Justine Larbalestier is a writer.

1. What most pleased and most disappointed you about last year’s release of Liar, and the public response to it?

The response to Liar has been very intense. It is the most loved (and hated) of my books to date. Some of the letters teens have been writing me about Liar have made me cry. Especially the ones from readers who identify so strongly with Micah and her isolation. It’s been a very moving experience and I’m thrilled the book has been so important for those readers.

2. You’re co-editing the high profile anthology Zombies vs. Unicorns which will be released later this year. What was it about this book that excited you most, and why are you so committed to Team Zombie?

Ah, yes, the book that began as a joke. Zombies versus Unicorns started with me saying mean things about unicorns to tease my friend Diana Peterfreund who had a wonderful book, Rampant, coming out about killer unicorns. Then Holly leapt to the defence of unicorns in the comment thread of my blog: http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2007/02/15/blurbs, asking me what I had against unicorns. Holly is a passionate unicorn lover. I countered by demanding to know what she has against zombies. (Because I knew she hated them.) And it grew from there. Before long lots of bloggers were joining the debate (and there were a million suggestions of zombie-unicorns. Yawn.) So I suggested the idea of an antho to Holly and we went from there. The truth was that when all this began I didn’t have a particularly strong opinion about either. I definitely preferred zombie movies to unicorn ones and was a Romero fan but that was about it. Of course, now that I am head of Team Zombie I am completely devoted to zombies and against the dread scourge of unicorns.

And look you can vote for which you prefer: http://promo.simonandschuster.com/zombiesvsunicorns/

3. What’s next for Justine Larbalestier? What writing project is top priority right now?

I am writing an epic fantasy set in the 1930s in New York City. There is lindy hopping in it. I am also working on a Top Sekrit project.

4. Which Australian writers or work would you like to see on the Hugo shortlists this year?

You know if I answer this question I’m just going to get in trouble cause I’ll forget the work of someone wonderful who’s a good friend and they’ll kill me.

5. Are you planning to go to Aussiecon 4 in September? If so, what are you most looking forward to?

I’m hoping to be able to get there but right now the odds are not with me.

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Also interviewed today: Marianne De Pierres, Richard Harland, Karen Miller, Margo Lanagan, Ben Peek, Narelle Harris, Paul Collins, Damien Broderick, Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Angela Slatter, Dion Hamill

Snapshot interviews will be blogged from Monday 15th until Sunday 22nd Feb.

To read them hot off the press, check these blogs daily:
http://random-alex.livejournal.com/
http://girliejones.livejournal.com/
http://kathrynlinge.livejournal.com/
http://www.mechanicalcat.net/rachel
http://tansyrr.com/
http://editormum.livejournal.com/

Will we beat 83 this time? If you know of someone involved in the Scene with something to plug, then send us an email at 2010snapshot@gmail.com.

So after my thwarted attempt to have a no buying books for myself month in December (I swear, feminist tomes kept hurling themselves at my head, it was a moral imperative to take them home) and because my bank balance is looking somewhat sickly, I decided that I was going to refrain from buying books for the months of February AND March.

This is a very big deal.

What this means is nothing that gives me the ‘hit’ that comes from purchasing a book – which includes clicking pre-order buttons. So far what I have learned from the exercise is that yes, I am an addict.

I thought I would track the experiment (and keep myself from clicking ‘buy’ buttons) by keeping track of all the books I had more than a fleeting impulse to buy – ones that I definitely wanted for at least three moments. I should add that it is unlikely I would have bought all the books on the list without the pledge holding me back – at least, I really hope not.

So far I’m ten days in and I have 17 books on the list.

(more…)

A couple of months ago, my editor at HarperCollins asked me for some initial thoughts on type of cover that might work for The Creature Court. We talked about potential themes, subjects and the choice between iconic/illustrative/character-based covers. I ‘m still waiting to see what I end up with (not my job, out of my control, and yet and yet and yet IMPATIENT).

I wish I’d seen these images of electricity photographed by Hiroshi Sugimoto before I was asked for my imput, though. More iconic than illustrative, certainly, and probably not appropriate for selling otherworld fantasy (though definitely appropriate for my books). Wouldn’t they look wicked on a book cover?

Justine Larbalestier talks here about the job of book covers.

The great thing about having a houseguest (especially the awesome kind that you want to talk to all the time), is that it has all the benefits of going away for the holidays (especially ‘I can’t possibly get any work done so this is enforced leisure time’) but with the comforts of home. Yesterday we had the girls around for a sewing circle for them to meet or catch up with GJ. I haven’t been able to go to sewing group since I had Jem, so that was rather lovely. I finally dug out my needles and yarn to start making the iPod cozy I desperately need, after spending most of the session trying to demonstrate to Raeli how awesome French knitting is (mostly she likes unravelling it).

Today, we capped off the main part of  girliejones‘s visit with a trip to the Mt Nelson signal station, in order to watch the boats come up the river for the Sydney-Hobart and share some more lovely Tasmanian scenery with GJ.

Then we put her on the bus and sent her off to the land of dodgy internet (aka Flinthartsville) for the second half of her holiday. It’s sad to see her go (“I miss Alisa,” Raeli said sadly, two minutes after we had left her at the bus station) but we are looking forward to the weekend at which apparently  flinthart will be bringing her back early and setting up an overnight camp in our garden with his kids. House party!

It’s hot and the house feels empty without Alisa, so we are zoning out in the living room, inhaling a Christmas DVD of Justice League Unlimited. The belated turkey is cooking in the oven (we got distracted!) and there’s still plenty of chocolate in the house. Life is really not that hard.

Back in the world of the living (which is to say, the internet), Justine Larbalestier wrote a blog post post in response to my review of Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, confirming my theory on the book appealing to a different (though overlapping) audience to Scott’s other YA books. Definitely worth a read!