Every Picture Tells a Story

(Blog title courtesy of Mr. Rod Stewart)

Hey Everyone-

So I just received what has got to be some of The Cutest Riley Bloom Reader Pics EVER--and I had to share them with you . . . so, without further ado:

Signing a copy of DREAMLAND on the Pen Fatale Tour!

Group photo!

Look--it's a real life Buttercup!

And he reads too!

LOVE this one--too cute!!

Also, as I mentioned on Twitter, last night my husband and I went to a cooking class at Charlie Palmers in South Coast Plaza - and it was awesome! Though, in the interest of full disclosure, allow me to say that I am probably one of the worst cooks you will ever meet--though I do love to eat, and there was plenty of amazing food to be had!

Also, the amazing chef Charlie Palmer was kind enough to take a picture with me, even after I confessed I was mostly there to eat!

Have a great night, everyone!

Alyson

xoxo

Thank YOU!!

Thank YOU for putting EVERLASTING on the New York Times Bestsellers list for another week!

*

That's 8 New York Times bestsellers in 2 years--

(6 IMMORTALS Books + 2 RILEY BLOOM books)--

Thanks to YOU!

RT Teen Day!!

Hey Everyone,

I'm on my way to LA today for the RT Convention where I'll be raffling off this basket to booksellers:

as well as taking part in Teen Day on Saturday, April 9, and I really hope to see you there!!

There will signings (I'm giving away EVERLASTING & SHIMMER bookmarks & tattoos!), panels, author speed dating/reading, and a party at the end to celebrate all of the Teen Day Awesomeness!!

It's all happening at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, CA!

The signing will be from 11 -2 and costs $5- at the door.

To hang out for an entire day of festivities, including the party, the ticket price is $25- and the first 250 teens will receive an uber cool gift bag full of YA goodness!!

To learn more and register, click HERE!

To see the full list of authors, click HERE!

It's going to be a blast--hope to see you there!!

Thank YOU Thank YOU Thank YOU!!

So I just got the awesome news, that SHIMMER, book 2 in the Riley Bloom series, has hit the New York Times Bestsellers list, and I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all of your support!! Riley is one of my absolute favorite characters to write, and your support of her really means the world to me--I couldn't do it without you!!

Below is a short piece that was filmed at last week's SHIMMER signing at Kepler's Books in Menlo Park, CA that I thought I would share--but first, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU--again and again--you guys ROCK!!

SHIMMER poll- signings - & more!

Cupcakes baked by the Terman School librarian!

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know about a fun SHIMMER poll over on Girl's Life--Click HERE to choose what you'd do if you encountered a ghost!

Also, thanks to the wonderful students and staff at both the Madison & Terman middle schools--I had so much fun talking with all of you!

For those of you who missed the signings at Barnes & Noble, Oceanside & Kepler's, Menlo Park--I left behind signed copies of the both The Immortals & Riley Bloom series, so feel free to stop by or call to pick up a copy!

More events coming up in April--hope to see you there!

April 6-10

RT Book Lovers Convention

Westin Bonaventure HotelLos Angeles, CA

Thursday, April 7

11:15 - 12:15—Panel: "Not Another Teen Panel: YA for Adults"

Saturday, April 9, Teen Day!

2:30 - 3:30—Author Speed Dating

4:30 - 5:30—Panel: "How Do You Build A World-And Characters For It: An Interactive Workshop

For More info on Teen Day, click HERE!

Follow on Twitter!

Friend it on FaceBook!

For more info on the Convention click HERE!

Saturday, April 16, 1:00 PM

Teen Book Fest 2011!

Ontario Senior Center

225 East B StreetOntario, CA 91764

Find out more!

April 30 - May 1

LA Times Festival of Books!

USC CampusLos Angeles, CA

Details coming soon!

Enjoy your weekend!

Alyson :)

SHIMMER!!!

Hey Everyone-

Today is the official release day for SHIMMER, and I couldn't be more excited!

SHIMMER is the second book in the Riley Bloom series (DREAMLAND, book 3, will be in stores on 09.13.11!), where Riley, Buttercup, and Bodhi are enjoying a well-deserved vacation on St. John, Virgin Island, when Riley comes across a young ghost named Rebecca, and soon learns Rebecca's not at all what she sees. The daughter of a former plantation owner, she is furious about being murdered during a slave revolt in 1733. Mired in her own anger, Rebecca is keeping the ghosts who died along with her trapped in their worst memories, and it's up to Riley to help Rebecca without losing herself to her own nightmarish memories . . .

Early reviews are starting to come in, and here's what people are saying:

“There's just something about Riley that I absolutely love! She's spunky, sassy, funny and even though she's dead, she's so full of life . . . Although these books are mid-grade books, they can easily be enjoyed by adults as well. Riley shines! She is a superstar! I'm intrigued by the thought of the Here & Now and I can't help but want to see what adventure Riley will find herself in next.” 4 Stars, Bookwormygirl

***

“Shimmer is a fast, fun and intriguing read. An excellent installment in the series . . . I look forward to see how things turn out in the next book.”—Anna’s Book Blog

***

Just like the first book in the series, RADIANCE-- SHIMMER was a blast to write! Riley is one of my favorite characters to spend time with as she's so spunky and sassy, but also has a really soft vulnerability about her as well--she's a bundle of contradictions, for sure!

I'll be celebrating SHIMMER's release with a two signings this week, and I really hope to see you at one of the stops!

On Tuesday, March 15, I'll be here:

Tuesday, March 15, 6:00 PM

Barnes & Noble

SHIMMER Talk/Reading/Signing

El Camino North Shopping Center

2615 Vista Way

Oceanside, CA 92054

(760) 529-0106

And on Thursday, March 17, I'll be here:

Thursday, March 17, 7:00 PM
Kepler's Books
SHIMMER Talk/Reading/Signing
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650) 324-4321

To get a sneak peek on what SHIMMER's all about, you can watch the trailer here:

Check out the SHIMMER Q&A, read an excerpt, and listen to an audio clip HERE!

You can also watch the fun video I made for the Scholastic Book Fair (RADIANCE is a featured pick!), here:

You can also listen to Riley's playlist HERE and keep up on all of my releases and news by downloading the free Alyson Noel app HERE!

As always, thank you so much for your generosity, kindness, and support! It's so awesome to have such a great group of readers to celebrate with, and I couldn't do it without you!

Have a great day, everyone!

Alyson

xoxo

Ooblek!!

After looking at these pictures, you cannot be blamed for asking yourself:

What is this man doing?

Well, the answer, dear reader, is:

Ooblek.

That man has made himself a big bowl of Ooblek--which, for those of you who missed that day in science class or summer camp--or, skipped that particular Dr. Seuss book where it found its fame, you can learn more about it and get the recipe to make your own bowl of Ooblek HERE.

So why should you even bother with making Ooblek, thinking about Ooblek, reading any further about Ooblek, much less clicking that link??

Because Ooblek is not only fascinating and fun, but it provides a really important life lesson as well. One that twelve-year-old Soul Catcher, Riley Bloom, is forced to confront during the course of her latest, tropical island, Soul Catching, adventure in SHIMMER (in stores 03.15.11!)!

You see, Ooblek is both soft and liquidy, which would seem as though you should be able to make a fist and pound your way through it, right?

But Ooblek, like life, will not be forced. If you try to pound your way through it, you won't make a dent, your fist will not only not penetrate, but will actually bounce back!

But if you soften your fingers and tread gently, your hand will easily find its way through, all the way to your final destination--er, the bottom of the bowl.

So go ahead, make yourself some Ooblek and try it for yourself! And for added fun, add a little food coloring to really jazz it up!

And speaking of SHIMMER/Ooblek . . .

Next week I'll be signing copies of my books both here:

Tuesday, March 15, 6:00 PM

Barnes & Noble

SHIMMER Talk/Reading/Signing

El Camino North Shopping Center

2615 Vista Way

Oceanside, CA 92054

(760) 529-0106

& here:

Thursday, March 17, 7:00 PM

Kepler's Books

SHIMMER Talk/Reading/Signing

1010 El Camino Real

Menlo Park, CA 94025

(650) 324-4321

Hope to see you there!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Alyson

:)

Note: A special thanks to my husband who not only prepared the Ooblek but who also braved the Ooblek so that I could act as photographer. No hands were damaged in this experiment.

Since I've Been Gone

Hey Everyone!

Just back from an amazing week in beautiful New Mexico where I saw things like this:

And this:

And this:

And ate things like this:

I'd been to NM several times in the past, but always as a quick weekend visit--this was the first time I spent an entire week taking pictures, taking notes, talking to interesting people, soaking in hot springs, and, of course, eating!!! (The blue corn pancakes above were a definite fave!).

And since I was there to do research for my upcoming SOUL SEEKERS series, I was thrilled to get the chance to interview several locals who provided a ton of insight that I couldn't have gotten otherwise--so a big THANK YOU to Emily, Daniel, and those who prefer not to be mentioned by name--you know who you are!!

But, of course, while I was gone, tons of stuff came in, and since I had limited Internet access, this is the first chance I've had to post them--so without further ado, here goes!

First off, the sweet, talented, and crazy stylish Melissa Walker posted my thoughts on the EVERLASTING cover, which you can read HERE!

Also, as NIGHT STAR was just released in the UK - (have you seen the commercials? For my UK readers they're playing on E4 TV )-- I did a piece for Amazon UK on my thoughts on finishing the series, which you can read HERE! (Note: you may have to scroll down a bit since it originally posted several days ago!).

Also for UK readers, there's an awesome giveaway going on over at My Kinda Book, click HERE for your chance to win!

And to keep up on all of my UK releases, you can friend the UK Facebook page HERE! (PS- You can watch the commercial on FB too!).

And, I have to say that as someone who was once told by one of my OC high school teachers that I'd "never amount to anything"-- it was pretty cool to be chosen as OC Metro magazines "20 Women to Watch for 2011" which you can see HERE!

And last, but most definitely not least . . . I just learned that EVERMORE is nominated for Colorado's Blue Spruce Young Adult Award!! To see the full list of nominees click HERE!

And . . . I've got some incredibly exciting news to announce . . . just waiting for the final OK so stay tuned for that!!

But meanwhile, SHIMMER is releasing next Tuesday, March 15--and I really hope to see you at one of the signings, which you can find HERE!

Okay, I think that covers it . . . now back to my post-vacation Laundrypalooza!!!

Have a good night, all!

Alyson

xoxo

SHIMMER Signings & More!

Hey Everyone-

SHIMMER's release is less than three weeks away--in stores on 03.15.11--and the early reviews are starting to come in!

Bookwormygirl gives it 4 Stars, saying:

"There's just something about Riley that I absolutely love! She's spunky, sassy, funny and even though she's dead, she's so full of life . . . Although these books are mid-grade books, they can easily be enjoyed by adults as well. Riley shines! She is a superstar! I'm intrigued by the thought of the Here & Now and I can't help but want to see what adventure Riley will find herself in next."

To view the trailer, read an excerpt, or check out the SHIMMER Q&A click HERE!

Also, new signing events have just been confirmed, so here's the latest update:

Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 6:00PM

SHIMMER Talk/Reading/Signing

Barnes & Noble

El Camino North Shopping Center

2615 Vista Way

Oceanside, CA 92054

760-529-0106

***

Thursday, March 17, 2011, 7:00PM

SHIMMER Talk/Reading/Signing

Kepler’s Books

1010 El Camino Real

Menlo Park, CA 94025

(650) 324-4321

***

RT Book Lovers Convention

April 4-6, 2011

Westin Bonaventure Hotel

Los Angeles, CA

Thursday, April 7

11:15 - 12:15—Panel: "Not Another Teen Panel: YA for Adults"

Saturday, April 9, Teen Day!

2:30 - 3:30—Author Speed Dating

4:30 - 5:30—Panel: "How Do You Build A World-And Characters For It: An Interactive Workshop

*For all the inside scoop on the RT Teen Day, follow on Twitter - friend on Facebook - or click HERE to see the RT Teen Day Page!

***

Ontario City Library Teen Book Fest!

Saturday, April 16, 2011 1:00 PM

Talk & Sign along with YA authors:

Katie Alender, Cynthia Hand, Nancy Holder, & Marlene Perez

Ovitt Family Community Library

215 East C Street

Ontario, CA 91764

***

LA Times Festival of Books!

April 30 - May 1

USC Campus

Los Angeles, CA

Details coming soon!

***

Also, coming June 2012-- the EVERLASTING Tour-- Stay tuned for details!!

(If your city is not mentioned, please know that I don't pick the locations, I just go where they send me!)

Hope to see you at one of the stops!!

Alyson

xoxo

Updates, Giveaways, & a video!

Hey Everyone-

It seems it's time to play a little blog catch-up here, so here goes:

First- the giveaways:

Over at Free Book Friday Teens they're giving away 5 signed copies of NIGHT STAR! For your chance to win, click HERE!

Over at YA Fantasy Guide, they're giving away a signed copy of EVERMORE to "my biggest fan." Think that's you? Click HERE and tell them why for your chance to win!

Now, the updates:

I'll be dropping by GoodReads all week, from Monday 2/21 to Saturday 2/26, chatting and answer your questions, which you can start posting now by clicking HERE!

Also, while we're still working on the final Spring/Summer signing schedule for both the SHIMMER and EVERLASTING releases, here are some local, Southern California events that are now confirmed:

Saturday, February 26

2011 SCIBA Childrens Books & Literacy Dinner

Pasadena, CA

April 6-10 RT Book Lovers Convention

Westin Bonaventure Hotel

Los Angeles, CA

Thursday, April 7, 11:15 - 12:15 Panel: "Not Another Teen Panel: YA for Adults"

Saturday, April 9, Teen Day!

2:30 - 3:30 Author Speed Dating

4:30 - 5:30 Panel: "How Do You Build A World-And Characters For It: An Interactive Workshop

For More info on Teen Day, click HERE!

Follow on Twitter!

Friend it on FaceBook!

For more info on the Covention click HERE!

Saturday, April 16, 1:00

Ontario City Library Teen Book Fest!

Talk & Sign along with YA authors:

Katie Alender, Cynthia Hand, Nancy Holder, & Marlene Perez

Ovitt Family Community Library

215 East C Street

Ontario, CA 91764

April 30 - May 1

LA Times Festival of Books!

USC Campus

Los Angeles, CA

Details coming soon!

More event listing coming soon--so stay tuned!!

And the video:

This video comes courtesy of the wonderful Scholastic Book Fair People who spent an entire day at my house filming--mostly chasing the light as we'd just moved in and I had no window coverings, and not much in the way of furniture either for that matter! Anyway, it's for RADIANCE, which is a featured Scholastic Book Fair Pick!

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Alyson
xoxo

Take a Sneak Peek at SHIMMER!!

in stores 03.15.11!!

Hey Everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know that the SHIMMER (book 2 in the Riley Bloom series) excerpt and Q&A are now live on the website! Click HERE to view!

Happy Monday!

Alyson

xoxo

SHIMMER!!!

Hey Everyone-

I'm so excited to present the trailer for SHIMMER!!!

Hope you like it as much as I do!

:)

SHIMMER!!!

Hey Everyone-

Just got the okay to share the SHIMMER cover with all of you--hope you like it as much as I do!

SHIMMER- book 2 in THE IMMORTALS spin-off series

In stores 03.15.11!!!

Have a great day!

Alyson

xoxo

Smart Chicks, London, Frankfurt, & More!

Playing a little game of catch up here after two weeks away and wanted to let you know that the first chapter of NIGHT STAR as well as the title of the 6th and final Immortals book will be sent to all those who subscribe at The Immortals site HERE!

Also, for my UK readers who've been asking, I just learned that RADIANCE is coming to your shores on 02.04.11, with SHIMMER to follow on 08.05.11!

And speaking of the UK, I'll be in London next week signing books at the Wimbledon Bookfest and giving various radio interviews before I'm off to the Frankfurt Book Fair on Wednesday--it's been ages since I was last there and I seriously can't wait to see all of you!

Oh, and a brand-spanking-new Immortals UK Facebook page just went up--you can join by clicking HERE!

Also, for my friends in Chile, a new Chilean Immortals site is up--you can see it by clicking HERE!

And speaking of France (we weren't but please try to pretend that we were), below is the French Cover of SHADOWLAND which hits stores in October!

And I'm also thrilled to announce that French translation rights for SAVING ZOE, KISS & BLOG, CRUEL SUMMER, LAGUNA COVE, & FAKING 19 have been sold as well! Does this mean a Parisian signing might be in the works????

Speaking of covers--below are the Slovenian covers for EVERMORE, BLUE MOON, & SHADOWLAND (in that order)!

And now, I'll leave you to watch a hilarious reenactment of SHADOWLAND that aired at the Teen Read Awards in Toronto--just click HERE to see it!

Have a great day everyone!

A