tore her gaze from the wall in front of her and looked up. The edge of the roof was just out of reach. “Hey this isn’t fair. Your taller than me.”
Zane is taller than Tally (okay that’s a duh moment but ya need the facts…) Tally is shorter than 6’5”
Pretties page 325 paragraph 5 (or the first real one… half way down page)
They rode his board. Tally was taller than David now, so she stood behind him, hands around his waist.
So here is the confusion… Tally was made taller than David … even though she was already taller then the standard when she was ugly… why would they make her even taller than usual wouldn’t she be like a freak in the pretty world okay I don’t really know that but I’m guessing that she should have been made shorter….
Okay the parts I took out of the book are word for word, grammar and all should be correct to the books.
see what i mean with too much time… i actually went through the books finding this and i noticed it seemed off…
Kaylee said, on 12/15/2007 11:02:00 PM
bummer i guess i got 4th comment…o well still in the top ten!
Kaylee said, on 12/15/2007 11:02:00 PM
ooo…kewl cover!
third comment
cross your fingers!!
wandav said, on 12/16/2007 5:46:00 AM
Have we combined all the universes? Cool. I like the cover, btw. Looks dark and moody to me.
Rock on, Scott!
Allie-wa said, on 12/16/2007 6:04:00 AM
Cool! Westerblog is back! It went away completely yesterday.
A-Apocalypse? Post-Apocalypse? I haven’t read The Last Days so…well, I don’t know what it means.
Amelia-wa said, on 12/16/2007 6:51:00 AM
Cool cover, its very moody-looking, it’ fawsome. kheidi-la I noticed the same thing, but I thought maybe I read to much my brain was desinergratin! Or maybe I was up to late, and needed to go to bed, because I know Scott-la is a fawsome reader!
To those of you who missed me on my recent travels, an interview just appeared on teenreads.com. It contains some of the anecdotes I’ve repeated a zillion times on tour, and even a tiny drib about Leviathan!
And now a flash from the subterranean world of Peeps and The Last Days. (No, I haven’t forgotten about my non-Uglies novels. I’ve just been extra-focused lately.)
I just spotted this blog entry about the “Drains of Canada,” and the photos were right out of Peeps. Remember those scenes where Cal first goes down under Lace’s building? And gets chased by rats and stuff?
Well, here they are in the flesh (and in Canada, apparently):
There’s a show on History channel that does underground stuff like that. Also kewl.
Lizzy-wa said, on 11/8/2007 10:53:00 AM
thats VERY foolio. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 3rd comment!!!!!!!!!!! oh yeah. im cool.
-Lizzy-wa OUT!
Joel said, on 11/8/2007 11:10:00 AM
Scott, you need to read the N.A.W.A.P.A article on there. Very interesting.
Kailyx said, on 11/8/2007 12:57:00 PM
Those are amazing pictures. They almost make me want a job in sewage work.
Almost.
Shausto-la said, on 11/8/2007 1:04:00 PM
that is amazzing.
the pictures with the red lights and rust all over look so freaky. but i love the ones with the sun reflecting off everything in the tunnel. gorgeous.
i love your other books scott,
we should hear more about them more often.
Courtney said, on 11/8/2007 1:12:00 PM
whoa, those pictures rawk! just how i imagined it in Peeps!!! and they’re so beautiful… (beautiful sewers, what’s next? :D)
dragonfly said, on 11/8/2007 1:19:00 PM
I am psyched about Leviathan. Especially the pictures.
I hate waiting for books. Of course I totally understand that they have to be *written*, and that authors need to have lives outside their writing otherwise they get shingles (Scott..). But it’s wretched to hear about a book that you know you’ll love and then to hear “spring 2011″ or something like that.
Ahh, such is life.
dragonfly said, on 11/8/2007 1:20:00 PM
Oh, I forgot to write that the “peeps” pictures are way cool. Places like that…it’s almost like a whole other world, without leaving the planet.
Ally-wa said, on 11/8/2007 1:27:00 PM
aww such awesome pics
Taylor said, on 11/8/2007 1:28:00 PM
wow, that’s like just how i pictured it too! fexcellent…
Bri-la said, on 11/8/2007 1:42:00 PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEE!!!!!
sweet pics scott. except i havnt read peeps. i should go do that.
As mentioned earlier, Justine and I are headed to Atlanta next weekend for DragonCon. The schedule is below, but first something that I forgot to announce a few weeks ago . . .
The Last Days is at long last available in paperback! (And Amazon has a sweet two-for-one-price deal on Peeps and TLD. Own the whole duology for $17.98!)
Okay, here’s the schedule with Labor Day weekend. We’re not making any appearances outside DragonCon, because we’re lazy, plus I have tons of National Book Award reading still to do. But for those attending the con, either Justine or I are on the following panels:
FRIDAY 10PM
Blood and Fur
From Stephenie Meyer to Cassandra Clare, books about vampires and werewolves are enjoying a hair-raising resurgence in popularity. Join us as we discuss why they are resonating with readers and learn about some of the new blood in this growing genre. Scott Westerfeld, Heidi Heiner, Cassandra Clare, Diana Gallagher, Diana Herald
Hilton, Gwinett
SATURDAY 4PM
New Voices in YA
Each year, new voices are emerging in YA literature. Join some of our most popular YA authors–Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, Scott Westerfeld, and Justine Larbalestier–as they discuss their books and lives as YA authors.
Hanover CDE
SUNDAY 1PM
Chicks Rule
Some of the strongest female role models are today’s YA heroines; we have Hermione’s book-smarts, Lyra’s cunning, and Arya’s toughness. Let’s talk about our favorite heroines and how these characters guide us to persevere in extraordinary situations.
Josepha Sherman, Diana Gallagher, Maureen Johnson, Justine Larbalestier
Hilton, Gwinett
MONDAY 10AM
Utopias and Dystopias
In books like Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series, societies tightly governed by rules can create a perfect place–unless you break them. We’ll look at what makes the best possible worlds for YA authors—and how to function when all bets are off. Scott Westerfeld, Diana Herald, Susan Fictelberg, Bonnie Kunzel, Tracy Akers
Hilton, Gwinett
I’ll try to do some blogging from the con, especially about the trip down there. We’re going down by train with Cassie Clare, Theo and Holly Black, and Maureen Johnson! DragonTrain!
Thanks for all your orders at Wearable Extras! Let me know how everything fits.
31 Comments on The Last Days in Paperback + DragonCon!, last added: 8/30/2007
Oh good! Ive been waiting for The Last Days to come out in paperback for forever now so that I can actually afford it.
Ally-wa said, on 8/26/2007 12:10:00 PM
Maureens going to be Wonder Woman!!! lol
Lizzy-wa said, on 8/26/2007 1:07:00 PM
happy-making!
Hannah said, on 8/26/2007 1:55:00 PM
oh god. i wish i could go. i live like an hour away from atlanta, but i don’t have 75$ to get in to dragoncon…:(
Ana said, on 8/26/2007 1:55:00 PM
that is so cool and i love Stephenie Meyer’s book.Hope you have fun!!!
*Jessie* said, on 8/26/2007 2:37:00 PM
O cool!! have fun!
kim said, on 8/26/2007 2:45:00 PM
I’m so excited about dragoncon!! Me and my sister hope to see you there
vicky said, on 8/26/2007 3:05:00 PM
damn. can’t get to the con this year. wish i could, though. have fun.
Katie said, on 8/26/2007 3:52:00 PM
Yes! I’ll have to get it asap. Is Specials out in paperback yet?
Taylor said, on 8/26/2007 4:19:00 PM
fawesome! i think i’ll go for that amazon deal, i want both books and it’s a good price.
but alas, i live five or six states away from georgia, so i’ll just have to read the blog posts next weekend.
and note about the shirts: they fit great! i don’t know exactly what scott meant when he said to tell how everything fits…but like i measured one of my own shirts for size before i ordered, and neither shirt is too small, nor too big. um so yeah…the lettering is also really, well, perfect! i know it was done digitally, so there’s like never mistakes with it, but it was perfect, nonetheless.
intensegreeneyes said, on 8/26/2007 4:20:00 PM
I cant go to dragoncon (but I will be in chicago Can you please please please please please take some pictures of maureen and post them?
scott said, on 8/26/2007 5:12:00 PM
Katie: Specials comes out in paperback on September 11 (erp). And Taylor, I’m glad the shirts fit!
Kadie-Wa said, on 8/26/2007 5:15:00 PM
How much longer do you think until the winners’ shirts get here?? I can’t wait!!
Have fun at the con!! (What is it? I’ve never heard of it before)
Kadie-Wa 37 days until EXTRAS!!
or 1 month 6 days OR
3,196,800 seconds or
53,280 minutes or
888 hours or
5 weeks
Taylor said, on 8/26/2007 5:25:00 PM
september 11? whoa talk about odd scheduling! and i just saw that on amazon, too, but i didn’t think to comment on it…
ImInLoveWithJonathan! said, on 8/26/2007 5:52:00 PM
I want to go to dragoncon so bad. not only are amazingly wicked authors going to be there *cough*you*cough* but you get to dress up like a character from a book or something and people actually recognize you! it’s like halloween only minus the candy and add some fawesome authors. and *ehm* the wesley twins will be there.
ImInLoveWithJonathan! said, on 8/26/2007 5:53:00 PM
*weasly sorry. and they need more polymath and all around midnighter-y shirts on the wearable westerfeld site.
ImInLoveWithJonathan! said, on 8/26/2007 5:55:00 PM
I still haven’t gotten mine in the mail from winning at insideadog.com
I keep having funny dreams that i’m going to recieve it in the mail and it’s not going to fit, because you see they never asked for a size. lol.
Serafina Zane said, on 8/26/2007 7:31:00 PM
ah, that sounds awesome. will there be low-quality pirate videos on utube to watch like for comic-con? probably not, but one can hope
and i had this idea, how about, to honor the paperback last days, like a contest to design a the last days band logo, and make the winning one into a wearable extras t-shirt? and like, samplers as prizes or something? just an overly ambitious idea to ponder…
Taylor said, on 8/26/2007 7:37:00 PM
ooh, serafina, i like that idea! i know i’d never win b/c i’m not good enough with computers to make one, but still i’d love to see the entries for that! i just love contests i guess. seriously that’d be really fool.
Taylor said, on 8/26/2007 7:40:00 PM
and sorry i always call you serafina instead of serafina zane i guess i’m just too lazy to hit the extra keys. if you rather i put the “zane” in just say so! lol
Serafina Zane said, on 8/26/2007 7:41:00 PM
i made a basic last days logo when i made the button, it was just green with black letters saying the name of the band…..
and ditto on that, i probably would be too lazy to enter, but i’d love to see what people came up with
Serafina Zane said, on 8/26/2007 7:42:00 PM
and i don’t care…..i torment people with having a really long name..mu ha ha ha ha. now to play with japanese midnighters covers…
Loej said, on 8/26/2007 9:23:00 PM
I’d love to be there, but I can’t.
Although, if you get any tapes of the event’s, I’d watch those…
(*hint-ity-hinthint*)
Jess said, on 8/27/2007 4:01:00 AM
that sounds wicked.
seriously.
Jess said, on 8/27/2007 4:08:00 AM
oh yeah. forgot to say: are you on some posting spree? seriously. its nearly everyday!
and right when i have exams.
hillary! said, on 8/27/2007 8:42:00 AM
I WANT GO SO BAD! WHY CAN’T THERE EVER BE THINGS LIKE THAT HERE! I ONLY EVER GET COMICON!
Addie-Wa said, on 8/27/2007 9:56:00 AM
I agree with Jess, since when do you post so much? I like it! Its probally not something to get used to though. I just ordered my Smoke Lives tee yesterday. I cant wait for it to get here! Have fun at Dragoncon!
Kadie-Wa said, on 8/27/2007 11:03:00 AM
They should make a Con in MN. We don’t have anything cool like that in MN…except maybe the MOA. (Mall of America)
Kadie-Wa
Bri-la said, on 8/27/2007 5:17:00 PM
HAVE FUN!
hehehe. i saw the chicks rule thing and i was thinking like “Uh scott…… ur a GUY. u no that right?” hehehe.
Miri said, on 8/30/2007 1:14:00 PM
Yay! Finally, a con-schedule! I’m hoping to make it to the “Utopias and Dystopias” panel - it’s such a fascinating topic! I’m really looking forward to it. I’m sure you and the other speakers will be great.
Folks who might be interested in going to the *Con next year: get your memberships in January. They’re half as expensive, plus you don’t have to wait in a megaline once you get there. Win-win!
Another package from a faraway land, this hebrew version of Peeps!
This is the most impenetrable (for me) version of Peeps so far. Because the alphabet’s different, it’s pretty hard to compare editions and see how things are translated. I can’t even find the website of the publisher, Modan.
And sorry about the lousy focus, but can anyone read the subtitle?
Speaking of all things peeps-like, here’s my new favorite sentence: “Jaded zombies acted quietly, but kept driving their oxen forward.” It uses all 26 letters! Much better than that quick brown fox dude.
And in other news, this was recently spotted online: the very first review of Extras so far. Don’t worry, there are no spoilers.
61 Comments on Peeps in Hebrew, last added: 9/20/2007
Wow, I think I actually figured it out, and now I’m smacking myself. Hebrew is read from right to left, so the first letter to sound out is on the right. It is the letter “peh,” which is the sound “p.” Following that is the short letter “yod,” making the “y” sound. Then following that is another “peh,” and finally the letter “samech/samekh,” which makes the “s” sound. So it says, more or less, “peeps.” And below that is Scott Westerfeld, written phonetically in Hebrew.
Kallie said, on 8/20/2007 3:31:00 PM
As far as I can tell, the letters for “Scott Westerfeld” are as follows (going from right to left): shin, (?), vav (as there is no letter for u/o/w), tay, vav, shin, tay, resh, peh(?), lamed, dalet. I can’t tell what some of the letters are because of fuzziness. Now, if you got an Arabic copy of the book, I could read it for you like BAM.
Courtney said, on 8/20/2007 3:33:00 PM
Wow, it actualy says what it’s supposed to say?
that’s a fool cover… well, kinda fool, a bit boring. i like the american cover ^_^
Lizzy-wa said, on 8/20/2007 3:33:00 PM
creepy lookin’. my friend speaks hebrew. he has 2 read and write and speak it 2 hours a day 6 days a week after school! tired-making huh!?!?
Lizzy-wa said, on 8/20/2007 3:36:00 PM
Kallie-wa, you just said u wished u kood read hebrew. like u didnt no how. but u just did!!!
Kallie said, on 8/20/2007 3:36:00 PM
“my friend speaks hebrew. he has 2 read and write and speak it 2 hours a day 6 days a week after school! tired-making huh!?!?”
I think it’s fascinating to study languages of all kinds, and I think it’s particularly beneficial to keep lesser spoken ones alive, especially in today’s generation. When I was perusing my notes to do that Hebrew translation, that was about the most fun I’d had all day. Seriously.
Lizzy-wa said, on 8/20/2007 3:37:00 PM
Kallie-wa, hes actually 100% hebrew, hence the frantic lessons
Kallie said, on 8/20/2007 3:40:00 PM
I used to practice more, but I’ve been getting out of the habit as I move on to different languages. I can read ancient Greek and Russian because I can sound out the symbols, but I have no idea what the words actually mean. Perhaps I should have said that I wish I could speak it. Reading and writing a different alphabet is the easiest part of studying languages for me. Funnest part, too.
ca said, on 8/20/2007 3:42:00 PM
well i know how to read hebrew and it just sais peeps in the hebrew alphebet not translated and the bottem said scott westerfeld (well actually vesterfeld as there is no ‘w’ sound in hebrew
Courtney said, on 8/20/2007 3:42:00 PM
i like what Kallie said about keeping the less popular langueges alive. I’m trying to learn Japanese… Not Spanish or French like most people!
Kallie said, on 8/20/2007 3:46:00 PM
“i like what Kallie said about keeping the less popular langueges alive. I’m trying to learn Japanese… Not Spanish or French like most people!”
Which is why in addition to Spanishm, German, and French, I also study Latin and Arabic in addition to random languages on the side. So much fun…
Courtney said, on 8/20/2007 3:54:00 PM
Wow, Kallie, isn’t that hard to learn so many different langueges?
Ana said, on 8/20/2007 3:55:00 PM
whoa i cant wait it sounds so cool AHHHHHH i cant wait till Oct. 2
Sylvia said, on 8/20/2007 3:58:00 PM
Wow, what language haven’t they covered for your books yet. lol.
That book review just makes me want to read Extras more now. Wonder how that person got the book to review it, - it’s coming out in October right?
Kallie said, on 8/20/2007 4:03:00 PM
“Wow, Kallie, isn’t that hard to learn so many different langueges?”
Yes it is, but for me it’s fun. I am a certified language GEEK. It’s hard to keep up with it on my own without a class, but understanding the structure of languages comes easily to me.
haddy-la said, on 8/20/2007 4:29:00 PM
to learn mutipal laugueges would be cool
Gil said, on 8/20/2007 4:39:00 PM
thats so kool! i wanna read it! i no hebrew lol ill tell my cousin in israel to read it…i think its so kool how ur books are translated into other languages
Taylor said, on 8/20/2007 4:40:00 PM
well now like 10 people have said what it translates to but i’ll say it anyway: peeps, scott westerfeld. yeah i’m not as good as translating as my dad is so i had him do it. i’m better at reading…and kallie i want to learn greek that’d be awesome!
Taylor said, on 8/20/2007 4:41:00 PM
and german too…all i can do is say hello and a few curses lol.
luna said, on 8/20/2007 4:50:00 PM
yeah i cant read it but the letter are pey, yud, pey, samech but the peys could be feys!
Chelsea-wa said, on 8/20/2007 4:52:00 PM
heheh, i’m jewish and I speak SOME hebrew.. I can’t read it though. wait. I speak yiddish. lol.. I want this sooooo bad. I’ve already read Peeps, but I really want this because it’s in Hebrew. ahhh. -dreams- lol.
Taylor said, on 8/20/2007 4:55:00 PM
question, either for scott or someone else who might know the answer:
i was reading that book review and becky (reviewer) said that she’d already read extras (which is kind of apparent since she wrote a review), but who is this becky girl and why does she get extras before we do? lol jk
but honestly, how does the publisher decide who gets advanced copies of books? like how do they pick out which websites, businesses, newspapers, etc. get them?
Taylor said, on 8/20/2007 4:59:00 PM
lol chelsea i’m jewish too…i can speak and read, but i’m really bad at translating. i want to get the book (i’ve already read it too), even if the cover design isn’t as flashy as the Aus. or US ones, i want it. i mean, how often can you find a YA book in hebrew, let alone read it? but idk where to find this one, i doubt it’d be at barnes & noble!
Lisa Bouchard said, on 8/20/2007 5:15:00 PM
This is totally awesome!
My son loved Uglies/Pretties/Specials and next year, when his Hebrew is up to it he can read Peeps in Hebrew. It will be tons better than boring workbook exercises.
Lizzy-wa said, on 8/20/2007 5:22:00 PM
im half chinese. i can speak some too! my grandma taught me. her and my grandpa grew up in china. i cant read or write anything but numbers and my chinese name… which translates to bright and clear…. so yeah!
gina said, on 8/20/2007 5:53:00 PM
i know hebrew and the subtitle says scott westerfeld. thats rly cool that its translated into so many different languages
Chelsea-wa said, on 8/20/2007 6:03:00 PM
I know Taylor! it’s a really good book that i’ve ACTUALLY read and it’s in hebrew! that’s like one-in-a-million chance. I’m going to do an extensive search on Google to see if I can order it or find it at all.. lol. =P
the pretty minded ugly aka Amy-la (tpmuakaal) said, on 8/20/2007 6:27:00 PM
so cool! i just dyed the tips of my hair red. i hope it looks good.
Lizzy-wa said, on 8/20/2007 6:40:00 PM
my friend put washout red hair dye on for halloween… and its still in! shes thinkin about sueing because everyone calls her wanna be… short for wanna be red head
Taylor said, on 8/20/2007 6:51:00 PM
hmmm i’ll have to try too Chelsea-wa, that’d be really awesome to read!
i wish i could dye my hair (not all of it, just like to get highlights or lowlights) but idk if my parents would let me. it’s sounds cool Amy-la!
Chelsea-wa said, on 8/20/2007 7:14:00 PM
haha, Amy-la I dyed my ends red but it washed out over the next couple months.. =( now they’re just bleached and I have brown hair so it stands out. ;D
S said, on 8/20/2007 8:23:00 PM
Give me a few months, I’ll be able to read it. Actually, I can read Hebrew (thank you, seven years of Hebrew School), but I have no idea what it means. My school didn’t stress conversation Hebrew, which I was pissed about when I went to Israel. But I’m taking Hebrew after school twice a week this week, so maybe I’ll figure it out soon enough.
Dee said, on 8/21/2007 12:13:00 AM
im in the lowest hebrew class at school but i can still read, write and talk a bit in hebrew. I wish i could read Hebrew Peeps but I just wouldnt be able to understand what i was reading most of the time! hehe. Ill have to get my friend in isreal to read it..
max1million said, on 8/21/2007 12:55:00 AM
this is my favorite cover for peeps. i like the color and the rounded shape one everything.
hillary! said, on 8/21/2007 8:38:00 AM
I LOVE LANGUAGES! Except I am more into Irish/Gaelic, and Welsh, I am sad to say though that I am very into Latin languages, French is cool and all, I take it, I can read it and inderstand it, I don’t conjugate very well at all though, but I can be very mean to peoples in French. The only reason I am good at languages though is because I can convince myself that they do make sense, maybe not to me yet, but later on they, and the hact ui makes ‘oo’ and bh makes ‘vuh’ does not bother me in the slightest! NOT AT ALL! or that can’t be spoken in a Spanish accent.
I LOVE that we were talking about how fool it would be if one of his books were translated into Hebrew just last week! and then this turns the next week! Life is fool!
hillary! said, on 8/21/2007 8:39:00 AM
Yeah, I gotta say the cover doesn’t do anything for my eyes.
Kadie-Wa said, on 8/21/2007 9:01:00 AM
Wow, can anyone read that?! I siwh I knew what it said!
Hey, I guess our clapping worked! lol
Wow, somone allready published a review? I’ll have to go read it now…
Kadie-Wa
P.S. 42 days until EXTRAS
or 1 month 11 days (hehe all ones!)
or 3,628,800 seconds or
60,480 minutes or
1008 hours or
6 weeks
And, I’ve still been counting seconds…here it goes 800,132,012 bottles of pop on the wall, 800,132,012 bottles of pop, take one down pass it around, 800,132,013 bottles of pop on the wall!
hillary! said, on 8/21/2007 9:29:00 AM
WOW!
Rainy said, on 8/21/2007 9:33:00 AM
Ooh! I’m so excited for Extras! Who knows what this could lead to… another book obsession for me!
Bri-la said, on 8/21/2007 12:41:00 PM
ugh! i read the review for Extras and now i REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY wanna read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ha ha ha kadie-wa.)
hillary! said, on 8/21/2007 12:53:00 PM
I AM SO EXCITED! I JUST CAN’T FIGHT IT!
hillary! said, on 8/21/2007 2:48:00 PM
OK! Where did everybody go!?
luna said, on 8/21/2007 3:13:00 PM
i posted earlier and then while in the car i relized im an idiot…. pey yud pey samech is the rough transliteration of hebrew so yeah i can read and write hebrew but i only know like a few words anyways the cover is fool
“Jaded zombies acted quietly, but kept driving their oxen forward” is a good choice for “favorite sentence,” I think. I went on Google to see other references to it, and I found this:
We took a breezy excursion and gathered Jonquils from the river slopes.
Sweet Marjoram grew in luxuriant profusion by the window that overlooked the Aztec city.
Jaded Zombies acted quietly, but kept driving their oxen forward.
hillary! said, on 8/21/2007 4:03:00 PM
I really never liked the fox one. The zombie one is fool though because it reminds of Garth Nix’s Abhorsen series.
ooga said, on 8/21/2007 5:11:00 PM
Repeating message for someone I know.:
this is a message to the Author Lord Person Who Writes Really Amazing Books, Scott Westerfeld:
I just read Peeps. It is very good. I have two questions though:
1, in New York do they really make glassphalt
and 2, would you be angry if I used the phrase ‘nuclear peanut butter’ for the name of a blog and as a couple mentions in a story because I really liked the quote (who knows, maybe the SomeMighty Author forgot he wrote said quote -OB)
Lizzy-wa said, on 8/21/2007 10:01:00 PM
that zombie sentence is cool. Scott-la’s write… way better than the jumping fox dog thing.
Taylor said, on 8/22/2007 6:49:00 AM
yeah in my keyboarding class last year our teacher made us type that like 20 times for homework which kinda ruined any chance of me liking it…
Jaded zombies acted quietly, but kept driving their oxen forward.
And yes, you can use “Nuclear Peanut Butter” for a blog title. I would be honored.
Chelsea-wa said, on 8/22/2007 8:01:00 PM
heehee, I found the Modan website.. at least I think it’s the Modan website.. it does say Modan Publishing House on the home page.. lol. here ya go: http://www.modan.co.il/
Gil said, on 8/22/2007 9:37:00 PM
if anyone wants to buy peeps in hebrew… heres the link
i dont own a single book in another language. not even one of those dictionary things!
Chelsea-wa said, on 8/23/2007 3:41:00 PM
thanks for the link Gil.. I couldn’t understand any of it! lol, now I have to figure out how much it is.. and how to order it.. wow.
Garrett said, on 8/24/2007 10:24:00 PM
Yeah, I’ve been learning hebrew for around as long as ive been learning english.
english is my first language, but I’m basically fluent in hebrew.
the title spells out “Peeps” phonetically.
under that is the name “scott westerfeld” also spelled out phonetically.
(note: it acually saus scott Vesterfeld, as there is no letter in the hebrew language that makes a W sound, and so one that makes a V sound is used as a common subsitue)
guess im just confirming whats been said befoe =P
ah well
Lizzy-wa said, on 8/25/2007 7:45:00 PM
Scott Vesterfeld…i like it!
Yaron said, on 9/4/2007 11:47:00 AM
It’s no more Vesterfeld than Westerfeld.
It’s not true that there is no letter for W in Hebrew and it uses the letter for V instead. It’s just that it’s sometimes the same letter used for both. Technically V is even the less common use, since in the other cases it’s often like a vowel in English, used for O (or some variations of U).
There’s another letter, the one used for B, which also works as a V sound in many cases.
I’m biased, since I knew the name in advance, but taking myself as an example (always a risky thing to do) the initial way native Hebrew speakers will read the name will be Westerfeld (or Wasterfeld), not Vesterfeld.
As for the name, like people here said it’s phonetically “pips” (The single ‘yod’ letter normally isn’t long enough for the “ee” sound, but doubling them will have something that can be used for “peeps” but also for “pipes”. Part of the charm of not having clear vowel letters separate from consonants.
And it’s problematic as a name, because it’s a real word. A bit old-fashioned, but a real one and one which is used.
Roughly meaning ’small change’, ’small bother’, ‘little thing’ or something of the sort. In the usual “every little thing…” type of complains.
And… I haven’t seen it on the shelves yet, so I can’t say, but I do hope for you that whoever wrote the description in the store/website is not the one who translated the book.
For all you Peeps fans out there, an article in the NY Times today has tons of photographs from the underworld of New York City. These are exactly the sort of ancient sewers and abandoned industrial places that I had in mind while Cal was skulking around and chasing vampires.
If nothing else, this article proves that I didn’t make any of the underworld-y stuff up. This tunnel looks uncannily like one that Peeps spends many pages in:
photo by Steve Duncan, nicked from the NY Times
A gentle warning: One of the spelunkers in this article takes tasteful nude photos of herself underground. If the unclothed (but discretely concealed) human body melts your brain, don’t look!
It really is beautiful down there. Oh and just out of curiosity is the contest still going on?
Brandi said, on 7/29/2007 12:15:00 PM
So pretty..
KawaiiOkashi said, on 7/29/2007 12:16:00 PM
Wow, the pictures are a lot of what I saw in my head as I was reading them
KawaiiOkashi said, on 7/29/2007 12:16:00 PM
Well about them I mean.
Sylvia said, on 7/29/2007 12:23:00 PM
Ooo, looks cool
Rebecca said, on 7/29/2007 1:13:00 PM
The pix are cool. It’s so weird to think of something like that existing. I guess there are manholes and sewers everywhere, but no one ever sees the inside of them, so we don’t pay attention. And the ones in New York look way more extensive than any old sewer system.
Courtney-wa said, on 7/29/2007 1:31:00 PM
fawesome!
(btw, Zahler’s word has rubbed off on me ^_^ i use “fawesome” and “fool” all the time now!)
capt. cockatiel said, on 7/29/2007 3:06:00 PM
Nudeness aside, those were some awesome photos! I love the one with the beam of light on the tracks. Pretty.
Jayden said, on 7/29/2007 3:50:00 PM
Just so you all know I am a girl. Jayden always seems to make ppl think of a guy but I’m not. Anyway whats up w/ all of the “fawesome”-ness??? I just don’t see why that word is so “in” (or trying to work it’s way “in”…sorry but I just don’t like it). Well I guess I’m gonna have to check out these pics becuz I myself am an obsessive Peeps fan!
Jayden said, on 7/29/2007 3:53:00 PM
That was cool! Exactly how I pictured all of the Peeps settings underground. But I don’t understand why she was naked? Was it some sort of artistic expression? Well ignoring the nudity I liked that a lot.
fig said, on 7/29/2007 5:56:00 PM
Exactly how I imagined it in the book! That’s really neat. Thanks for posting, Scott!
*Jessie* said, on 7/29/2007 6:34:00 PM
Wow, that is so cool, thats how I imagined it the whole time I was reading the book!!
allichie said, on 7/29/2007 6:40:00 PM
hmmmmmmm… I never thought the sewers could look so cool
Rachael-la said, on 7/29/2007 6:50:00 PM
ummm…hey you guys i have to ask scott a question. do u know his e-mail address or anything?
Demensiona said, on 7/29/2007 7:07:00 PM
Scott, that WAS tasteful! And the tunnels happen to run under the University that I want to attend!
-And sorry Rachel, the only email address that I know doesn’t work.
Demensiona said, on 7/29/2007 7:09:00 PM
Oops, “RachAel-LA” (could I have screwed up your name any more?I’m so sorry)!
kheidi-la said, on 7/29/2007 7:25:00 PM
nice pics but im just wondering along with others… is the contest still on, taking a break, or non existing anymore?
stephie-wa said, on 7/29/2007 7:47:00 PM
ahhh nice!
i love peeps
scott said, on 7/29/2007 8:16:00 PM
The contest is taking a break. It will resume once I figure out a less stressful way to distribute the samplers.
Taylor said, on 7/30/2007 4:22:00 AM
well could you not figure out a “less stressful way” after the 11th? lol i’m in disney all next week and i’ll have no internet access (even if there are computers, my parents won’t let me use them—-they think i’m addicted. now where did they get a crazy idea like that?)
kheidi-la said, on 7/30/2007 7:30:00 AM
after the 11th!!! I had my hopes up of possibly small chance that he would post a question on my bday and i could win… (like that would happen but a girl can dream cant she) but then again its unlikely to think a really good cant knock down idea by the 3rd… oh well maybe ill still have a chance at a tshirt (the 11th NO WAY! jk)
Taylor said, on 7/30/2007 7:39:00 AM
oh well i’m leaving on the 6th so the 3rd is ok! lol wouldn’t that be like the awesomest thing ever if you won on your bday? mine isn’t till nov. 12 so i won’t be able to.
and since i won’t be here when scott announces the lolya contest winners, i’m making my mom check the site (and my email) that day to see if maybe i won. i don’t think i will, but that would be TOTALLY AWESOME!!!
Loej said, on 7/30/2007 7:49:00 AM
I imagined the underground being seen in night-vision or the peep equivlent (Sp?).
Taylor said, on 7/30/2007 8:16:00 AM
oh wait, nevermind! i’m leaving on the morning of the 6th, but i just read the new insideadog post and it said that the winners are gonna be announced on the morning of the 6th AUSTRALIA time! so i’ll know who ends up winning without making my mom check for me. cool! although i might have to stay up a bit later than i’d like (considering the fact that i have to wake up at like 4:30 a.m. for the flight) depending on when scott and justine post. man, oh man, i can’t wait to see the winners…i might have to make another cover…need t-shirt!
Laura said, on 7/30/2007 9:39:00 AM
I wish I was in Australia right now instead of this little town.
Laura said, on 7/30/2007 9:42:00 AM
Thoes Pics. Make me want to live in a sewer…..
Except not really
Addie-wa said, on 7/30/2007 10:06:00 AM
dang-it
Anna-Wa said, on 7/30/2007 11:51:00 AM
awesome pics! It looks just like whaat I imagined when I read Peeps!
katerate said, on 7/30/2007 1:18:00 PM
Those photos are really amazing; I personally love nudes. Clothes bring a sense of a time period, so the naturalness of nudity erases that. It’s even better especially since the underworld of NY is rusted and abandoned, so you aren’t really sure how long it’s been that way. It could be present day, ten, fifty, even one hundred years from now that those photos could have been taken, and I like that feeling.
They were creepy in the sense that she made me feel like she was accepted as one of the creatures that actually lived there in the sewers among the rats and what have you.
I wonder if every major city has an underground like that? Does Philly? How can I find out?
Have you ever travelled under NYC to research for Peeps, Scott?
Amy-la said, on 7/30/2007 1:33:00 PM
thats how i pictured it!!!
Dee said, on 7/30/2007 6:15:00 PM
The pic (i only looked at the first one) looks so fool!
P.S trust me, you dont want to live in Australia at the mo, it freezing!
kheidi-la said, on 7/30/2007 7:47:00 PM
thank you taylor for agreeing that the 3rd is a good day to poat a question… (now if everyone else would join in…) i still didnt think of anything to do for book cover but im gonna put one in just to say i tryed… o well
Ana said, on 7/30/2007 10:07:00 PM
the pics are so cool-loking
hillary! said, on 7/31/2007 7:59:00 AM
Wow! Those tunnels look just like my dreams, where I am running down these tunnels, running past these platforms that have long been closed off, that squaters now occupy as homes. It is really beautiful. And so are those nudes of Miru Kim. Thanx Scott!
hillary! said, on 7/31/2007 8:44:00 AM
Check this slide show out, more tunnels.
hillary! said, on 7/31/2007 8:46:00 AM
Oh, click my name! I’d make my words orange but I don’t know how.
Cicely said, on 7/31/2007 1:02:00 PM
Very fawesome. Way different than I pictured them, but still cool.
Letticia said, on 7/31/2007 7:57:00 PM
That is amazing!!! I didnt even know it was like that!!!
Amy-la said, on 7/31/2007 9:27:00 PM
those pics are so cool!
Amy-la said, on 7/31/2007 9:58:00 PM
scott, im bored. i have nothing to do online. please post again soon. (and bring back the contest)
Amy-la said, on 8/1/2007 12:07:00 AM
those pictures are fawesome!
Amy-la said, on 8/1/2007 10:00:00 AM
so0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o bored….
scott post….
hillary! said, on 8/1/2007 12:03:00 PM
sooooooooo bored. I think I am in love with my friend Matt. I feel all fluttery in my stomach when I think about him.
Amy-la said, on 8/1/2007 1:51:00 PM
wow. thanks for the randomness of the fact that you are in love with your friend matt. thanks hillary!. and to hillary!, i don’t know what to do about the fact that you like you friend as more than a friend.
p.s. scott post soon!
No name please! said, on 8/1/2007 5:33:00 PM
When I said there’s nothing on our news except that, I meant that the bridge has been on the air for nearly an hour and a half. It looks so scary!
No name please! said, on 8/1/2007 5:33:00 PM
OMG…changing subject…anyone hear about the bridge in MN? I live by that bridge! There’s nothing on our news except that!
Cat-kha said, on 8/1/2007 5:42:00 PM
*boggles* kheidi-la, your birthday’s august 3rd? So’s mine, oddly enough.
Well … I’m bored…
*whistles in the daak*
Random passerby number one: Do you mean whistling in the dark?
Cat: Marmalade or blueberry?
R. p. n. o.: …freaky kid *walks away*
Cat: What a weirdo. It’s not my fault that we’re all living inside a novel. Beware of the Flying Saucepan Invasion and the Frying Pan Revolution, by the way. I think they’ve joined forces.
***the pantomime ends***
*cat wonders when Scott will post*
*the world ends*
*cat keeps wondering when Scott’ll post unaware that Scott no longer exists nor does she*
allichie said, on 8/1/2007 6:57:00 PM
…what a freak *walks away*
last time I got bored I picked on Chelsea-wa
allichie said, on 8/1/2007 7:19:00 PM
SOOOOOOOO bored…
allichie said, on 8/1/2007 7:32:00 PM
MAJOR BRIDGE COLLAPSE IN MINNEAPOLIS
-headline news at msn.com
one of the first things I read is “terrorism not suspected”
(what is it with us and terrorists?)
Amy said, on 8/1/2007 9:08:00 PM
this is really cool! i have always liked art like this, i reminds me of thjis book i read once call ‘downsiders’ about people that live in the old subway areas.
the pics have a very eerie feeling, it makes you think of vampires right from the beginning, one of these would have been a cool book cover.
Stephie-wa said, on 8/2/2007 12:25:00 AM
hey scott fans, come vist a site all about scott =]
we are lacking members sence the whole spam problem…but it is mostly fixed now dont worry =]
allichie i watched the news for over an hour w/ one of my friends this morning and that was the only thing they talked about! it’s crazy, i still can’t believe it. they had all of this video footage and interviews and pictures ans stuff…
Amy-la said, on 8/2/2007 2:19:00 PM
school starts in 11 days! *cry*
Taylor said, on 8/2/2007 2:33:00 PM
wow i give you my condolences amy-la! my school year doesn’t start for another 5 weeks (approx.)
No name please! said, on 8/2/2007 2:37:00 PM
Taylor, are you from MN? you don’t have to answer if you don’t wanna, but I’m from MN and that’s all that is on the news. Still!
Kadie-Wa said, on 8/2/2007 3:15:00 PM
Rachael-la,i think i know how to contact him. When you click contact Scott on the hompage, it gives you that thing that says: Scott AT…I forget the rest, but you know what i mean, right. Well, put the @ sign where the AT is. I think it was just a mess up. If it doesn’t work, then sorry!
Kadie-Wa
Kadie-Wa said, on 8/2/2007 3:16:00 PM
And oh, i forgot. You can post your question here or in mailbag. He reads these, (I’m pretty sure) And so he can try to answer your question!
Kadie-Wa
kheidi-la said, on 8/2/2007 6:46:00 PM
scott could you pretty please with sugar on top post tommorrow with a question or trivia or something…. (o something for contest you sould ask everyone that wanted the sampler to comment just saying sampler (they can only say it once) and then you copy paste cut them out and draw names randomly…) ta da stress free but a little work has to go into but please post tommorrow it my sweet 16!!!! aug 3rd rocks…. bye pplz
Taylor said, on 8/2/2007 7:18:00 PM
no i’m not i’m from NY, but believe me the bridge story has probably been on every news station in the country today!
and i hope he posts, too, kheidi-la! you’re lucky that your bday is before extras comes out! one of my friends bdays is on august 5th, two days after yours, but she hasn’t read scott’s books.
Amy-la said, on 8/2/2007 8:40:00 PM
ok, i am lately so obsesed with harry potter that i know when the 6th movie is comming out. it is comming out on november 21st, 2008. i am so lame to know this.
11 days till school *cry*
(we go back freakishly early)
Amy-la said, on 8/2/2007 8:41:00 PM
im going to a b day party on saturday. she hasnt read one of scotts books yet, maybe ill get her the first midnighters book!
Amy-la said, on 8/2/2007 8:42:00 PM
scott, post before i have to go back to school! the fact that i havent started school shopping yet and school starts in 11 days scares me!
Amy-la said, on 8/2/2007 8:43:00 PM
sorry for posting so many times
Amy-la said, on 8/2/2007 8:47:00 PM
sorry for posting again, but should i change my name on this site? Amy-la is ok, but im tired of it. before i read the uglies trilogy, my mom called me Amila. so i changed it to Amy-la when i finally read the uglied trilogy. but now i want to be called something else. any suggestions?
11 days till school
Drake-la said, on 8/3/2007 6:48:00 PM
Wow, that was amazing. I would love to do something like that. How do you get in contact with people who do that? Do they do it in more than New York? As I said, it’s amazing.
Kadie-Wa said, on 8/4/2007 1:10:00 PM
Hey the 6th movie comes out a few days before my bday. Kewl.
I just started reading peeps, and I’m allready 2/3 of the way through it. OMG IT IS ADDICTING!
And don’t laugh at me for saying this, but…is that parasite that makes you a peep real? If it isn’t then that means that scott did a great job! (Well, all of his books are great) I know that the other parasites are real that he talks about…so just wonderin! THanks!
Kadie-Wa
No name please! said, on 8/4/2007 2:30:00 PM
Wow taylor, you are from NY!! Lucky!! I would LOVE to live there. All I do is stair into lakes…lots and lots of lakes. I think it would be fun to live in NY *drools at the thought of NY*
No, peeps are not getting the books (think how sticky they would make the pages), you are. Specifically those of you picked by the random number generator: Random Ranter (Tied to the Tracks) and Barb (First Person Plural). If y'all can email me at the address in the purple box in the right hand column I'll make sure you get your books.
Some 10,000 years ago, somewhere in the Near East, an audacious wild cat crept into one of the crude villages of early human settlers, the first to domesticate wheat and barley. There she felt safe from her many predators in the region, such as hyenas and larger cats, and the rodents that infested the settlers’ homes and granaries were sufficient prey for her.
Seeing she was earning her keep, the settlers tolerated her, and their children greeted her kittens with delight.
At least five females, of the wildcat subspecies known as Felis silvestris lybica, accomplished this delicate transition from forest to village, scientists have concluded, based on new DNA research. And from these five matriarchs, all the world’s 600 million housecats are descended.
That’s right, scientists are now theorizing that cats and humans go back 10,000 years. That’s way before the Egyptian empire existed to immortize its felines in onyx, back to the beginnings of argiculture. I’ve always loved the notion that cats have been with us since the dawn of civilization, guarding our storehouses from the rats and mice. Maybe without these allies, the whole settling-down-and-farming thing wouldn’t have worked, and we’d still be hunter-gatherers.
There are two new finds of interest:
1) A cat was recently found buried with its human owner in Cyprus, in a 9,500-year-old grave. So they’ve been domesticated long enough.
2) Housecat mitochondrial DNA has been traced back to five original females. So the alliance may have started in a single village!
I’ve already covered cat-human alliances in Risen Empire and Peeps. But wouldn’t a novel set in a stone-age village, about the first cats to tie their destinies to humanity’s, be kinda cool?
50 Comments on It’s Cat Week!, last added: 7/18/2007
wow, thats so cool. where DID you find that article? so cats have been, like, atatched to humans since the dawn of the first day! sweet
and im one of first posts!
ANA said, on 6/28/2007 8:03:00 PM
second posts thats the closest ive goton yeah!!!! cant wait for the fisrt pg of EXTRAS!!!!
ANA said, on 6/28/2007 8:04:00 PM
i mean tird
Kailyx said, on 6/28/2007 8:12:00 PM
Woah. Cat’s are so cool they domesticated themseles (or so the link says). Bow down, dog lovers; cats are clearly superior. Oh, and that picture made me nearly “lol”. But it came out as more of a snort.
So does the fact that two series’ plots are losely dependant opon cats point to Scott being a cat person?
Kelly said, on 6/28/2007 8:26:00 PM
Huge laugh at the lolcat.
Cicely said, on 6/28/2007 9:10:00 PM
Cats are so smart. Way better than dogs. *hugs cat* I wonder which cat mine is descended from?
I have a mostly-joking theory that cats are so smart, they were aware that if they remained wild, they would be exterminated by humans eventually, so they settled into villages.
David Witteveen said, on 6/28/2007 11:26:00 PM
A book about domesticating cats? I think you’ve got a whole trilogy there.
CATS
DOGS
RODENTS
That should be enough room for the whole “which is cooler: cats or dogs?” debate.
And Cicely? If cats are so smart, why are there no sniffer cats for customs official, sheep cats for farmers, or guide cats for blind people?
*dog person*
haddy-la said, on 6/29/2007 1:10:00 AM
why David Witteveen, because they are so smart (and lazy) they know that would take work and most people dont like work
and that would be a lovely idea of books both you and scott
Addie-Wa said, on 6/29/2007 4:10:00 AM
Fawesome idea Scott. Sounds like a best-seller. “Stone Age Cats”
Lil said, on 6/29/2007 7:51:00 AM
Oh Kailyx, you just posted my comment!
Cats are definately superior.
And i definately snorted at that pic.
Hehe.
Scott MUST be a cat person.
We are the best kinds of people.
And uh, yeah– Impatiently waiting the first page of Extras!!! Why tell us that then leave us hanging??? Yeeeeeshhh.
kathy~ said, on 6/29/2007 7:58:00 AM
Go ahead and write that book Scott! I always knew that cats were kool and I’m also wondering what cat mine is descended from too. Hmmmnn………………
JD said, on 6/29/2007 7:58:00 AM
Yes, a novel like that would be awesome. You know, like set up like Peeps is and from a human’s point of view. I’d read it!
ImInLoveWithJonathan! said, on 6/29/2007 8:28:00 AM
cats are okay, bt i like dogs better *serious dog person here* although i’m biased seeing as im highly allergic to cats. as in sneezing to death if the hives and fever dont kill me.
amy said, on 6/29/2007 8:53:00 AM
i got this in an email and i think its pretty accurate. =]
COMPARISON OF DOG AND CAT DIARIES
EXCERPTS FROM A DOG’S DIARY
Day number 180
8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 pm - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
4:00 pm - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!
Day number 181
8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 pm - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
4:00 pm - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!
Day number 182
8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 pm - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
1:30 pm - ooooooo. bath. bummer.
4:00 pm - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!
EXCERPTS FROM A CAT’S DIARY
DAY 752 - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.
DAY 761 - Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded; I must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair…must try this on their bed.
DAY 765 - Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was…Hmmm. Not working according to plan.
DAY 768 - I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called “shampoo.” What sick minds could invent such a liquid. My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth.
DAY 771 - There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I as placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call “beer.” More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of “allergies.” Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.
DAY 774 - I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird on the other hand has got to be an informant, and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured.
But I can wait, it is only a matter of time..
amy said, on 6/29/2007 9:44:00 AM
a strange coincidence: I just read The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton and one of the covers for it has the same picture on it as the Australian Peeps cover (see the sept. 28 blog of last year)
weird.
Mandy-wa said, on 6/29/2007 10:19:00 AM
oh that would be way cool! (well, anything you write is going to be cool!) i’m really not surprised that cats have been around that long. i’m a total cat person and have always thought that if they could talk they could tell us more about ourselves than we even know. i’ve had 3 cats now and all of them just seem to know what i’m saying.
Topaz said, on 6/29/2007 2:34:00 PM
Uh, thanks for sharing, Amy. Sheesh.
Anyways, its neat to know that cats have been with us for so long. Our feline friends are way cooler then dogs’ll ever be! Meow!
-Topaz
Cicely said, on 6/29/2007 3:03:00 PM
If cats are so smart, why are there no sniffer cats for customs official, sheep cats for farmers, or guide cats for blind people?
-x-
Cats are smart, but they don’t like to follow orders.
intensegreeneyes said, on 6/29/2007 4:16:00 PM
did scott post the 1st page of EXTRAS yet, i just got back from camp
capt. cockatiel said, on 6/29/2007 5:22:00 PM
GASP. Write that book, Scott. Write it! I would read it, at least.
Cicely: Cats don’t follow the rules which makes them ten times cooler than dogs. Dogs aren’t rebels at all! Ha!
Heather Wade said, on 6/29/2007 6:37:00 PM
Makes Psychokitty seem a bit more friendly, doesn’t it? Maybe it just had Jess mistaken for a mouse?
Cicely said, on 6/29/2007 7:40:00 PM
Admittedly, my cat is sort of dumb (but I love her anyway). If she was in the road and a car was coming, she would duck down and freeze.
But she’s smarter than any dog. Cats can use litter boxes. Dogs need to be walked. Cats can wash themselves. They can climb trees. And they’re sooooooooo cute! *hugs cat*
Amy-la said, on 6/29/2007 8:53:00 PM
i have two dogs and one cat. i grew up with cats. here is how many pets i’ve had!
two cats(ghost and gizmo)
gizmo dies
ghost dies
2 kittens (chip and lasey)
5 days later they both die
1 cat(nelly)
another cat(rocky)
then we get a dog(cj)
rocky dies
we get a chuhuahua (raven)
so now i have nelly, cj, and raven!
(nelly is my favorite!)
Amy-la said, on 6/29/2007 8:54:00 PM
even though i like my cat better, i’ not so sure about a cat book!
Amy-la said, on 6/29/2007 8:55:00 PM
SORRY CAT PEOPLE
kim said, on 6/29/2007 10:20:00 PM
i have a cat and a dog.
my cat is going to turn 9 years old in august.
my cat sometimes goes into our living room and taunts our dog who is a year old, because she knows that we will not let the dog get her.
smart cat.
but she can also be dumb. she got stuck behind our wall desk unit.
dumb cat
our dog is pretty smart.she knows that if we are sitting down for supper and i have not fed her yet, food is on its way.
smart dog.
she can also be dumb. she is scared of taking a bath. and she is scared of a rake, the vacume, plastic bags, a broom, and water.
dumb dog.
cicley: cats just want to speak there own mind, just like americans.
dogs can be easily brainedwashed.
cat:Boots-black with white paws.
dag:Candi-doberman pincher
haddy-la said, on 6/30/2007 1:18:00 AM
all typs of cat are the same lions tigers house cats oh my!
Amy-la said, on 6/30/2007 10:30:00 AM
the biggest cat i’ve ever pet is a liger! a liger is a cross between a lion and a tiger. they wouldn’t happen naturally in the wild so some poeple think they are “wrong”. i think they are pretty cool!
sam-la said, on 6/30/2007 12:28:00 PM
i don’t accuaqly own a cat because my dad dosen’t like them but i would say im a cat person.
awhile ago my dad brought home some kittens that had been hanging around his work and i gave them away. on to my cuzin and two to my brother. my cuzins cat (boomer) is the sweetest cat ever and hes really funny. he loves water, when u flush the toilet he goes and plays in the water going down. if u are running bath water he goes on the side of the tub and paws at it. he nos when he gets feed. he nos when your playing with him, when your sad he cames and rubs up aginst u and he is just all together sweet.
so boo u dog people *sticks out tongue*
sam-la said, on 6/30/2007 12:29:00 PM
oh and go for that book i’ll read it.
*Jessie* said, on 6/30/2007 3:09:00 PM
OO cool. Im allergic 2 cats!!! Like really really allergic!!
ANA said, on 6/30/2007 5:06:00 PM
yeah i think i like Dod better (no offence to the people that like cats) but it’s true what (Cicely) said.
*Cant wait for the first pg of EXTRAS…(Happy dance)
♥ANA♥
Rose said, on 6/30/2007 7:03:00 PM
I expect to see the book in the library soon
Shelby said, on 6/30/2007 10:44:00 PM
Oooh, cool Scott. You could definately make it work.
I’m definately a dog person though. Cats are meh, but dogs are awesome.
So first page of Extras?
Shan said, on 7/1/2007 5:43:00 AM
WOW! i leave for.. 2 or 3 days and gah! lolol! anywho, cool.. i like my friends cat, but noone elses
casey said, on 7/1/2007 9:19:00 AM
you no, normally i think that a book about the stoneage cats would be totally bogus boaring, but if you write it, then i might give the book a shot. (that is if there was one.)
casey said, on 7/1/2007 9:28:00 AM
you no, normally i would think that a book about stoneage cats would be totally bogus boaring, but if you wrote it then i might give it a read. (that is if there was one.)
and i would like to read the first page of extras. whos idea was that anyway? throw the the guy a bone!
casey said, on 7/1/2007 9:30:00 AM
hey sorry about the two comments that are almost exactly the same. i thought that it didnt work the first time. my bad.
Amy said, on 7/1/2007 2:06:00 PM
a whole book about cats? scott when you are old you will be one of those crazy cat ladies, only you shall be a man.you will have fifty cats all with names like ‘pumpkin’, ‘cuddles’ and ‘fluffy.’ how sad scott
haddy-la said, on 7/1/2007 4:04:00 PM
no talking cats in a cat book just thinking cats
and im reading the named and it is like what was in the post about alternet worlds you should read the book i like it
Samantha-wa (not to be confused with the previous said, on 7/1/2007 11:02:00 PM
Amy-la? why did your kitties die in five days??? thats kinda really depressing. my three-year-old cat died from the cat food recall on christmas 2006. it was really sad. but i mean… five days? wow.
oh and i would definitely read a book about cats. i have five, two of which are happy-making kitties. not that the other three aren’t equally as happy-making.
And Cicely… the one and only problem with cats is when you’re reading and they decide they want some more attention. then they sit on your very interesting book, interupting you mid-sentance and possibly crumpling the pages.
Other than that, my cats are light, so when they sit on me when i’m sleeping they’re not nearly as heavy as fourteen pound Cornelius(from peeps).
jackijie :) said, on 7/2/2007 3:10:00 PM
cute kitty!
oh by the way amy, love the diary. hilarious!
Kaliana said, on 7/4/2007 8:13:00 AM
Ohh, nice. I like that idea xD Cats of the stone age xD That’s AWESOME! I wrote a story about cats once o.o
But it was this little short story that I wrote when I was ten that I THOUGHT was long at the time, but is only like . . . 3 and a half pages long xD Longest story I’ve ever completed though That’s SOMETHING, at least. Anyways, I think the story is the LAMEST thing I’ve ever actually written now =P It’s called “Kimberly’s Quest” The title thanks to some random person who decided the main characters’ names should be Kimberly and Bridget and I agreed ^^
But yeah - story about stone age cats - SWEEEEEET! I’d totally read it and FORCE everyone else to read it too =P –disappears back into meh music–
kailyx said, on 7/5/2007 6:43:00 AM
Heh heh…Yeah. I think the stone age cat story would be amusing.
Stephanie said, on 7/6/2007 6:41:00 AM
i’m a cat person, but i must admit that i do like dogs better. but i really want a snake. a really big one. im into to BIG animals so a cat is kinda not my type, but i love to pet and cuddle with them!!they’re sooo soft!!i haev 3 cats and one dog. they HATE each other. i wonder why that is. you should make the book fiction and make up a reason for why dogs and cats fight. that’d be REALLY kool!!
nxeoqybihp said, on 7/6/2007 2:22:00 PM
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punkroxta said, on 7/10/2007 9:19:00 AM
You should write it, Scott. Felines are cool and I’m curious to see your writing with a setting of a non-gadgety world.
And Amy, I love the diary!
MaxRiderules(asdoesShay) said, on 7/13/2007 6:48:00 AM
stone age cats? sounds…. you.
Tim said, on 7/18/2007 5:29:00 PM
“But wouldn’t a novel set in a stone-age village, about the first cats to tie their destinies to humanity’s, be kinda cool?”
The NY Times has an article on parasites today that has some weirdly familiar language.
Predators want to kill you and eat you right there on the veldt. Parasites, by contrast, want to keep you alive, the better to serve as a parasite paradise, a cozy haven where they can grow at their own pace, suckle on your moist, nourishing tissues, multiply their numbers and finally, one way or another, pass those numbers along.
It was all sounding very much like a certain book of mine, but then the writer got to a couple of parasite life cycles I was unfamiliar with.
Meet the thorny-headed worm, which makes pill bugs want to be eaten by birds. And the horsehair worm, which grows so big inside grasshoppers that it finally busts out of them, like when the bad guys rip off masks in Mission Impossible. At the end, there’s an interesting point about taxoplasma-positive humans and our sense of smell.
Update: Turns out the entire Science Times is about evolution today. Lots of good articles, including one by Carl Zimmer, who wrote Parasite Rex, the book that Peeps was mostly based on.
37 Comments on Cat Scat Fever, last added: 7/13/2007
As much as I loved Peeps (and pretty much everything you’ve ever published) reading about parasites gives me the heebie jeebies. Eek.
Amy-la said, on 6/26/2007 10:40:00 AM
this post made me … i cant even think of the word! i dont like reading about parasites. (i’ve never read peeps)
Caitlin said, on 6/26/2007 10:48:00 AM
Cool! Of course, I don’t have cats, so maybe that’s why I’m not having a major panic attack right now. The whole messing-with-the-host’s-brain thing is kinda fascinating, even though I would never want it to happen to me.
Amanda said, on 6/26/2007 10:52:00 AM
All this parasite stuff is surprisingly interesting. I loved those bits in Peeps the most for some reason.
haddy-la said, on 6/26/2007 11:21:00 AM
cool i loved peeps (and all the other books) because mostly of the parisites on every other chapter and makeing people squeel when i tell them about it fun
Kayla-wa said, on 6/26/2007 11:46:00 AM
ewwwww i have a cat…and i cleaned its litter!!! what does that mean about me now?? I LOVED peeps it was soo faawesome!!! but the bio lessons on parasites made me pretty squirmy… yuck.
ANA said, on 6/26/2007 11:50:00 AM
sorry i mean parasites
ANA said, on 6/26/2007 11:50:00 AM
well i havent read peeps, but it’s sounds cool.and i’m not that in to parasotes.(cant wait for the first pg of EXTRAS)
katerate said, on 6/26/2007 12:31:00 PM
Well, that’s something interesting there. I wasn’t expecting an explaination about the existence of cat ladies. I just always thought they were crazy.
But now I understand it’s just parasites.
Amy-la said, on 6/26/2007 12:52:00 PM
i have a cat!
88 days till Extras comes out!!!
Clari-wa said, on 6/26/2007 12:57:00 PM
WOW summer relaxation has finally started and once things quite down i am extremely bored am I the only one who is bored in a smallish town well at least smaller than Seattle??
Rebecca said, on 6/26/2007 1:23:00 PM
Perfect. I’ve always wanted to enhance my rather pathetic conversational skills. Just gots to find me some toxoplasma gondii, and I’ll become chatty!! Yessss. I’ve got the cat lady part covered. Who knew that cleaning the litter box could improve your social life?
IndigoEyes said, on 6/26/2007 3:37:00 PM
Oh jeez. That just made me squirm. And I don’t squirm. Ever.
Addie-Wa said, on 6/26/2007 5:46:00 PM
Hah. I love that book. I wonder if I have toxoplasma…?
Jeni said, on 6/26/2007 5:54:00 PM
I’ve never been squimish but a few things in peeps made me shiver. I loved both peeps and the last days and… well evreything i’ve ever read by you. What were some of you favorite authors growing up, or any books that inspired you to write? I’m a big reader so pile on the books and i’ll read ‘em all from 2 pages to 2,ooo. I CAN NOT wait for extras!!!
capt. cockatiel said, on 6/26/2007 6:07:00 PM
Yesssss. I do so love parasites. Toxoplasma gondii is my favorite by far, what with its personality-changig ways. I love that article, too.
Alexa-la said, on 6/26/2007 6:35:00 PM
thats soo FAWSOME!! lol hows everyones summer been???
kim said, on 6/26/2007 6:59:00 PM
i have a cat. i clean it’s litter. well so does my sister. jackie. ick.
”
__
kim said, on 6/26/2007 7:00:00 PM
forget the smile.
Amy-la said, on 6/26/2007 7:03:00 PM
i am not normally squimish, but i HATE parasites.
(i said that before!)
Melissa said, on 6/26/2007 7:56:00 PM
I read that article today! And I immediately thought of Peeps when I read it! What a coincidence. And it has to do with cats as well…toxoplasma is so cool! ANd fawsome!
haddy-la said, on 6/26/2007 9:07:00 PM
peeps is famsome
thats all i have to say
Topaz said, on 6/26/2007 10:09:00 PM
I like the picture of the cat.
-Topaz
Tamara said, on 6/26/2007 11:02:00 PM
Peeps was the first Scott Westerfeld book I read!! I got so addicted I had to read Uglies and Midnighters. I was so excited when I heard about lost days I think I managed to convince my family I’m insane
Scott: I love reading your blog. My favorite part is the writing advice because I want to write novels when I’m grown up. Even though your posts are short (and few and far between… nudge nudge) they’re basically the most practical advice I’ve found on writing. A lot of guides are really awkward and stiff, or SUPER condescending. So… keep posting please!
Sarah said, on 6/27/2007 8:45:00 AM
Haha oh my gosh! I know a cat lady! She used to be my english teacher and she has posters of cats all over her room and she she always talks about all the stray cats she takes into her home. She’s also very loopy, very friendly, and very chatty. OMG she’s infected with toxoplasma.
Bailey said, on 6/27/2007 9:13:00 AM
I think that that the horsehair worm would be more like in the movie Alien.
Maria said, on 6/27/2007 12:47:00 PM
thats pretty nasty! but cool in also its so fun watching preps getting freaked wheni tell them about it
haddy-la said, on 6/27/2007 1:28:00 PM
wow i know now why my step gmas so crazy
IndigoEyes said, on 6/27/2007 4:59:00 PM
YES, I finally got out of school today! Well, actually, tomorrow is officially the last day, but it’s only for an hour. Yeah, I know, we get out freakishly late here.
Amy-la said, on 6/27/2007 7:39:00 PM
my grandma was the crazy cat lady. she took in so0o0o0o many cats! she also fed the stray cats down at the YMCA!
Zafiro said, on 6/27/2007 8:05:00 PM
I think parasites are fascinating. Same with diseases, gruesome deaths, and torture devices. I know, I’m morbid.
kim said, on 6/28/2007 7:57:00 AM
indigoeyes, where do you live?
i got out may 25!
next year they messed with the school year and we are starting at the end of august and we end june 5. i wish they would have left it the same because our spring break is a week earlier and my mom works in the payroll department at a college, so when we have spring break she is not off, but the week after that she has her spring break. so i don’t get to go any where durning spring break. i was talking to my sister and i said that we should start a petition of all the kids whose parents work at the college.
oh and i got a sans disk!!!!
Becca-bear said, on 6/28/2007 2:07:00 PM
:DDD
that is awesome. Ever since I read peeps, I love biology. erm.. o.k., maybe just parasites and they effect things. It’s SOO interesting!
And yet bilogy seems to be my worst subject.
Ah well..
zoe said, on 7/1/2007 9:41:00 PM
so cool!
cvnzrneued said, on 7/6/2007 2:21:00 PM
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! qchreihxdwml
Hillary said, on 7/13/2007 9:52:00 AM
Parasite Pig
William Sleator
If you haven’t read this book about a certain toxoplasma parasite, you should, but it is a sequel to his “interstellar pig” novel. I was quite shocked when i read that that parasite was involved since i had just finished reading “Peeps”. It made me feel happy inside.+)
I’ve been blogging about Extras sort of non-stop lately, and have been thinking it’s time to talk about some other series.
Luckily, this new cover treatment came in the mail today from my pals at Atom Books:
Very splashy, huh? The colors (or colours, as this is the UK edition) are actually better than this, which is just a photo taken on my floor. An electronic version has been requested!
It’s more like the Aussie covers than the US ones. See?
And speaking of which, the Australian The Last Days is out now!
In more parasite news:
One of my librarian pals at TLA told me about these parasite plush toys. Squeezable. (Thanks, Kerry!)
Boingboing just blogged Who Is Sick?, a site that allows you to post your illnesses for amateur epidemiologists to track. Sort of a GoogleMaps for symptoms. (Warning: site runs slowly.)
This is a post from Carl Zimmer’s blog about “Corydceps, a parasitic fungus that drives its insect host up a plant before growing a spike out of its head.” With video! You may remember that Zimmer’s book Parasite Rex is the inspiration for my novel Peeps.
And here’s a very amusing and fictional Powerpoint presentation for Peter Watts’ book Blindsight, a novel with a very Peeps-like scientific explanation for vampirism. It’s available here in PDF for free!
Anyway, I’m not sure when TLD comes out in the UK, but the US version of the The Last Days is available here.
*Sunday in Australia.
77 Comments on Parasite Saturday*, last added: 5/30/2007
I own a giant microbe! Her name is Lil’ Poxy! Everyone needs a giant microbe.
Daw said, on 4/21/2007 2:58:00 PM
You know, I think I like the Australian covers a lot better than the US ones. Hm. They’re all cool covers, though!!
Lea said, on 4/21/2007 3:18:00 PM
Plush parasites? Now I’ve seen everything. They’re actually kind of cute, though.
Alexa-la said, on 4/21/2007 4:44:00 PM
yea the Australian covers are way cooler!!! lol and i cant wait for extras to come out!!!
also…. i kind of missed the chapters about parasites in the last days…. but naming the chapters after bands is totally fawesome!!!! lol
Jude said, on 4/21/2007 6:07:00 PM
The covers are cool. As one of your librarian readers, I thought I’d mention that a new thread on LM_NET, the school librarian’s listserv is about everyone’s top 10 checkouts of the last school year–guess who made the top 10 on most high school lists? One or another of your books, and frequently more than one–true most of the time throughout the country.
laine-wa said, on 4/21/2007 6:21:00 PM
ooh, i like:D
IndigoEyes said, on 4/21/2007 7:25:00 PM
Oh, that’s awesome! (Or should I say fawsome?) That face sort of looks like one of the Night Watch angels. Well, to me. It looks watercolory, but in a good way.
Also, I want one of those plush parasites.
Nicky said, on 4/21/2007 8:36:00 PM
Finished reading TLD last night. Loved how you laid it out re the pov-ing & band names (which I actually ‘got’).
Covers are fawesome, but then I’m spoilt with the Aussie versions. Soon as I spied it on the shelf I was taking one home.
Next on the hit-list is Specials, so I’ll be ready for Extras when it gets here.
You give me a high writing-bar to do chin-ups on that’s for sure.
Hannah said, on 4/21/2007 10:29:00 PM
Have you ever watched the TV series Planet Earth? (I’m a Discovery Channel junky.) Anyway, I was watching an episode about the rain forests and it TOTALLY SHOWED AN ANT CLIMBING UP A TREE AND HAVE A RELIGIOUS/PARASITE INDUCED MOMENT! I screamed and mum came running but all I could squeak out was,
“Peeps!”
When she came back from the store she handed me a box of marshmallow peeps. Not what I meant, but I wasn’t about to complain.
Anyway, it totally showed in super-fast motion a parasite growing out of its head and the other ants carrying it way far away so the rest wouldn’t get infected.
Now I’m going to watch closely for any cats having fond relationships with cats or anything else suspicious of a Westerfeld world take over. Which I expect to happen any day now.
…I hope.
Malou said, on 4/21/2007 11:19:00 PM
I love our Aussie covers, they’re really cool! First thing tomorrow i’m gonna go find TLD and buy it!
…and thank you dearly for not forgetting us all the way down here in Aussieland! Its much appreciated!
Rebecca said, on 4/22/2007 12:21:00 AM
That cover’s pretty cool. Almost menacing. I don’t think I’d wanna run into that person in a dark alley at night. I like the colourtasticness.
ImInLoveWithJonathan! said, on 4/22/2007 7:08:00 AM
awwwwwwwwww i want a plushie parasite! too bad my birthday was yesterday. i would have told my friend to get me one. . very fawsome cover my favorite cover is the Aussie version of Peeps. its so fexcelent. and hannah, i want to see that so bad. Westerfeldian world take over! yes!
Savannah said, on 4/22/2007 8:21:00 AM
Thats really really fool!! I WANT A PARASITE PLUSHIE!!!!!!!!!!!
cati-wa said, on 4/22/2007 9:30:00 AM
what is the difference between the american one and the australian one?
ImInLoveWithJonathan! said, on 4/22/2007 11:17:00 AM
ImInLoveWithJonathan! said, on 4/22/2007 11:18:00 AM
i posted the difference to the american version and the australian version but its being moderated. it should be up soon. i guess.
emzie said, on 4/22/2007 12:04:00 PM
Err… intresting plushies. That who is sick site is cool. Too bad it’s so slow.
IndigoEyes said, on 4/22/2007 12:07:00 PM
I’m with you, Hannah, a Westerfeldian-world takeover would be fexcellent. I bet all the fans would be given positions of power.
Jessie said, on 4/22/2007 1:22:00 PM
OMG I LOVE the covers! They are really cool looking!
M said, on 4/22/2007 2:18:00 PM
When does Extras come out in the States? (or did you already say?)
ImInLoveWithJonathan! said, on 4/22/2007 3:45:00 PM
october 2nd 2007
haddy-la said, on 4/22/2007 3:48:00 PM
cool
Shan said, on 4/22/2007 4:16:00 PM
Those are FAWSOME COVERS! man, i want those instead of the one’s I own…
Shan said, on 4/22/2007 4:23:00 PM
OK, get this..i start the first Midnighters book at my dad’s, then i finished it on the EXACT day i started, and i was already AT my dads! and i didnt have the second book! i was going insane the whole weekend! but now i’m back at my mom’s and i get to read it!!
amelia-wa said, on 4/22/2007 5:24:00 PM
IS the UK language the same as the american language? by the way those covers are beastly (cool/sweet/awesome)
Shannon said, on 4/22/2007 5:45:00 PM
what a bummer…that video did not work!
zo-la said, on 4/22/2007 6:28:00 PM
My science teacher has a common cold, and a stomach virus parasite plushie!
they are really cute!
Kayla-wa said, on 4/23/2007 4:19:00 AM
cool covers!!!!! personally i like the Austrailian ones bettere than the US! yea the Parasite plushies are awesome (FAWESOME) i want one! culdn’t go on the other sites (VERY old computer) but i just finished Peeps and gonna get TLD soon!!!!
Elmo said, on 4/23/2007 5:49:00 AM
I love the Australian covers too, but I might be biased…lol.
I started reading The Last Days at one o’clock this morning (I’m werid, I know) and finished it at about five o’clock this morning!
So. Very. Good.
If you haven’t read it yet GO AND BUY IT. Now.
Vanessa said, on 4/23/2007 7:21:00 AM
I just finished reading Peeps and I thought it was one of the best books i ever read. (In the top ten) I cant wait to read The Last Days!!!
P.S Scott, You have not responded to a very important e-mail that I sent you. I was doing a project about you at scool. I did a biography about you and a poster about you. It was really fun finding quotes among your books. Other kids who actually got a response from the author they chose got a higher grade. So if you can reply as soon as possible, that would be great. Thanks!
Stephanie said, on 4/23/2007 9:10:00 AM
Oh my, those Australian covers are hot. I’m tempted to replace my US editions just so I can have the lovely covers…
Shan said, on 4/23/2007 12:50:00 PM
OK ppls, that Shannon wasnt me…ok? jst so everyone knows..
jamie said, on 4/23/2007 12:50:00 PM
i havnt red the books but cool covers!
Shan said, on 4/23/2007 1:14:00 PM
READ THEM!
Caitlin said, on 4/23/2007 3:04:00 PM
Thanks Scott, Now I simply must go and get a plush tape worm. I will name him Spike, and set him loose in one of those things the agility dogs run through on Animal planet, just so he can feel at home. and maybe get him a vlack death to keep him company…
hmmmm said, on 4/23/2007 4:02:00 PM
so what?? no first chapter, are you trying to change the subject or something??
parasite plushtoys?? what the heck?
capt. cockatiel said, on 4/23/2007 5:16:00 PM
I want a giant microbe. I’m sad that they don’t have toxoplasma gondii, as it is my all time favorite parasite. Dang.
I love that cover! It is so bright and vibrant! I want it…
Shan said, on 4/23/2007 5:50:00 PM
HEY CAPT COCKTIEL!!!!!!!
Shan said, on 4/23/2007 5:51:00 PM
Cockatiel…sorry! ^_^
Shan said, on 4/23/2007 6:03:00 PM
I WANNTT ANOTHER BOOKS FOR THE MIDNIGHTERS SERIES! PLEASE MAKE ANOTHER
Shannon said, on 4/24/2007 8:08:00 AM
contrary to popular belief, there are other people named shannon in this world!
Kayla-wa said, on 4/24/2007 11:45:00 AM
Hey Shan!!!! & other people!! jus got Midnighters 3….readin it!! no info plez about it & the Last Days.
Shan said, on 4/24/2007 1:08:00 PM
Shannon - Yeah, but still…i mean..w/e
Kayla- i jst finished reading Touching Darkness..it took me 2 days! I’m gonna start Blue Noon tomarrow.
Shan said, on 4/24/2007 1:09:00 PM
Shannon - sorry, i didnt mean to sound like a beotch or anything! seriously!
Cassandra said, on 4/24/2007 5:55:00 PM
ugggg. Scott! Could you at least mention that the powerpoint presentation is 35 MINUTES LONG!!! jeez
It was interesting though, and cool cover
Okay, now I need to work on homework now
Kayla-wa said, on 4/24/2007 6:20:00 PM
Shan- cool!! tell me what yo think cuz im luvin it so far!!!!
Buffy said, on 4/25/2007 1:07:00 PM
me 2!!
Shan said, on 4/25/2007 1:07:00 PM
seems like a lot of ppl are reading Blue Noon
Shan said, on 4/25/2007 1:20:00 PM
Kalya - what pg r u on?
Kayla-wa said, on 4/25/2007 2:58:00 PM
I kno!! but im on like 50 somethin b/c i havn’t been readin much. dont kno how u read the 1st Midnighters in ONE day!!!! wat r u on?
Shan said, on 4/25/2007 3:41:00 PM
i’m a few pgs off from 200, and i started last night. Idk, i read REALLY fast when i like a book!!! ^_^ it must be a talent, my dad reads fast 2..so yeah
SolShine7 said, on 4/25/2007 9:44:00 PM
Those bookcovers are so cool! They’re so enticing.
Kayla-wa said, on 4/26/2007 4:09:00 AM
wow!!! well dont get me wrong i LOVE it, but idk i guess i just like the small books (short pgs.small words) nobody really reads in my family unless they have to. but for skool i have to read a stupid 25 books & im on 50!
Shan said, on 4/27/2007 4:40:00 AM
UHG!!!!! SCOTT! HOW COULD U END MIDNIGHTERS IN SUCH A HORRIBLE WAY! I FINISHED IT LAST NIGHT, 2 DAYS TO READ!!, AND I CRIEED! AGAIN! ALL UR ENDING BOOKS MAKE ME CRRY! UUUUHHHHHGGGGG! Kayla, prepare yourself for the worst most sad ending in the world!! =’[
Kayla-wa said, on 4/27/2007 11:49:00 AM
OMG that really happened?!?!?!? now i REALLY have to finish it!!!! my goal will be Sunday!! ugh if it made u cry, i wonder wat it’ll do to me!!!
Shan said, on 4/27/2007 1:00:00 PM
Yes, sounds good… I bet you’ll cry if ur sensitive, I know i am! Well, i hope you like/dislike it! (if ur gonna read another book straight after, I’d advise to wait a day after u finish it, thats what i did, cuz i was in depression/shock/angry mode…)
woow! have u read that book, The Laughing Corpse? it looks totally fawsome! Adding to my book list!! thnx much
Kayla-wa said, on 4/27/2007 4:24:00 PM
hmmm i wonder who stole the cover from who….. it sounds kinda good!! but yea im sensitive…well sorta. but i usually cry at ones that are about relationships and lubbie dubbie stuff like that. besides Midnighters im readin a book called This Lullaby and its awsome!!!
Jess said, on 4/27/2007 10:34:00 PM
talk about finally, scott!
although i’m sure its not your fault. that its released so late.
and i could have gotten it from amazon
Addie-Wa said, on 4/28/2007 2:49:00 PM
oh by the way those parasite plushie are way fawsome
Addie-Wa said, on 4/28/2007 2:49:00 PM
oh my gosh, i go away for a week and what do u know? Scott actully posts a bit. so now i feel stupid and like a bad fan for not being in the top 50 1st posts. ergh!
well hello Mr. Scott… Mr. Westerfeld? Mr. Scott Westerfeld? excuse me [and funky email adress, its a way way long story]. curious me just decided to watch the power point on the vampirism thing and i have never seen anything way creepier at the very moment. plus i must say Peeps is up there as one of my most very favorite books. if this means anything to you, i read the whole book in one night/morning [continually] in my closet/ “the nest”. now i must re-read Uglies for school which is kind of a bummer becasue i already know what’s going to happen. i also have to read the second Midnighters book right after i read this one book that i promised a friend i would read, right after i read Specials [different friend who i read books witrh at the same time absolutly INSISTS] but then i still have to finish this book that i started like a week ago… apparently the ending to a Midnighters book is sad?
gosh darn, this reply is kinda long isn’t it?
oh oh oh, P.S.
why is everyone dissing the American covers!?!?
Shan said, on 5/4/2007 10:04:00 AM
Ending of Midnighters is S-A-D!
intensegreeneyes said, on 5/7/2007 2:26:00 PM
I never actually read laughing corpse (but now i want to)
Shan said, on 5/9/2007 2:19:00 PM
yeah! sounds fool
potato said, on 5/25/2007 4:12:00 PM
i finished peeps and i’m reading last days!!!(i’m not coming back but if i know you go to my web page and talk to me!!)
Shan said, on 5/27/2007 7:10:00 PM
did u like them?
potato said, on 5/28/2007 8:35:00 AM
yes i love them!!!i’m not done with the last days yet though.
potato said, on 5/28/2007 9:59:00 AM
shan come to my web page and talk with me and every one eles i miss talking to you guys and gals and your a part if that now!!
Shan said, on 5/28/2007 2:25:00 PM
Okey Dokie…wat web page…sorry, i’m not good at catching on…^_^ i’m amazing.
potato said, on 5/30/2007 3:08:00 PM
click my name and it will bring you there!!!
have fun!!!!
“Cats eat birds and therefore can become infected by this virus and help it to mutate and adapt'’ to mammals, said Andrew Jeremijenko, who headed an influenza surveillance project for the Naval American Medical Research Unit in Indonesia until last March. “Maybe there is a role that cats are playing and we don’t understand it yet.'’
This, you see, is why I do not have a cat. The bird flu (and toxoplasma gondii) would just be too close for comfort. Though I do have a bird, which may cancel this out…
abandonedwings said, on 3/10/2007 6:24:00 PM
Wow, I never knew that..
I never liked cats anyways; they hate me.
haddy-la said, on 3/10/2007 6:26:00 PM
stupid bird flu copying peeps how RUDE!
Maria said, on 3/10/2007 6:32:00 PM
Thsi is one of THE freakiest cat pictures I have ever seen. Which is a problem because I likee cats!
Caitlin said, on 3/10/2007 6:59:00 PM
That is absolutely hilarious! i don’t have a cat because my mom is allergic, but my friend has three, so I’ll make sure she knows. I absolutely love little things like this. thanks for the info.
Rebecca said, on 3/10/2007 7:13:00 PM
i have three cats as well, and plans for a fourth (though not in the same house as the other three). eh well, i wrote myself off when i heard about the toxoplasma.* what’s one more disease added to the queue?
;)
*interesting side note: when i told my mom about toxoplasma, she told me i was no longer allowed to change the litter box. hehe.
katie said, on 3/10/2007 7:21:00 PM
um i have 4 cats but their all to stupid or fat to acctauly vatch anything.
Hannah said, on 3/10/2007 10:30:00 PM
That’s creepy and really awesome, Scott. I mean, not awesome that cats can get people sick, but the Peeps connection is too funny to just be coincidental. GASP. Scott, did you plant the Peeps virus into birds and cats? It’s all one huge conspiracy…
Roxi said, on 3/10/2007 10:36:00 PM
hahaha i love this! that picture is so funny. the thing about the bird flu although is a little… scary… i have two cats but o well. i love it!! thanks for this!!!
Savannah said, on 3/10/2007 10:38:00 PM
Oh my god!!! Okay, get this. After I read PEEPS, I took my cat, which we call Alkida Kitty, and put her in the bathroom with the lights off. I shined a flashlight in her eyes and what color did the flash? RED!!!! SHES A PEEP!!
Kim said, on 3/10/2007 11:55:00 PM
Savannah.. that has to be the funniest thing I’ve read all day…
Thank You..
katerate said, on 3/11/2007 12:11:00 AM
Hey, I did a current event on that for my history class last year!
katerate said, on 3/11/2007 12:12:00 AM
Oooor maybe my brain is scrambled.
Sorry for the double post. Ergh.
Briana said, on 3/11/2007 12:42:00 AM
….. As if I wasn’t already avoiding my cat like the PLAGUE.
I don’t let him sleep in my room anymore, Scott. Srsly. CUT ME SOME SLACK, BIRD FLU, COMEON.
Savannah? Must do that now. I’m scared. *twitch*
Korbe said, on 3/11/2007 1:05:00 AM
I just found a cat outside my window a couple weeks ago, and we decided to keep it… now im kind of scared… *runs for flashlight and begins calling kitty*
laine-wa said, on 3/11/2007 8:35:00 AM
Aah???
nick said, on 3/11/2007 10:45:00 AM
yeah my dads really paranoid, coz now my cat is only allowed 2 eat fish cat food. but shes 2 fat 2 catch anything. maybe we should all live in bunkers and wear biosuits (just like the plague axis. Yay plagues!!!!)
Alexa xoxo said, on 3/11/2007 6:13:00 PM
WOW thats really cool… after i read peeps i wasnt all that scard, i thought it would be cool to have super type powers and stuff. And i only have one cat… but i have a bird to!!! but my cat is not the hunting kind of cat so i dont have to worrie… and my bird well idk?? lol but i still love him, even if he does have the bird flu, or is really loud, and poops on my FAV sweeter!!! so any way that is just too cool!!!!
xoxo alexa
Jayme-wa said, on 3/11/2007 6:28:00 PM
Sweet. But now I’m gonna be paranoid about cats! And I like cats too. Sigh. Oh well, at least my cat doesn’t leave the house so I supose I’m safe for now. But yeah, that does sound familiar. Lol.
xoxo
P.S. I love peeps! It’s an amazing book!
Lauren-la said, on 3/11/2007 7:05:00 PM
So, does this mean the cure for bird flu is going to involve garlic?
Or having to get rid of cats?
I hope not. I don’t like garlic, but I love my kitty.
Briana said, on 3/11/2007 7:27:00 PM
…. Or maybe bird flu victims have an anathema or something? Anyone test out that hypothesis?
I just discovered this morning that my mom finds dead, cat-killed birds on my porch. Frequently.
*shiver*
Big Yellow Taxi said, on 3/11/2007 7:46:00 PM
I Love cats, I must be infected (AAAAARRRGGGHHH)
gabby=) said, on 3/11/2007 7:48:00 PM
how about we get rid of the cats. sounds like a plan, simple, easy to remember. i prefer dogs, though my friend would probably die if the cats would somehow mysterioulsy disappear.
that is a creepy (yet funny) picture. hahaha
that sounds like peeps. i love that book a lot. i found it extremely interesting. i read it in a day.
:)
Shannon L said, on 3/11/2007 8:45:00 PM
whoa…C-R-E-E-P-Y that’s just plain weird..and scareeeyy (i know thats not how u spell it, i was trying to stress the ee) that is really freaky, yet very funny…lol!! Thats y i luuv puppies! i prefer them better. I just finished Peeps a while ago..took me 2 days. its kinda gross cuz of all the parasytes..tho it was interesting to think about that the parasites are real. *shudder* It would be SOO AWSOME to have powers! i absolutly luv your books! keep going! =]
capt. cockatiel said, on 3/11/2007 8:54:00 PM
I love parasites. I will always see pictures in books and exclaim: “Look! A tapeworm! It’s sooo cool!” or something similar, depending on the parasite. They amaze me.
M said, on 3/11/2007 11:28:00 PM
There was another article about how cats -and their parisitic friend Toxoplasma Gondii (Yeah, I’ve got the Gondii part committed to memory. Now, I totally want to be a parasitologist.)- may cause schizophrenia. I’ll post a link to the article in a minute.
HA! Just wait until I tell my friend this. For some strange reason, she seems to think that cats are better than dogs. Hehe, and I’ll be certain to remind her of the many times her cat has bitten her.
IndigoEyes said, on 3/14/2007 6:43:00 PM
I want that cat. It would amuse my minions and terrify all the people who stand in my way. Unless it has bird flu.
Anathema said, on 3/15/2007 9:26:00 PM
The studys linking toxo to schizophrenia have yet to prove conclusiviely that there is a conection. Not to menton i think the last figure i read said that some odd 60% of the worlds population of toxplasma positive.Far less then 60% of the worls population has schizophrenia, so i think your all safe. The behavioral changes thought to be linked to toxoplasma are intrigueing though. infact some day when i make it to graduate school i’d like to do research on toxoplasma relation to the furry subculture. Any way.. if you think about it.. just not changeing the litter box would keep you safe.. your cat is licking it’s self all the time. I have had cats my whole life, and have always adopted strays. If i had to guess id say im probably toxoplasma positive.. and im sane for the most part..
It all comes down to the face that if you keep your kitty inside where it’s safe and you don’t have to worry about them giveing you the bird flu.
Oh and i think that kitten is adorable.
Anathema said, on 3/15/2007 9:28:00 PM
*wow i apologize for the spelling errors.. aparently my brain thinks it’s time for bed
Branny said, on 3/17/2007 11:31:00 PM
O_________
kim said, on 3/19/2007 2:59:00 PM
i love cats. some times my cat just acts all spooky. its werid
alanna-wa said, on 4/6/2007 11:45:00 PM
i was telling my friend about the cats in peeps. she just thinks i am telling her this because her cat is annoying.
i always knew i threw a sock at that cat for some reason…
Shan said, on 4/16/2007 7:11:00 PM
Hahaha, Alanna thats hilarious!
Shan said, on 4/16/2007 7:11:00 PM
GOod thing i’m ALLERGIC to pretty-kitties
Shan said, on 4/16/2007 7:13:00 PM
Capt. Cocktail: How do you LIKE parasites, its nasty. no offense..i mean i can watch other gross things..idk..its so weird..i’m very selective on my grossness level and scary stuff.lol!
alex price said, on 4/19/2007 5:38:00 PM
hi I’m Alexandra price. I am in sixth grade my teacher said that I should read Uglies so I started to read it and it got better so I ended reading the whole thing and it was soo good and when I took the test on the book I got 100% it was very good so then at the end it just left me hanging so I ended reading the next book and I was very sad that Zane died I started to cry! but it was very good!!!! I can’t belive that Shay would do that to her best friend! I was very shocked when I read that part! You are a very good writer! don’t ever stop writing such good books!
**thank’s for writing good books!**
Alexandra Price
Shan said, on 4/20/2007 6:06:00 PM
I cried too, i think we all did..when Zane died. and i seriously hate Shay, she’s such a **********. lol
Hey, sorry I’ve been so lame posting this summer.* But I haven’t been totally lazy. I’ve been writing!
What, you may ask? Well, it’s a secret, and I can’t tell you any details about it yet.**
But here’s a funny thing that happened . . .
Quick note: This would be a good time for anyone who works for my publishers to stop reading. No really. Nothing to see, move it a long, because this is SO unrelated to delivery dates or professional issues of any kind. Okay?
Okay.
So, all you non-publishing types, there I was, 16,000 words (65 pages) into my shiny wonderful new book. Except it wasn’t wonderful; something was deeply, deeply wrong. The voice, the plot, the structure all seemed to be sucking! No matter how much I edited the writing, smoothed the transitions, caffeinated the plot, or voicified the characters, it all just came out flat.
The whole book gave me that icky feeling of inexcusable lameness, like when they rap on Sesame Street, or when my parents would say “The Led Zeppelin” and “Clash,” instead of the other way around. Or when politicians clap along with the musical act before their speeches. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
My novel was to a good book what this object is to a florescent light:
This was taken by me on a NYC street. Is not that the awesomest? What the heck stepped on that light bulb? Godzilla? Truckzilla?
Anyway, back to my tale of quasi-woe. The weird thing was, I was pretty sure that somewhere, maybe just next door to what I was writing about, something pretty cool was happening. The world of the novel was fascinating, but the novel wasn’t.
So let’s skip past many sleepless nights and screaming writing sessions to a day shortly before Christmas. Justine and I were walking to breakfast, and I finally realized the problem . . . I had the wrong point of view.
The main character, the one whose POV I was writing from, was too smug, too knowing, and generally non-likeable. A certain other person in the story was saying and doing much more interesting things. And worse, most of those cool things were being said and done when my POV person wasn’t around, which meant that the reader was only getting told about them.
Which sucked.
So I tossed those 16,000 words, and started over.
Now, I’d like to say this was easy. Like I’m a fearless and industrious perfectionist, who cares only about the final product. But no . . . it came in slow, reluctant stages.
First I said, “Well, we can keep most of this stuff, just change some pronouns and whatnot, and it’ll all seemlessly become Character B’s POV. Just start the story earlier!”
That, of course, failed to work. After all that smoothing and editing, lame Character A had saturated the prose. So I told myself, “Well, maybe we can have two points of view, and I can keep maybe four or five thousand words.”
And that worked even less. Character A dropped back into the story like a led zeppelin, possibly even the led zeppelin.
So after much toing and froing (mostly froing), only a tiny fraction of those lost 16,000 words have been rescued. And all have come at an editing cost roughly equal to writing them from scratch in the first place. Possibly more.
But I promise, the novel is much, much better, and I am a happier writer-person. More importantly, these next months of effort will be far more enjoyable, and the next forty years of having this book on my shelf much less embarrassing. Also, I got to keep 100% of the thinking I’ve already done, free of charge!
And all at the small cost of one month’s work.***
So my words of wisdom for today are:
“Sometimes tossing out vast quantities of words is better than letting a whole book bleed slowly to death. Don’t give up, just start over.”
Okay, maybe that’s not the feel-good story of the year. But these are:
Monster Blood Tattoo: Book One. Foundling by D.M. Cornish The King’s Fool by Amanda Holohan Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillie
2. After twenty-two months in print, Uglies has joined Pretties and Specials on the NY Times bestseller list. It’s wild for such an old book to appear for the first time on a bestseller list, and it can only mean that you guys are still talking it up to your friends. Yay to you.
3. Last July I blogged about some haiku I wrote for an issue of Subterranean Magazine. This issue can now be downloaded for free. Big yay to those publishers who realize that freely downloadable materials lead to more sales, not fewer.
*Southern hemisphere summer = December to February.
**Don’t even bother asking.
***Okay, maybe two months, if you include Thailand. But seriously, non-publishing dudes, I was chilling in Thailand.
15 Comments on Tale of Quasi-Woe, last added: 3/3/2007
every one sees my point movies made from books suck exept harry poter there good it almost seems like wrighters are the brains of entertainment people have no NEW ideas for shows and movies except wrighters it bugs me so mutch. when you read a book your supposed to see it indivisualy in your head.
capt. cockatiel said, on 1/10/2007 10:01:00 AM
The world is against us.
And I’d like to say that MY novel has stolen no ideas from anyone, and I not fifteen yet. So there. Maybe that’s when it kicks in? And you’re stuck rewriting everyone else’s work for one whole year and then you escape?
capt. cockatiel said, on 1/10/2007 10:02:00 AM
Oops. “and I not fifteen yet.” and I’M not fifteen yet.
Alissa said, on 1/10/2007 12:24:00 PM
Everyone bases their stories on something else just a little bit. You can write without taking all the plot details, but I don’t think anyone can write without any inspiration.
kell said, on 1/10/2007 1:51:00 PM
The Harry Potter movies suck if you’ve read the books, especially 3 & 4 with the new director and all… I hate when books are made into movies because then it’s just not special anymore. All these people all of a sudden fall in love with it even though they didn’t read the books and only read them after, it’s no longer sacred. I’m probably sounding like a real freak/pshyco combinatin right now, but I just wanted to make that clear, movie are movies and books are books, watching and reading are two different learning systems, and the latter uses more brains than the former- which is sort of like reading for lazy people =) sorry if I offend anyone.
capt. cockatiel said, on 1/12/2007 9:08:00 PM
Alissa, yes everyone needs inspiration, but not always from someone else’s idea. I mean, my novel was not based off anyone else’s book/ideas. It was based off my own. Off of me just a bit. I didn’t use anything else. Except one of my friend’s jokes, but that doesn’t really matter.
Cassandra said, on 1/13/2007 4:08:00 PM
ERAGON IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK AND FIFTEEN YEAR OLDS CAN WRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, Eragon is one of my favorite
Cassandra said, on 1/13/2007 4:16:00 PM
oops, accidentally hit enter
anyway, Eragon is one of my favorite books and everyone keeps saying the movie was terrible but I thought it was the best movie I had ever ever seen, which just shows I’m wierd.
Fifteen year olds can write. I liked Eragon before I knew the author was fifteen. Saying fifteen-year-olds can’t write is crushing the dreams of many young book-writers INCLUDING ME
Back on topic, Scott I’m glad your willing to make your books as fawsome as they can be, no mater what the cost. Good work!
capt. cockatiel said, on 1/14/2007 9:37:00 PM
I agree, anyone can write at any age. Being 15 doesn’t mean you can’t write. It means you are fifteen. And maybe that you like to write, if you are fifteen and write.
Though I do have it from one of my best friends that Eragon was kind of ruined as a movie because the dragon flew through the sky and went from a little “baby” dragon to adult size in a ’snap’. Which is not what happens in the book.
Kailyx said, on 1/15/2007 1:05:00 AM
Horay for having the patience to re-write! For you , at least. I just finished a short story for school, and when I gave it to my friend for peer editing, he rather blatently told me it sucked.
Gee, thanks man.
Well I would have rewritten it but the issue is i just don’t have the patience to rewrite a story-that’s right, even one that’s just seven pages long. Well, not entirely surprising, really. You see, I like to think that I would have the patience and the love of writing to rewrite a story that short. I also like to think I have good taste in clothing and that people actually find my sense of humor FUNNY.
So, obviously, I’ve only proven myself wrong again.
But I don’t care because I like the story, my clothes are comfortable, and I can laugh at my own jokes without even caring that I look like a lunatic.
Life carries on.
So, in short, congrats on your re-writing.
Judy said, on 1/30/2007 4:52:00 PM
Ive been thinking about reading Eragon and also watching the movie do you really think it was good?
Cassandra said, on 2/3/2007 4:59:00 PM
I thought it was excellent, but everyone keeps disagreeing with me so maybe I should just be quiet.
ImInLoveWithJonathan! said, on 2/5/2007 5:41:00 PM
i thought that the author of eragon (i know his name im just not going to even attempt to spell it) spent too much time on descriptions and it took away from the story line and made it hard to get through. it was a wicked awsome book though once you got past that. i didnt see the movie but my friend said it rocked. and she thinks the main character eragon kid is really hot
Morganza said, on 2/22/2007 1:30:00 AM
Hey Scott I just wanted to say that I just started reading Peeps and I already love it! I’m only on chapter 3 lol! But reading the Uglies trilogy inspired me to read more of your work…and I can’t wait to finish Peeps and read Last Days! Oh, and I love how the “vampires” hold only some characteristics of the fantasy vampires we see in many other stories. It makes the whole situation seem MUCH more realistic, and it rocks!
Savannah said, on 3/3/2007 3:00:00 PM
aww poor scott. Im sorry your having trouble. But I would just like to say that I have looked everywhere I know to find So Yesterday and I connot find it!! We even ordered it 2 weeks ago and its still not in! ARG
So back when we were in London, which seems years ago now, I did a bunch of interviews. They’re starting to leak out this weekend, so I thought I’d give you guys a heads up.
Note to US and Australian readers: my YA books only appeared in the UK this year, so it’s all “new, new, new” to them.
First,here’s an profile by Amanda Craig, the YA and children’s reviewer for The Times. (A paper also known as “The London Times” to us clueless USians.)
She’s a huge Uglies fan, so she profiled the trilogy for British readers.
There was also a great photoshoot for the article, in which I posed with a scalpel, surgical gloves, and an evil leer. Sort of the-author-as-Dr.-Cable. The photo isn’t online yet, but I’ll try to track it down. I’m dying to see it.
Secondly, I sat down with Meet The Author, a video series in which authors discuss their books. They have a whole siteful of cool interviews.
I’m trying to sound non-stupid. Can’t you tell?
It’s an interesting format: The author, which would be me, sits and talks straight to a camera for a minute or so. It’s all one continuous take, no editing, so it’s sort of raw and stumbly, but real. And highly unnerving for those of us who are used to rewriting our words a few dozen times before anyone see them.
Note that for the moment, Peeps is called Parasite Positive in the UK. Apparently the slang word “peeps” has different connotations there, or something. (Trusty British readers, can you verify?)
(Hey, you can download these as audio from the iTunes store! Search on “Meet the Author,” then open up the “Meet the Author UK Podcast.”)
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(but I will be in chicago 
sweet :)
Awwww, a big bunny and a little bunny, now who does that remind me of?
Thanks Diane!
I can't imagine ;-))