Figment invites you to a chat w/Justine Larbalestier, Sarah Rees Brennan and Scott Westerfeld!

Don't miss Figment's upcoming all-star chat: Writing with Friends: How to collaborate on a novel while not losing your mind (or your pal)!  

Authors Justine Larbalestier (Liar) and Sarah Rees Brennan (The Demon's Lexicon) recently joined forces to write Team Human. Through emails and iChats, the two writers worked together to write this very funny novel about Mel Duan, a whip-smart high-schooler trying desperately to keep her best friend from falling in love with the wrong guy--a guy who just happens to be a vampire.  

On July 8 at 8:00 pm, the authors are coming to Figment to discuss the tricky task of collaboration. How do two people create one cohesive voice? How do you find the right writing partner? And who gets credit for the best lines? 

Joining them as host of this rousing live web chat is none other than beloved bestselling author Scott Westerfeld (aka Justine's husband)! In the second half of the chat, the three superstar authors will take questions from the audience. And in the meantime, to get ready to talk collaboration (and vampires!), take a voyeuristic peak into one of Justine's and Sarah's writerly iChats and vote in our very scientific vampire showdown poll. [from Figment]

Sounds awesome, right? I don't think I can make it, but I thought you guys might!

Take a look at the trailer, if you haven't seen it already:


Have fun,
Ella

Happy Birthday Scott Westerfeld!

Thanks to you, I like Sci-Fi, which I thought I hated before reading Uglies. So THANK YOU!!!
And happy bday!

Everyone, go wish him a happy birthday here and here!

Scott Westerfeld's Pretties Series Gets a New Look!

I just became a fan of Scott Westerfeld on Facebook, and this is what I found:

(Click on the images to enlarge.)

Aren't they amazing? I really like the old covers, but these ones are so much more mysterious, enticing and appealing. Besides, I love everything white and minimalist and these covers make me go "OOHH!" Too bad I have the old covers, and I don't even know if the new covers will be published in Argentina.

What do you think? Had you seen them before? Do you like these new ones or the old ones better?

Pretties, by Scott Westerfeld

Pretties, by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies Trilogy, Book 2)

Release Date: 2005
Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 384
Overall: 4 Monkeys
Source: Bought
Interest: Series

Other Titles in the Series: Uglies (Uglies Trilogy, Book 1), Specials (Uglies Trilogy, Book 3), Extras (Uglies Trilogy, Book 4)
Other Titles Reviewed in TCM: Uglies (Uglies Trilogy, Book 1)


Summary from Goodreads: 

Gorgeous. Popular. Perfect. Perfectly wrong.

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive.

My Opinion:

Another great book by Scott Westerfeld. Now I feel bad I've only read two of his books, I'll have to read the rest! 

His way of narrating in the third person is amazing, sucks you right into the story. 

At the end of Uglies, we're left hanging knowing that Tally is going to turn herself in so she can become Pretty and be able to try the experimental cure Maddy, David's mother, has invented.

So, this book begins by telling us how much Tally's changed. The only thing I kept thinking was, "Please, let her go back to normal. She's got to go back to David!" But, oh oh, a new guy appears, named Zane. 

Now, if you read this book you'll know what I mean. Zane is great and all, he's definitely charming and he's fallen in love with Tally (how much of that is true, and how much is only there because of his perfect mind, I don't know) but I still want her to end up with David. It felt more real when I read about the two of them, than when I read about Zane and Tally kissing, trying to keep a clear mind.

First part of the book was kind of slow, the middle part began to pick up the pace and the last part was amazing. We're left with yet another awesome cliffhanger, which was kind of obvious to me, given the next book's title.

I can't wait to see how Tally manages to get out of that.

Visit Scott Westerfeld's Website

I'm sure you all know, but still

Did you know that as part of a promotion for Scott Westerfeld’s new book “Leviathan” set for release on 10/06/09, his book “The Uglies” is available for free download in pdf form from August 5-September 5, 2009?
I already downloaded a copy of this file to read. Word is SW is a great author, and I haven't read any of his books yet. Hopefully this first will make me want to find more of his work!

Click here to go to Simon and Schuster's free download site.

For more information visit ScottWesterfeld.com.

Uglies summary (from scottwesterfeld.com):

Uglies is the first book of the trilogy. The second book is Pretties and the third is Specials. It's about a world in which everyone has an operation when they turn sixteen, making them supermodel beautiful. Big eyes, full lips, no one fat or skinny. This seems like a good thing, but it's not. Especially if you're one of the uglies, a bunch of radical teens who've decided they want to keep their own faces. (How anti-social of them.)

Can't wait to start reading it!



ps: have you visited my new blog Monkey Ella?
Go, and take a look at some of my photos!