Train Kept A Rollin'

I feel I should warn you right up front, before you commit to reading this any further, that this is going to be one of those "catch-up" blogs--the kind where I basically list all of the most recent happenings in place of any real, deep, philosophical ramblings.

This is basically due to the fact that UNTITLED IMMORTALS #4 is not only in need of a title, but it's also in need of an ending . . . an ending that's due on my editor's desk (shout out to the awesome Rose Hilliard!!) in just under a month and it's pretty much sucking up any and all of my creative juices, which means there's not a whole lot of juice left over for stuff like this . . . so . . .consider yourself warned!

First off, I'm happy to announce that I will have a short story in the upcoming anthology, KISSES FROM HELL! Born in the same tradition as PROM NIGHTS FROM HELL, and VACATIONS FROM HELL, this one is about, well, kisses. But probably not the good kind, since, well, they're from hell and all . . .

Also, if you were in any way, shape, and/or form hankering for the audio edition of EVERMORE, well, hanker no more! This is your chance to win your very own copy--just click HERE for all the deets on how to do just that--but be sure to do so before August 15, cuz that's when the contest ends!

And since I've boarded the happy announcements train, I'm thrilled to announce the following:

BLUE MOON landed at #1 again this week on the New York Times Best Sellers List for Children's Paperbacks (making for 5 weeks straight!), with EVERMORE coming in at #3 (making for 27 weeks in the top 5!). They also landed on the USA Today list at #35 & 77 respectively, and on the Publisher's Weekly list at #2 and #7--so thank you thank you thank you for that!!

Also, BLUE MOON was chosen as an Alloy "Sweet Summer Read" you can check it out HERE.

And, I recently had the amazing opportunity to have lunch with a longtime hero of mine, sorry I can't say who, but aside from it being one of those truly great, fan-girl-kind-of-moments, I just so happened to glean one of the secret to their amazing success--ready? It involves waking up at 3:30 AM to lift weights before settling in to work. Simple right? That's exactly what I thought when I decided to try it out for myself . . .only to wake up at my usual 8:30 AM . . .Oh well, guess I'm more of a "mid-afternoon/night person" anyway . . .

And since I like to leave things on a cliff hanger when and where I can, allow me to say I have some VERY EXCITING announcements coming up soon. . .

Very . . .

Very . . .

Exciting . . .

Very, Very, Soon . . .

Have a great day everyone!

A

xoxo

Drops of Jupiter

(Still using random song titles as blog titles and loving the ease of it- so expect it to continue until further notice!)

So the other night,when my BFF invited my husband and I to a "wine dinner at Morton's on Thursday," I pretty much said, "Sure!" without asking for any further details other than what time we needed to be there. I'm facing several deadlines, there'd been a bit of sadness lately, and I knew some time with her and her fiancee would provide a nice break.

As it turns out, "the wine dinner" was actually a Blind Tasting Seminar and was absolutely fascinating.

I like wine. It's pretty much the only alcoholic beverage I drink. I even spent a week in a French Chateau in the Rhone Valley several years ago learning about wine in a seminar sponsored by the airline I used to work for (there was an essay contest for people who wanted to attend and I was one of the winners!). The purpose of course, was not to have a blast drinking wine all day (which we did), but to learn enough about wine so that we could knowledgeably suggest wine pairings for our first class customers on international flights (which we also did).

But, as I said that was several years ago, and the memories of what I learned has since gone a bit fuzzy. So last night's course was not only a really fun refresher, but it gave me the inside scoop on how people can successfully pronounce a wine's vintage and type simply by doing the whole swirl, sniff, and taste without once seeing the bottle from which it was poured.

And while I won't get into all the minutiea of how that is done, and while I in no way want to promote underage drinking as I know many of you are well under 21, I will say I was pretty fascinated to learn that one of the distinguishing notes of Sauvignon Blanc is that it smells like "cat box" and that Pinot Noir smells like "barnyard."

MMMMM. . .YUMMMM!!!

But what's really cool is this certificate declaring me an official, Morton's Associate Sommelier!! Rock on!

Oh, and then after the class, we moved into the dining room to enjoy dinner, an I saw that my BFFs had arranged this:

Notice the first line at the top? How cool is that?!

Thanks Snarky & O'malley--you guys rock!!!

And speaking of things that rock, check out this brand spankin' new booktrailer for EVERMORE's UK release! I love it so much, I'm just gobsmacked by what a good job they've done!

View it HERE!

Oh, and the UK version also made the cover of this week's Bookseller magazine! Check it out HERE.

Have a great day everyone!

Alyson

xoxo

John Hughes

John Hughes

1950-2009

Rest in Peace.

Who'll Stop the Rain?

So if you read the previous post, then you know that author, screenwriter, story guru, and all around amazing human being (and I don't use that lightly, in this case it's true) Blake Snyder has passed away, leaving this world way too soon.

It's taken me a few days to collect my thoughts on this loss, probably because I, like many others, felt it so deep. Blake was one of those rare individuals with a passion for both life and story craft that was hugely infectious, you couldn't help but smile when he was in the room.

I'd read his books a few years ago, and always recommend them to anyone even remotely interested in story craft as they are truly life-changing, or at least they were for me. But I didn't get the chance to see him in person until the RWA convention in San Francisco last year, taking the stage in front of hundreds (thousands?) of writers, mostly female, and he was so giddy with excitement about the craft of storytelling he actually giggled--resulting in my best memory of the entire weekend.

Then, last April, when my local RWA chapter invited him to come speak, I seized the chance to sign books alongside him. Afraid of coming off like the semi-crazed fan that I was, I couldn't help but gush, over and over again, about how much his books helped me with everything from plotting my novels to crafting synopsis and back cover copy. And rather than being put off by my rabid, fan-girl, mumblings, he couldn't have been more gracious or kind--that's just who he was. And when he bought a copy of EVERMORE and asked me to sign it--well, it was a moment I'll never forget.

We exchanged a few e-mails, and I was on the verge of e-mailing him again, but being so busy with the deadline for book #4 (still untitled!), a story for an anthology (KISSES FROM HELL), and copy-edits for SHADOWLAND--I put it off, thinking I had plenty of time--something there's never enough of. I should know that by now.

And though he's no longer with us, his passion for story and people will always live on in the brilliant legacy he left behind in his books, his movies, and his passion for those whom he reached.

I'll be speaking at my local RWA chapter on Saturday morning about the craft of writing YA, drawing on some examples of how Blake's methods influenced my books, among other things. If you get a chance to stop by, I'd love to see you there. The cost is $10 for members and $20 for non-members. Details for the event can be found HERE.

Carpe Diem everyone!

A

xoxo

Blake Snyder

Blake Snyder 1957-2009

Screenwriter, teacher, and author of SAVE THE CAT, Blake Snyder has passed away today and I am so deeply saddened.

He was a wonderful teacher and a beautiful, inspiring person with a generosity of spirit seldom seen.

He will be greatly missed.

Rest in Peace.