Scott Westerfeld on what Steampunk is and why it would be cool to have illustrated novels

Illustration from Leviathan
by Keith Thompson - view
more art from the books
or buy artwork

By Candy Gourlay

I'm kinda late to this Ustream discussion with YA/sci fi author Scott Westerfield answering questions live but I found the discussion so fascinating I thought I should share it on the blog.

I've been following Scott Westerfeld since I read his Uglies  trilogy (which has four books) and the Midnighters (my all time favourite Scott Westerfeld trilogy). Recently he came up with Leviathan, a new trilogy in the burgeoning Steampunk genre. Here's a video of Scott explaining why he thought it would be cool to get Leviathan illustrated ... and what Steampunk is all about.


If you're reading this blog post on Facebook and can't see the video. View it here

It's an hour long - but the first bit is all about why he wanted Leviathan to be illustrated - with a fascinating mini history of how illustrated novels used to be the default. Personally, I would have wanted even MORE illustrations in Leviathan ... but then I'm greedy like that. Anyway - the video is worth watching if you're writing fantasy and need something inspirational about world-building.

Take away quote from Scott Westerfeld:

People are always saying they want something new. What they really mean is they want something that looks familiar but with a twist that they hadn't thought of before.

Sorry the quote might not be precise because I couldn't get the video to replay it!

Speaking of Steampunk and illustration: I would love, love, LOVE it if Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve were re-issued as illustrated books (not graphic novels - proper illustrations please!) ... and as a hardback set (I borrow Mortal Engines from the library ... but I'd like to own it in hardback). Are you listening, Mortal Engines publishers?

These books deserve your undivided attention

By Candy Gourlay

I visited my dentist the other day and had one of those inadvertent fillings.

Lovely Chris the Dentist, as dentists are wont, plied me for the latest information about my book sales as he dug around, searching for my tonsils.

He was rather shocked to hear that since I visited him last (to have an inlay reseated), I had failed to inform the little bookshop next door to his clinic that I am an author and that they should stock my books.

Jon Mayhew doing a drive by signing
Photo from Bookabook

You see, I've been a bit shy around bookshops, unlike Mortlock author Jonathan Mayhew who is known the world over for his drive-by signings (indy bookshops watch out - he's the guy always followed by a couple of scary oversized crows).

I just didn't feel I could walk in and say I was an author and be welcomed with open arms. Besides, anyone could see that the bookshop didn't have Tall Story on its shelves.

But Chris wouldn't hear of it. He said I  had to go. He said I could use Tall Story's nominations and shortlistings as an excuse to introduce myself. And because I make it a policy never to argue with men holding dental drills, I went.

And the bookshop lady didn't bite me or spit on me. She said she would order one hardback to have in the shop, and more when the paperback comes out in January. And I politely bought a packet of Christmas cards and promised to return with a poster.

There's nothing wong with visiting your local book store.

There. Done. It didn't hurt really. And I might even get up the courage to visit the other bookshops in my North London neighbourhood.

Might.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post. The other thing I do when I'm slinking around a bookshop wondering whether I should reveal I am an author, is check to see if the books of my favourite authors and my author friends are in stock.

Most of the time, they aren't.

One of the first things I learned when i became a published author was that writing the darn book isn't going to be the hardest thing you've ever done. It's getting the darn book noticed.

So this post is about all the books I want you readers to notice. You may have noticed them already, but it never hurts to look again.

These are really GOOD books. And it's CHRISTMAS. A time of good cheer and charity towards AUTHORS (I'm sure I read it in Dickens somewhere).

And if you are really feeling the good cheer, why not pass the list of books on to your friends, neighbours and countrymen? You won't regret it.

My pal Jan Markley (she's an author in CANADA!) says we authors can 

help each other by the simple act of talking to someone else about each other's books - just like Heather Locklear says in this commercial. So today, I'm talking 

So why not start with Jan Markley, since she brought up the idea.

Jan writes mysteries for 8 to 12s - she calls them "Nancy Drew for the ipod generation" - super cool! Her book Dead Bird Through a Cat Door, the second of her Megabyte series (the first was called Dead Frog on the Porch) has just become available on the Amazons (as in .com, .ca, and .co.uk - although there's a lying glitch on .ca which says it's not available - it is!) 

These books are cool and funny like Jan herself - and are based on Jan's terrible penchant for dragging dead animals around wherever she goes (that might be a lie, but you'll have to check it out to find out).

And what about the famous Jon Mayhew of drive-by signingdom? Jon's gothic horror Mortlock is gorgeously produced by Bloomsbury with BLACK endpapers. I went to his amazing book launch in March. But I'm not recommending it just because I went to the book launch. 

Mortlock has been shortlisted to book prizes galore - the Warwickshire Book Prize, the Worcestershie Prize, the Chester, and the Nobel Peace Prize. So if you know any young horror fans - this is a really good one. 

And Jon plays the mandolin. (thought I'd throw that in).

Speaking of horror, my other favourite scary author is Sarwat Chadda, though when I hear about his US publishers (they happen to be Disney Hyperion) flying him to the States to visit Harry Potter world, my envy runneth over. 

The sequel to his dark thriller Devil's Kiss came out this year - it's called Dark Goddess. Sarwat's high concept is injecting Islamic mythology into the Knights Templar theme of his book - coupled with his brilliant writing, it's a rich seam. 

Sarah McIntyre must be one of my coolest and most prolific friends. Looking her up in Amazon is totally exhausting because this year she has produced not one not two not three but four beautiful books! And yet she has time to do kind things for her friends - if you check out the Facebook page of Tall Story - that profile pic is a Sarah McIntyre. I used to stalk her blog way back when and despite that, we've become friends! Woo hoo! (Morris has just won the coveted Sheffield Book Prize - coveted not just by me btw)

 

 

I am told on good authority that my friend Ellen Renner lives in a castle. So it's probably not surprising that her adventure books for 8-12s are set in castles. Ellen's had rave reviews - Castle of Shadows was picked for the Independent's 50 Best Summer Reads ... City of Thieves came out this summer and both books have been chosen for the Times Recommended Children's Books for Christmas. If that's not endorsement enough, what else is?

 

One of the absolutely outstanding debuts last year was Keren David with her book When I Was Joe. It's been nominated for everything that's going and for any prize to do with teen readers, so you can't go wrong with this book.

But if you're planning to give it to a teen reader this Christmas you might as well save time by getting both When I Was Joe and its sequel Almost True - because these are unputdownables and your teenager won't be able to wait while you try to figure out how to fire up the browser to order the next book.

 

Okay. Maybe this blog post is getting a bit long. I've got to go do Mum things like watch my daughter's play. I will just have to apologize to other author friends who I didn't manage to mention - but you folks can see this is already a mighty long post.

I have one more book though. And it's not something for you to buy anyone else.

It's a book I keep hearing about on the internet, on Facebook, on Twitter. I've got to have it - and not just because it's Mary Hoffman's choice for YA Book of the year (read her glowing Guardian review).

It's by Gillian Phillip and it's called Firebrand.

If you know my husband or children, please tell them to get it for me.

***

Finally .... Shhhh!

I've just visited Kathleen Duey's facebook profile and her status is: 

"I am writing writing writing and it is going really WELL"

Which is FANTASTIC for me and my kids because we can't wait to read the final installment of the Resurrection and Magic trilogy. I am in awe of Kathleen Duey's writing. If you are writing fantasy, these books are a requirement.

If you live in the UK, you'll have to order them though, you won't get them in the shops, nor will you be able to borrow them from me.

And this just in: Tall Story has been shortlisted (it's a very short shortlist) for the Blue Peter Favourite Story Prize. This is turning out to be a brilliant year. Sigh.

Open Book and Mariella Frostrup Interview YA authors

by Teri Terry

Is a bit of your brain still a teenager? If so, YA may be just the thing…

I’d like to think that one day, Mariella Frostrup might interview me on my latest best seller.
There is one flaw with this, though: she is just way too scary. That could turn from dream to nightmare in seconds.
She’d probably have me quivering in the corner with insightful questions, spot every flaw in my writing from beginning to end, and make me realize that I’m just playing at this writing malarkey and should go home and knit.
And she would do it nicely, too.

Mariella Frostrup: Book Goddess

On 21 November, Mariella presented a special edition of Open Book on BBC radio 4, exploring the recent boom in fiction for young adults. She spoke to authors Marcus Sedgwick, Malorie Blackman and Gemma Malley.
How could I resist, with the divine Mr M involved?

The Divine Mr M (Marcus Sedgwick)

And she didn’t shy away from the big questions. Is the YA boom a construction of the publishing industry, or does it fill a needed gap? In years past, children went straight from reading children’s to adult books: did stretching in our formative years do previous generations any harm?

Mariella began by putting them in the spotlight: what did they read as teens?

Mariella started them off: she went to Georgette Heyer and DH Lawrence. Marlorie Blackman impressed with Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and Rebecca. Oh, and Jacqueline Susann. Marcus Sedgewick admitted he read good, and bad: lots of science fiction and fantasy – just like me! – though no names admitted to, except that Merlin Peak was a big thing that grabbed him at age 14 or 15. Gemma Malley read Judy Blume, Virginia Andrews and… Dostoevsky. Really?!

Is one of the hallmarks of teen fiction that the central protagonist is almost always a teenager themselves?

Marcus noted this isn’t essential, though Malorie said it is easier for readers to empathize and identify with protagonists of similar age. She writes for the teenager inside herself: books she would have loved to read at that age. Gemma, on the other hand, didn’t set out to write a YA book; her protagonist was a teenager as this was needed for her story.

An extract from Boys Don’t Cry, Marlorie’s latest, was read. This novel tackles issues of teenage pregnancy, homosexuality and attempted suicide. How is responsibility to young readers balanced with responsibility as a story teller?

Malorie noted endings in her books may not be happy, but they are hopeful; and teens don’t always believe there is a happy ending. In writing this particular book she set out to give teenage dads a say.

Malorie Blackman

Is it a hallmark of YA that endings aren’t neat and happily ever after, but are often bleak or enigmatic?

Gemma noted that teens are in transition from the black and white world of the child, to an adult shades-of-grey world; they are starting to realize their parents aren’t necessarily always right, and that they have to think things through for themselves.

Marcus says he tries to do two things: to not be boring, and – like Gemma – to suggest that life is not black and white.

Mariella noted that girls read more than boys: does Malorie’s Noughts and Crosses appeal to black boys?

Malorie hopes so. She said when she was growing up, books did not feature black characters, and that fiction engenders empathy, and gives an emotional vocabulary.

And now for the big issue: YA is the space between children’s and adult books. Was it created by a marketing push? Does YA really exist?

Marcus mentioned Catcher in the Rye, and that SF and Fantasy were there for YA readers: YA has always existed, but it is now a recognized genre that is published into by publishers. Gemma agreed there have always been books that tap into teens.

BUT are we holding kids back by the idea of teen books instead of going straight to adult books?

Malorie noted that some teens get disaffected by reading adult books, and Marcus that the idea that teens should always be stretched to the limit of their reading ability is false. We don’t do that as adults: we might want to read a trashy novel on holiday. He said ‘why not just feel free to read what you want to read at any time.’ Brilliant advice.

Mariella notes that Marcus’s White Crow doesn’t shy away from posing difficult questions about life after death: would have been different if written for adults?

Marcus said probably not, though noted publishing decisions affect editing, and there is a responsibility to have some notion of hope and optimism. But more to have an engaging story.

Can you tackle more when writing for children than adults?

Gemma said yes: teens can accept all sorts of things, and don’t have the same parameters. Marcus said it is exciting writing for children as you can write about anything; with adults, you are constrained by genre, trends, and what is and isn’t acceptable.

Mariella discussed Gemma’s dystopian world in The Declaration, in which she critiques the very premise of children.

Gemma was interested in developments in science: do we want to live forever? If so, we can’t have children. Using a future setting gives more freedom in the plot as can expand reality, and, no research is necessary.

Mariella quoted Nicholas Tuckers’ Rough Guide to Books for Teenagers, where he criticizes upping the tragedy in books for teens.

Malorie noted her books have both humour and angst. Marcus said Tucker missed the point. There are two types of books: good, and bad. And those about issues with a capital ‘I’ can do it badly, or well; you shouldn’t sweep away the whole genre or approach.

Why write YA?

Marcus said honest children’s writers all admit, there is a bit of their brain that is still a teenager.

Finally: what are the themes of the future in YA? Are there different genres within?

Marcus says publishers hate the label SF; Malorie notes that if you want to write innovative fiction, YA is the place to be; and Gemma that YA doesn’t seem to be subdivided too much – there is a huge amount of freedom.

My Conclusions?

Since I am mentally 14, still trying to work out shades of grey, don’t like doing research and am writing an innovative dystopia set in the future without calling it SF… I guess I’m in the right place.