Wednesday, December 16, 2009

New And Improved

I have a new computer and a new monitor, and since I got a new printer within the past month or so, you could say I have a new printer as well. So far, everything is working (well, I haven't tried the new printer with the new computer yet, because there's only so much so far I can take).

My mother got both her flu shots yesterday. I haven't gotten either of mine yet, but first things first.

Scooter threw up all over the apartment yesterday. I mean all over. I've had cats for decades, and cats throw up (it's not one of their more endearing behaviors, but it's part of the package), and I've never seen a cat throw up in so many different places. There are at least a dozen spots (all on carpet, of course). I dampened each spot with water and poured salt on them, and at some point I'll vacuum all the salt piles and see if the carpet has gotten clean. In reality, the carpet is filthy anyway, and I'd ask my landlord for new carpet except that would mean moving all the furniture off the carpet, and that seems entirely too daunting. Of course now that I have a cat that throws up everywhere, there's no point asking for new carpet.

Maybe I should ask the landlord for a new vacuum cleaner instead.

In the midst of all this chaos, my UK publisher sent me the designs for their upcoming reissues of Life As We Knew It and The Dead And The Gone.

I think the d&g cover is particularly striking.



















Elaine Marie Alphin has written a lovely blog entry about reading and writing and friendships (and me).

It's been a while since I posted a Scooter video, but I love this one from a few days ago of him and his food bowl.


All right. I'm off to vacuum salt piles and light Chanukah candles and watch Adam Lambert.

Two out of three ain't bad!

9 comments:

Chris said...

In total and complete honesty, I think I like the original designs for the books better, they just seem a lot more unique and intriguing. Plus, the cover for tdatg is deep green, which I don't see very often and is the reason I found the book in the first place.

All the same, they look quite good and will definitely draw in some new readers. Tsunamis crashing over skyscrapers will do that. :D

Anonymous said...

I like the new covers. But what is with the tidal wave on Life as We Knew It? Tidal waves do directly affect Miranda. I think the covers will draw a lot of people in to read the books.
I can't wait to start my ARC I am about to finsih the older ones today then I am reading the ARC starting after scholl tommorow!:)
~Crystal

Dawn said...

Hey Susan,

I have 3 cats so I understand cat puke. So annoying!

I have to agree with Chris...the new covers are not nearly as nice as the only covers. I also agree with Crystal that the cover art on LAWKI does not make any sense. It would have made more sense to have a rural backdrop with maybe some grey snow or something?

Anyhew, hope your holiday is looking up.

Dawn

Friendly Neighbourhood Bookseller said...

Wow, those are really striking, aren't they? Are they calling it The Last Survivors over here? I thought it was the Moon Crash Trilogy?

I'll be looking forward to those coming in...pride of place on my shelf!

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hello to Chris and Crystal and Dawn and Aoife-

I assume Marion Lloyd/Scholastic is going for a big dramatic thematically similar cover design, and they certainly have achieved that.

I'm very curious about what their cover for TW will look like.

I suggested Mooncrash as a title for the trilogy, but neither my American publisher or my UK publisher was interested. The US version doesn't have any overarching title, so people are kind of calling it whatever they want.

You can call me whatever you want as long as it isn't late for supper (a joke I regarded as the height of wit when I was eight years old)!

Chris said...

I just noticed that the cover & synopsis of the dead and the gone cover are completely unrelated to the actual book.

Unless I missed the chapter where it talked about a single massive tsunamis destroying half of New York?

Anonymous said...

Hi Sue
I honestly like the American covers better. Their distinctive colors really make them much more eye-catching. The moon is also much more ominous, which fits the stories but at the same time quite beautiful, which is to me, a reflection of the hope that is also a part of the books' stories.
Maria T.

Anonymous said...

Wow! The English covers hvae everything but the kitchen sink on them! And did you see the shoulders on the Statue of Liberty? She looks like she could take the moon and throw it back into orbit all by herself!

Glen

(Happy Hannukah by the way. One night left!)

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hi to Chris (again) and Maria T. and Glen-

I think it's safe to assume the UK publisher is going for a more dramatic look.

Let's hope it results in more dramatic sales!