Justine Larbalestier Quotes & Sayings

I can critique the bad; I can take the good, and I can add whatever I want. — Justine Larbalestier

I don't think they're terrible parents. They love us. I think they're negligent parents. That's not the same thing. — Justine Larbalestier

I was wowed by Margo Jefferson's memoir, Negroland, which is about growing up black and privileged in Chicago in the fifties and sixties. It was a window into an alien world. Obviously, I'm not black, but what was really alien to me was her family's focus on respectability. I was never taught when to wear white gloves, what length skirt is appropriate. — Justine Larbalestier

When I was little, I made up my own fairy tales, and the ghostly echo of 'Once upon a time' shapes all the fiction I've ever written. — Justine Larbalestier

Leilani smiles. I'm surprised she knows how. For a second i'm certain she's isn't like Rosa — Justine Larbalestier

I enjoyed Ready For This, which was created by the people behind Dance Academy and Redfern Now, and really it's what you'd get if you crossed Redfern Now with Dance Academy — Justine Larbalestier

All the male faces in the room turned to me as if they were flowers and I the sun. — Justine Larbalestier

If you are causing trouble, look for allies, always. — Justine Larbalestier

My experience with My Sister Rosa showed me, once again, that I have a much easier time of it if I sell my novels after I finish them, not before. I'm lucky that I'm in a position where I'm able to do that. — Justine Larbalestier

Have you ever felt kind of ... " She paused. "Detached from the world? As if you didn't fit in, and you weren't interested in what everyone else was interested in? As if you belonged in a whole different world?"
"Everyone feels that way sometimes," I said. "But you eat chocolate until the endorphins kick in, and the crazy thoughts go away." I grinned at her. — Justine Larbalestier

Let's examine what prize that is one more time; no more direct sunlight ever again, no more laughter. You get eternity, but you don't have the sense of humor to enjoy it! Also, vampires don't eat food. You never get to eat chocolate again. Ever. I'd rather die. — Justine Larbalestier

I re-read The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter. It's a book every one should read, particularly Americans, as the USA is her primary focus. Her book demonstrates that white is not universal, that white is not neutral, that it has a history, which she eloquently delineates. It's not often you finish a book understanding how the world operates better than before you read it. — Justine Larbalestier

I remember that feeling when I was a young reader: finding books that were set in Sydney with Australian characters was incredibly exciting. — Justine Larbalestier

I love that everyone's into sports, that no one even talks about loving it 'cause it's too obvious. It's the air we breathe. — Justine Larbalestier

I decided to read something I normally hate: a cosy mystery. You know one of those mysteries where everything is tidily wrapped up at the end and everyone lives happily ever after? An Agatha Christie kind of mystery. They are so not my thing. But then someone was raving about Barbara Neely's Blanche White books and they sounded interesting. — Justine Larbalestier

Blogging, I love you no matter how out of fashion you are. — Justine Larbalestier

If you're ever invited, fellow YA authors, go. It's the first YA con I've been to that was overwhelming populated by teens. Wonderful! — Justine Larbalestier

Some worked in collaboration with each other to produce comics as well as short stories.I was partnered with Anita Roy. We critiqued each other's stories. Hers is a corker: future Masterchef. I chortled. There's not a single dud in Eat the Sky. — Justine Larbalestier

They're calling being black a look? How progressive of them. — Justine Larbalestier

I'm almost back to being able to write as much as six hours a day . — Justine Larbalestier

We are all made of broken glass. The school grinds along on grief and anger. — Justine Larbalestier

Her eyelids fluttered. "Francis," she murmured.
"Cathy," he murmured back.
"Heathcliff," muttered Kit, as he set about making sandwiches. — Justine Larbalestier

Who's the bigger liar?
Me or them?
Isn't lying about love the worst lie? Isn't that worse than anything I've ever done? — Justine Larbalestier

My favourite vampires are all very scary indeed. So the idea of falling in love with one is just weird to me. — Justine Larbalestier

I'm frustrated about Cathy. She's torturing herself over this guy, and he's not worth it. I should tell her the truth. I really should."
"Doesn't sound like she'd listen," Kristin said. "There are none so deaf as those listening to 'All by Myself' over and over and over again. — Justine Larbalestier

Killing things shouldn't make you happy, Rosa. That's why they're worried. — Justine Larbalestier

You want to pass for a normal person? Don't tiptoe into people's bedrooms at night! Ever!'
'I can be creepy in front of you.'
'No, you can't! You need to go now.'
'I'll go watch the parentals. — Justine Larbalestier

Rosa is pushing all the buttons. — Justine Larbalestier

I continued blogging, but between illness and deadlines, did not manage to blog nearly as much as last year. I'm hoping to do better in 2016. — Justine Larbalestier

Rosa!" Sally says. "The police are here to help you, not to hear a lecture on comparative murder rates. — Justine Larbalestier

Without me, she can live a long, full life. She can be happy. I must leave her, in fact, for her own good.'
I didn't much like the way Francis put that. Parents are always trying to make you do things for your own good. Not boyfriends. With boyfriends, the relationship is supposed to be equal. They're supposed to let you make your own decisions.
But I couldn't tell Cathy about Francis's undead love-weasel ways. Anyway, this was more proof that Francis really was too old for. It truly was for her own good. Agreeing with Francis gave me a stomachache, so I sat there and made a face. — Justine Larbalestier

Speaking out and creating art that truly reflects the world we live in goes part of the way towards doing that. At least that's what I hope. — Justine Larbalestier

I give people 'If You Came Softly' when they demand proof that novels for teens can be as good as the best novels for adults. — Justine Larbalestier

'Expect the best, but prepare for the worst.' I'm good at the first part, crap at the second. — Justine Larbalestier

We still have disgraceful policies on asylum seekers and Aboriginal Australians continue to die in custody. — Justine Larbalestier

A difference in self loathing? Please. The only difference between a gun and a rope is the time it takes to tie the knot. — Justine Larbalestier

In Australia we have a government actively undoing what little progress had been made on climate change and stripping money from all the important institutions such as the ABC, CSIRO and SBS. — Justine Larbalestier

The ruggers followed me all the way to the cafeteria. I felt like the Pied Piper, except that the rats probably weren't offering to share protein-rich snacks with him. — Justine Larbalestier

He's a vampire. I added. You know. In case Ty thought he was a really convincing vamposeur. — Justine Larbalestier

I've never read a book [ Nnedi Okorafor's Lagoon] like it before. Big and sprawling with a million points of view, including sea creatures. It's about an alien invasion that starts in Lagos, Nigeria but, really, that's just the starting point. — Justine Larbalestier

For even though the rest of the city
no, the rest of the country
starved and searched fruitlessly for work and slept in a humpy in the park, society's finest could still squander their money however they saw fit.
The unemployed, they would say, were lazy. If they worked harder, they'd do as well as Mr. Harry Moneypants was doing, who'd earned his vast fortune by having the foresightedness of selecting rich parents, who had, in their time, also cleverly selected rich parents. — Justine Larbalestier

Really, according to the shrinks, I am angry at everyone ever. Especially them.
I am all anger and resentment all the time.
Not one of them has ever suggested that maybe I lie because the world is better the way I tell it. — Justine Larbalestier

Iloved Ashley Hope Perez's heartbreaking Out of Darkness set in late the 1930s in a small town Texas. It should win all the YA awards. — Justine Larbalestier

The job of every generation is to discover the flaws of the one that came before it. That's part of growing up, figuring out all the ways your parents and their friends are broken. — Justine Larbalestier

The acclaim for Razorhurst means even more to me than usual because, let's be honest, Razorhurst is weird. — Justine Larbalestier

Why did you push her ?' Rosa screams again. I realise she's pointing at me. — Justine Larbalestier

Danders Anders squealed with joy. The most malodorous sound in the world. — Justine Larbalestier

The new prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, while a vast improvement on his predecessor is not doing much, if anything, to slow that process done. — Justine Larbalestier

She promised to be good. She wasn't. — Justine Larbalestier

Didn't anyone ask you where your parents are?"
"They asked. Especially about my parents."
"What did you tell them?"
"I said I ate them."
"Jesus, Rosa. — Justine Larbalestier

I am not Nostradamus.Nor would I want to be. I'm convinced being able to tell the future is the worst superpower. I'd rather be invisible and being invisible never ends well. Just read H. G. Wells! — Justine Larbalestier

That was what magic was: greed. Magic wielders didn't wield magic; it wielded them — Justine Larbalestier

I tell her I don't have a broken heart. It's still beating, the blood still moves around my body; it only aches when I remember to breathe. — Justine Larbalestier

Zombies are the proletariat. Long live the workers! — Justine Larbalestier

I believe it's incredibly important to write against [racial] stereotypes. If we give in and make sure that all black women characters are asexual, gentle, and kind we wind up with another set of stereotypes. — Justine Larbalestier

So you vampires living forever," I said. "You must need lot of hobbies to keep from going completely mad. My grandma swears by knitting. Do you knit, Francis?"
"I do not," said Francis.
"Ah," I said. "Do you crochet?" This time he didn't bother to answer. — Justine Larbalestier

The windows next to her is open a crack, spitting in rain
'Close the windows Rosa'
She slides a small book out of her backpack, turning it so i can see the front
An Australian passport. She opens it to the photo page: the horrible drunk from the plane.
I lunge as Rosa pushes it out the window
'I win,' Rosa says. — Justine Larbalestier

Would you like to press charges?" the officer asked. She was not serious. Nobody pressed charges against stars of A-stream teams, especially ones like Danders Anders who were in their final year and on the brink of superlative careers.
"I'd love to press charges," Rochelle answered. "That would be joyous."
The officer grinned. "Wouldn't it? — Justine Larbalestier

I started writing a novel from the monster's point of view. It has its own difficulties but, I'm ashamed to say, it's much easier writing from a psychopath's point of view than from that of their empathetic opposite. — Justine Larbalestier

I don't think that now: half of everything is something, not nothing. Lots of somethings — Justine Larbalestier

I'm one of those sad cases who've never wanted to be anything but a writer. I started writing my first novel when I was five years old. I have no idea what it was about, but I do remember spending considerable time trying to get the title right, though this had more to do with crayon colour than scansion. — Justine Larbalestier

My Sister Rosa was bumped from the schedule. None of my books has ever been bumped before. It freaked me out. — Justine Larbalestier

I think I've finally learned to stop worrying about how big the gaps are between my novels' publication. — Justine Larbalestier

I travel way too much to have any pets. But if I could have one, I'd want a quokka. They're basically small kangaroos native to Western Australia. — Justine Larbalestier

I've known white Australian girls from wealthy families who were sent to posh private schools, who knew all of that stuff, and I think would recognise much in Jefferson's book. What I related to most strongly was the sexism and misogyny Margo Jefferson had to battle. — Justine Larbalestier

I spent the year behind on deadlines and everything else. It's only now in December that I feel even slightly caught up. 2016 has to be better. — Justine Larbalestier

I'm sure other writers have no difficulties writing nice. — Justine Larbalestier

My father is a liar and so am I.
But I'm going to stop. I have to stop.
I will tell you my story and I will tell it straight. No lies, no omissions.
That's my promise.
This time I truly mean it. — Justine Larbalestier

One of my fave TV shows is Into the Badlands because martial arts staged well and magically and saturated colours and eye candy and coherent plot and world building. It has a strong diverse cast. — Justine Larbalestier

He didn't mean to corner me, but when you're as tall and wide as he is and I'm as little as I am, merely standing beside me constitutes menacement. — Justine Larbalestier

I love blogging, even though apparently it's still dying, and hate it when I have too much going on to do so regularly. — Justine Larbalestier

I discovered the writing of Kirsty Eagar and was blown away. Everyone needs to read her now. — Justine Larbalestier

Eating good food is my favourite thing in the whole world. Nothing is more blissful. — Justine Larbalestier

Sure, Malcolm Turnbull is less anti-science and anti-culture than [Tony] Abbott, but low bar, and there's not a lot to show for it beyond rhetoric. — Justine Larbalestier

The only reason I've ever had to wear a hat is to avoid skin cancer. — Justine Larbalestier

Lungs, they do not like to be messed with. I give pneumonia one star and that's for the silent p. — Justine Larbalestier

Wherever I go the music playing is always something I like. I never hear music I hate."
"If you never hear it, how do you know what music you don't like?" I asked, not sure if I'd made any sense. It was spinny trying to figure it out. Didn't you know what you liked in contrast to what you didn't? But if he only heard music he liked, he'd never have any contrast. Did that mean he liked everything? — Justine Larbalestier