papersky: Ask me anything

Jo Walton (

papersky) wrote,
@ 2009-01-04 15:40:00

Ask me anything
If there's anything you want to ask me, this is the post for it, go ahead.

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(121 comments) - (Post a new comment)

	1crowdedhour 2009-01-04 08:57 pm UTC (link)
	That singer from Liverpool. He's not who I think he is, is he? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-04 09:04 pm UTC (link)
	I'm afraid he is. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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mecurtin, 2009-01-04 09:09 pm UTC (Expand)

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papersky, 2009-01-04 09:11 pm UTC (Expand)

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mecurtin, 2009-01-04 09:31 pm UTC (Expand)

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papersky, 2009-01-04 09:44 pm UTC (Expand)

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ron_newman, 2009-01-04 10:15 pm UTC (Expand)

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papersky, 2009-01-04 11:30 pm UTC (Expand)

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embryomystic, 2009-01-05 05:29 am UTC (Expand)

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jeffreyab, 2009-01-05 11:51 pm UTC (Expand)

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rivka, 2009-01-04 10:49 pm UTC (Expand)

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bibliotrope, 2009-01-05 06:27 am UTC (Expand)

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icecreamempress, 2009-01-05 10:23 pm UTC (Expand)

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davidgoldfarb, 2009-01-05 07:28 am UTC (Expand)

	hobbitbabe 2009-01-04 09:02 pm UTC (link)
	How can I tell how much of a loose tisane to put in the pot? And when it is sufficiently steeped? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-04 09:06 pm UTC (link)
	One per person and one for the pot. As for how long it's steeped, usually about five minutes, but with some things you can just leave it in. Most tisanes I just leave in, they don't really get too strong. Unless it has peppermint. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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mjlayman, 2009-01-06 01:57 am UTC (Expand)

	rushthatspeaks 2009-01-04 09:03 pm UTC (link)
	Have you ever thought about writing a YA? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-04 09:08 pm UTC (link)
	Sure. I even started one. I've never carried one through. I may yet. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	minnehaha 2009-01-04 09:03 pm UTC (link)
	I have a question I think so unseemly that I cannot bring myself to ask it, even when specifically invited. I'll remain forever in the dark. K. (Reply to this)

mecurtin
2009-01-04 09:08 pm UTC (link)

When I first read Farthing, I wondered, "what's the deal with all the tea? Is it a symbol of the British Empire or the class system or something I wot not of?" It's not that the characters are always drinking tea, it's that they think about it and discuss it: different kinds, ways to serve it, etc. There's a lot of tea "business" in the novel.

Then I found your LJ and concluded, "no, she just likes tea. A *lot*."

But now I wonder again. Was it your *intention* in Farthing for tea to be a symbol? Or did you just put it in because you like tea?

(Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	papersky 2009-01-04 09:12 pm UTC (link)
	It was my intention for it to be symbolic. Though I admit, I am very fond of tea. But my other books are relatively tea-free. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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ffutures, 2009-01-04 10:14 pm UTC (Expand)

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embryomystic, 2009-01-05 05:33 am UTC (Expand)

	wild_irises 2009-01-04 09:10 pm UTC (link)
	What are the main things you look for in a close friend? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-04 09:19 pm UTC (link)
	I don't go out looking, my close friends just seem to happen. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	thomasyan 2009-01-04 09:39 pm UTC (link)
	Have you found a substitute for RASFW? (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	papersky 2009-01-04 09:42 pm UTC (link)
	I wish. No. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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thomasyan, 2009-01-05 03:07 am UTC (Expand)

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davidgoldfarb, 2009-01-05 07:29 am UTC (Expand)

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thomasyan, 2009-01-05 07:55 am UTC (Expand)

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mrissa, 2009-01-04 10:06 pm UTC (Expand)

	mrissa 2009-01-04 10:05 pm UTC (link)
	What is on your to-read pile that fills you with glee? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-04 10:08 pm UTC (link)
	11 books by Kathleen Norris. I'm rationing them to one a week. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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mrissa, 2009-01-05 04:14 am UTC (Expand)

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icecreamempress, 2009-01-05 10:25 pm UTC (Expand)

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papersky, 2009-01-05 11:20 pm UTC (Expand)

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beamjockey, 2009-01-06 01:22 pm UTC (Expand)

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janciega, 2009-01-06 12:28 am UTC (Expand)

	supermuse 2009-01-04 10:49 pm UTC (link)
	What would you be if you weren't a writer? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-04 10:53 pm UTC (link)
	I think that's more like "who would I be" because I don't think I'd be me. ("How does one become a spy?") (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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pecunium, 2009-01-05 01:18 am UTC (Expand)

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beamjockey, 2009-01-06 01:23 pm UTC (Expand)

	helen_keeble 2009-01-04 11:24 pm UTC (link)
	Is the Tooth & Claw sequel (that you posted excerpts from a while back) still under development? (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	papersky 2009-01-04 11:29 pm UTC (link)
	No, I'm afraid not. I decided not to write it because I didn't have anything new to do and it would just be going through the motions. I posted what I have, and that's what there is. Sorry. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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dd_b, 2009-01-05 12:10 am UTC (Expand)

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violetfinch, 2009-01-05 05:12 pm UTC (Expand)

	ethelmay 2009-01-04 11:31 pm UTC (link)
	Have you read _The Explosionist_, by Jenny Davidson? I think you might like it (and Jenny Davidson liked the Small Change trilogy, FWIW). (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-04 11:32 pm UTC (link)
	I haven't read it, but it is on my list of things I'm looking for, because it sounds absolutely brilliant and just the kind of thing I like. They don't have it in the library, which means I'm waiting for the paperback. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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sdn, 2009-01-05 12:28 am UTC (Expand)

	kate_nepveu 2009-01-04 11:36 pm UTC (link)
	Is there a book that you think I absolutely, no question, without doubt have to read? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 12:50 am UTC (link)
	The Reverse of the Medal. You'll get to it in time. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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kate_nepveu, 2009-01-05 12:53 am UTC (Expand)

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papersky, 2009-01-05 12:56 am UTC (Expand)

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kate_nepveu, 2009-01-07 03:13 pm UTC (Expand)

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pecunium, 2009-01-05 01:20 am UTC (Expand)

	satakieli 2009-01-04 11:45 pm UTC (link)
	How in the world does one keep rosemary alive indoors when one lives in a cold, dark climate? I have no reason to think that you do, but somehow it seems that you might know, and it is a question that has been troubling my mind of late. (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	papersky 2009-01-05 12:51 am UTC (link)
	I have no idea, sorry. I failed with lavender last winter. Plants need sunlight. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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betonica, 2009-01-05 01:26 am UTC (Expand)

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mrissa, 2009-01-05 04:16 am UTC (Expand)

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gjules, 2009-01-05 01:50 pm UTC (Expand)

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mmseason, 2009-01-05 03:17 pm UTC (Expand)

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icecreamempress, 2009-01-05 10:26 pm UTC (Expand)

	fledgist 2009-01-05 12:04 am UTC (link)
	Is there any particular novel of alternative history that you think of as truly emblematic of the genre, that is as the one you would want someone new to the genre to read first as an introduction? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 12:51 am UTC (link)
	Sort of. It's Harry Turtledove's collection Departures. It's not a novel, but if you read it you'd know what alternate history was about and what it can do. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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fledgist, 2009-01-05 12:22 pm UTC (Expand)

	rezendi 2009-01-05 12:24 am UTC (link)
	Are y'all gonna be around in YUL and up for company on the Jan 31-Feb 1 weekend or thereabouts? I am plotting an invasion. (Yes, I'm sort of back on LJ, as of tomorrow. This is a sneak peek.) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 12:52 am UTC (link)
	Z was asking me just this afternoon when you were bringing his iPod... yes, we'll be here and delighted to see you. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	sdn 2009-01-05 12:29 am UTC (link)
	which do you prefer, laverbread or poutine? or neither? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 12:53 am UTC (link)
	That's an easy one. I hate laverbread and I love poutine! (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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hobbitbabe, 2009-01-05 12:58 am UTC (Expand)

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embryomystic, 2009-01-05 05:36 am UTC (Expand)

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hobbitbabe, 2009-01-05 05:56 am UTC (Expand)

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papersky, 2009-01-05 11:46 am UTC (Expand)

	montoya 2009-01-05 01:01 am UTC (link)
	Are there any not-yet-published books that you're really excited about? Ones you've read, I've mean, not written or wished for. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 11:47 am UTC (link)
	Robert Charles Wilson's Julian Comstock. It's like Julian the Apostate on a gunboat, in the future collapsed US. It's brilliant. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	stevendj 2009-01-05 01:36 am UTC (link)
	Did you ever manage to get a copy of the Hungarian edition of Farthing? I'll be in Budapest in a couple of weeks, and can look for it. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 11:48 am UTC (link)
	That would be awesome. I do not have a copy. Eventually, I hope, they will send my agent some copies, and he will forward them to me. But this is a slow process. I'd really love a copy if you see one. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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stevendj, 2009-01-11 03:14 pm UTC (Expand)

	mjlayman 2009-01-05 04:14 am UTC (link)
	Have you seen Andy Wheeler's review of Tooth and Claw? Edited at 2009-01-05 04:15 am UTC (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 11:49 am UTC (link)
	Yes, I read his blog regularly. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	whumpdotcom 2009-01-05 07:33 am UTC (link)
	What's an important lesson or bit of advice you're learned in organizing small convention/gatherings of like-minded people such as the Farthing Party? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 11:50 am UTC (link)
	Have lunch breaks. Just have one program track, but make it a really good one. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	marykaykare 2009-01-05 08:27 am UTC (link)
	You've invited me to visit a number of times and the timing has never worked. However, there's this worldcon thing later this year which means I'll be in Montreal. Would it be better to stay over after the con and do some socializing and sightseeing than before? Or is it totally the wrong time? MKK (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 11:52 am UTC (link)
	After is definitely better, though there are likely to also be British people I know in town before and after. But yes! That could be fun! (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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marykaykare, 2009-01-05 08:46 pm UTC (Expand)

	janetmk 2009-01-05 12:43 pm UTC (link)
	Canada is a huge country and you've obviously settled in a lovely place. Is there any other bit of the country that you'd especially like to explore? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 01:10 pm UTC (link)
	Oh yes, definitely. I'd love to go to the Maritimes, and I'd like to go all the way across the country on the train and visit pir_anha. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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janetmk, 2009-01-05 02:57 pm UTC (Expand)

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marykaykare, 2009-01-05 08:50 pm UTC (Expand)

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embryomystic, 2009-01-08 07:30 pm UTC (Expand)

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dr_strych9, 2009-01-05 10:34 pm UTC (Expand)

	mmseason 2009-01-05 03:20 pm UTC (link)
	1. Why Canada? 2. Wow, how fast do you read? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 05:58 pm UTC (link)
	1) Canada isn't perfect, but it's the best available. 2) Very fast indeed. I usually read between five and ten books a week. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

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mmseason, 2009-01-05 06:02 pm UTC (Expand)

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mmseason, 2009-01-05 06:04 pm UTC (Expand)

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papersky, 2009-01-05 09:00 pm UTC (Expand)

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mmseason, 2009-01-07 04:09 pm UTC (Expand)

	violetfinch 2009-01-05 05:13 pm UTC (link)
	How do you feel about Don Quixote (the Smollett translation)? I pretty much felt like I was hacking a tree down trying to read that book. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2009-01-05 06:00 pm UTC (link)
	rysmiel read it a year or two ago, reading some bits of it aloud to me. The bits I heard didn't fill me with much urge to read it myself, so it remains one of those things I feel I ought to read sometime, without any specific urgency. Usually if I feel I'm hacking down a tree, I conclude that I'm not old enough for that book yet and leave it. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	mayakda 2009-01-05 05:15 pm UTC (link)
	Who is President Yolen? (The only Yolen I could think of is Jane Yolen.) Oh, and a British money question. How do you say things like: it costs 11/9 or you owe £3 19 11 3/4? (Me & 7yo were reading Beatrix Potter last night and stumbled on that) (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	mmseason 2009-01-05 05:22 pm UTC (link)
	'It costs eleven and nine.' 'You owe three pounds, nineteen shillings and eleven pence, three farthings.' ...and i'm NOT old enough to know that. ;0) (Reply to this) (Parent)

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papersky, 2009-01-05 06:02 pm UTC (Expand)

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mayakda, 2009-01-05 07:06 pm UTC (Expand)

(121 comments) - (Post a new comment)

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