Thursday, April 19, 2007

Countdown to Kiss & Blog


So, in less than a month my next teen novel, KISS & BLOG, will be released, and I can hardly wait!

TeensReadToo calls it: "A definite winner!"

You can get a sneak peek by clicking here

Also, I did a really fun interview over at SD Girl where I answer questions about the story behind the story. You should definitely check it out, and then scroll over to read their other interesting articles and reviews!

And my interview at Romance Junkies is now up!

That's it for now- wishing all of you a fun weekend!
Alyson

Monday, April 16, 2007

Literary Orange Author Festival


Hi Everyone-

Just wanted to let you know about Literary Orange- an exciting, new author festival taking place this Saturday, April 21 at the Hyatt Regency in Garden Grove, CA. I'll be taking part on a panel, The Awkward Age, along with the amazing authors, Cynthia Kadohata and Neal Shusterman.


There will also be panels on crime, romance, poetry, finding your muse, etc.


For more details, click HERE!

Hope to see you there!


Friday, April 13, 2007

A Day in the Life

Back when I was a flight attendant, the two questions I was always asked were:

Where’s the bathroom?
&
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen onboard the airplane?

The first was easily answered by pointing either to the front or back of the cabin. For the second, I’d just smile and shrug, knowing I’d one day write a book about it.

But now that I’m a stay at home author, the questions have changed. Now people want to know:

Where do you get your ideas?
&
What’s your typical writing day like?

For the first, I just shrug, not willing to cop to all of the characters that reside in my head. For the second, I just cringe, because the truth is, it’s not pretty.

Because now that I’m no longer required to begin my day by squeezing into a blue polyester dress, control top panty hose, airline approved pumps, little pearl earrings, and two swipes of lipstick, things have gotten a little, well, sloppy.

No longer a slave to the alarm clock, I now wake up sometime within the second half of the Today show. Then I stumble blindly into my office, fire up the computer and turn on the TV, before feeling my way down the hall and into the kitchen, where a full coffee pot awaits.

After heating up some milk, I pour it into my jumbo sized mug, then drag it all back to my office where I slump at my desk, sipping java, sifting through e-mails, and traipsing around the internet under the guise of “research.”

Hours later, when the pot is empty, the e-mails handled, and the “research” concluded, I convince my husband that it is now time to make a Starbucks run, as that first pot of coffee was merely a warm up, a sort of practice run, until I can get the real thing. And while I wait for his return, I contemplate working out, showering, and getting dressed, but then, just as I’m about to partake in those very activities, my husband is back with a Venti skim latte in hand.

And then, of course, there are new e-mails to read, more “research” to conduct, not to mention the obsessive checking of Amazon and B&N rankings even though I’m told that they’re meaningless.

But when my latte cup is empty, I am officially awake and ready to write. Except for the fact that it’s now just before three, and Oprah has been known to feature some very relevant topics that could truly serve as “research.” And what goes better with Oprah than a steaming hot cup of coffee? And maybe, just this once, a square of dark chocolate . . .

By 4:01 P.M. the TV is off, and I’m fully prepared to get down to the serious business of writing, yet, it’s also getting late, and I still need to shower. Not to mention how I promised myself I’d start working out again. Though it’s probably better to wait until next Monday, you know, start the week off right.

By 5:00 I’m showered and changed into a fresh new pair of sweats, ready to head back to my computer, sit myself down, and get some serious writing done. But just as I begin to type, I realize it’s Friday-- which, if you think about it, is really just the gateway to the weekend. And since I’ve been thinking about adding a coffee house scene to my current work in progress, I grab my keys, and head out the door, knowing there’s nothing like real life experience to make a scene ring true.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Hot in the City

I just got back from five action packed days in NYC where I attended a writer's conference-



Ate some great meals--





Saw some amazing art--




Listened to some great music--





Caught up with old friends- (of whom I forgot to take pictures!)





And now that I'm unpacked and readjusted back to California time, I'm getting pretty excited about the May release of--



As well as looking over the typeset pages for the September release of--



And even though the next few months should prove to be busy, I'm hoping you'll stop by Romance Divas anytime from Wednesday April 11 to Friday April 13th where I will be taking part in a YA author chat, answering questions about writing, the writing biz, my books, characters, etc.

And then of course there's the first annual Orange County literary event, Literary Orange, on Saturday April 21, where I'll be part of an author panel titled "The Awkward Age" along with the amazing authors Cynthia Kadohata and Neal Shusterman. It's going to be a wonderful, all day event, and I hope to see you there!