Blue Moon

Blue Moon

You saw me standing alone

Without a dream in my heart

Without a love of my own

Blue Moon

You know just what I was there for

You heard me saying a prayer for

Someone I really could care for

And then there suddenly appeared before me

The only one my arms will hold

I heard somebody whisper please adore me

And when I looked to the moon it turned to gold

Blue Moon

Now I'm no longer alone

Without a dream in my heart

Without a love of my own

(lyrics by Richard Rogers & Lorenz Hart)

Just wanted to wish you all a very Happy New Year and all the best in 2010!!! And, as these things go, this particular New Year's Eve just happens to be a BLUE MOON--how cool is that?!

Celebrate and be safe!

Alyson

x0x0

The Girl With the Broken Smile

(blog title courtesy of Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved")

The image above was sent to me by Thais, one of my Brazilian readers!!

Wow, I just realized it's been two weeks since my last blog post, and it's entirely due to the whole mouth trauma thing that's been going on (braces, bone removal, bone grafting, gum stippling, gum suturing--feeling queasy yet??!), and since it's best not to blog while under the influence of pain meds, well, I figured a little blog silence was in order!

But even though it's not over yet (the stitches don't come out for another 2 weeks and my cheeks still look as though I'm storing nuts for the winter!), I thought I'd drop in long enough to say THANKS for all of your comments and support! This year has exceeded all of my writerly dreams and I owe it all to YOU!!!

Also, I wanted to wish you all a warm and wonderful holiday and all good things in the New Year!!

Oh, and just so you know, I'm over at Living Your Five today talking about how I'm living my Holiday Five--you can read all about it HERE!

And, funnily enough, just after I made my donation to Heifer International this morning, I read literary agent, Nathan Bransford's blog and saw that he is donating $1 to Heifer International for every comment left at his blog (up to $1000!!!!), so hurry on over and leave your comment HERE!

Okay, back to the couch for another round of HGTV and a warm compress!!

Hope your day is pure magick!

A

xoxo

Baby It's Cold Outside!

(blog title courtesy of-well, many have sung it through the years!)

So, with the rain pounding outside my window, and the sky turned bleary and grey, there's just no mistaking it--winter is definitely upon us! And though it seems it arrived a bit early this year here in (not-so) Sunny California, being the complete and total weather wimp that I am, I'm making the most of it by staying inside where I plan to tackle The Riley Book revisions (they're light revisions-yippee!) and begin the note-taking, plot-planning process of the 5th Immortals book (and try to drum up a better title than 5th Immortals Book!). And, of course, I plan to do all of it while listening to my FREE iTunes Holiday Sampler, which, if you haven't downloaded yet, you can do so HERE!

Yep, even though THIS has just been released (though not in a theatre near me!):

I'm still staying in!

And even though I'd be totally happy just to watch the trailer of THIS play over and over again:

(Er, I actually meant to post the Up in the Air photo, but you get the gist!)

I'm determined to work!

And if you're planning to stay inside too, and like me, are nowhere near The Lovely Bones limited release theaters, and you want to take a break from George Clooney gazing, well, you can never go wrong with a good book or HGTV (I swear, I'm addicted!), or, if you're interested, you can check out an interview I did HERE where I talk about my most enjoyable character to write, and what I would give Haven for Christmas! Or you can even watch this example of screenwriting guru, Blake Snyder's, SAVE THE CAT method at work and see why it's so important in making a character instantly more likable! Also, Blake's new (and sadly, last) book, SAVE THE CAT STRIKES BACK, is available now--and I highly recommend it for anyone struggling to finish their story, revise their story, or sell their story, as Blake reveals his own, incredibly inspiring tale of how he made the transition from struggling screenwriter to one of the most successful spec screenwriters in Hollywood!

Or, you tell me! What's your favorite way to spend a cold and rainy day?!!

Stay warm!

Alyson

:)

Pictures of You Me

(blog title courtesy of The Cure)

(Art work courtesy of Estefanie--isn't it awesome??!!!)

So yesterday I did something I've been putting off for ages--or, to be more precise, since March of 2005, which pretty much marks the time when my debut novel, Faking 19, hit the stores.

I finally got a professional author photo taken.

I know, I know, how could I let this drag on for so long, you ask? (and even if you didn't please play along!)

Well, the truth is, while I'm always up for the spontaneous, candid, party or vacay photo, the idea of posing before a photographer in a studio totally freaks me out. Just the thought of it was enough to inspire no less than a gazillion excuses as to why I couldn't possibly get around to scheduling it.

I'm on deadline.

I will be on deadline at some point in the near future.

I don't like what my hair is doing this week.

I feel puffy.

I have a zit.

The list goes on . . .

Which is also why I've sported the same photo on the back of nine of my novels so far--the one taken by my husband just seconds after checking into The Wynn hotel in Las Vegas after the 4 hour drive from Laguna Beach. The one where most, if not all, of my makeup was melted away, and I was just really glad to finally be there. While Faking 19 features the photo my husband took the time I joined him on a business trip to Ohio, back when I was experimenting with darker hair. An experiment that ended shortly after the photo was taken and hasn't been revisited since.

But with my big date with braces and gum surgery looming next week (!), I finally bit the bullet and made an appointment at Crush Studios, where I was made up by the beautiful, sweet, and amazingly talented owner of Addiction Cosmetics, Noel Sweeny, who gave me a smoky eye I could hardly believe and left my lips glossy and pink, before Crush owner and photographer extraordinaire, Nancy Villere, went to work and got me laughing so easily I actually caught myself doing the one thing I was sure that I wouldn't --having fun!.

And when it was over, not wanting to waste the smoky eyes I could never replicate on my own, my husband and I went to one of our favorite local restaurants, Vine in San Clemente, and celebrated The Immortals spending a 3rd week on the NYT series list (making for 44 weeks on the list in general!)!

(end of the night at Vine- look at that pretty kaleidoscope effect)

And now, today, I'm back to the barefaced, sweat pants wearing me . . . those dark, smoky eyes reduced to a distant memory-or at least until I pick out my photos next week!

What about you? Do you enjoy posing for photos? Or do you head for the hills when a camera is pointed your way?

The Snuggie vs. The Blanket

I have a confession to make.

One that is somewhat embarrassing, and will definitely require a bit of explaining, but here goes:

I, Alyson Noël, am obsessed with The Snuggie.

You know, The Snuggie, as featured in mid-day or late night TV commercials, as well as Sunday paper circulars. It’s like the Chia Pet, or The Clapper for a new generation, and I just can’t get enough of it.

Not that I have one, mind you, and not that I even want one (though if any of you do have one and would recommend it, then please, let me know!), all I know is that every time that commercial airs, I drop everything to watch those happy, smiling people wearing their backward robes (because that’s what they are, right?).

Cheering in a stadium, cutting a dance move on the couch, cuddling a baby, eating popcorn, working on your laptop, making a phone call, handling the remote control, brewing a pot of tea—and, according to the website, they're also good for "nighttime pub crawls" as well! There’s virtually nothing you can’t do in a Snuggie--even the family dog can get in on the act with their very own, matching Snuggie!

And ever since they came on the scene, The Blanket just seems so cumbersome, obsolete, and downright unfashionable, doesn’t it?

So what about YOU? Do you have a Snuggie? Do you want a Snuggie? Or would you rather just turn up the heat?

Into The Mystic

(Blog title courtesy of Van Morrison)

The art work above comes courtesy of the incredibly awesome Alexa, who is as nice as she is talented--Thanks, Alexa!!

So, it's been a crazy/busy last few weeks, what with the release of SHADOWLAND, the deadline for Book #1 in the Riley Series (still no title!), which, btw, I had so much fun writing I actually finished it 2 weeks early (!), and then of course there was Thanksgiving, quickly followed by my b-day (thanks for all the b-day wishes--you guys are The Best!), and now I've spent the last few days desparately trying to catch up all the things I let slide . . .

(Part of my b-day dinner- I LOVE octopus, what can I say?!)

Part of that catching up including some interviews I'd promised a while back, one of which you can read HERE, and I have to say that this one happens to be particularly awesome to me since I was lucky enough to meet Amy at my Bakersfield signing and her and her husband could not have been nicer!

Also, I just learned that EVERMORE is nominated for GoodReads "All Time Favorite of 2009" Award, along with THE IMMORTALS series which is nominated for "Best YA series" Award--a sort of double header--how cool is that? For those of you interested in casting your vote, just click HERE!

And in more IMMORTALS type news, the series has now sold translation rights to 30 countries (!), and it's made the New York Times Children's Series Best Sellers List for 2 weeks straight--an amazingly difficult list as my 3 titles compete directly with series who boast 6 or more titles!! While SHADOWLAND has made the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and WalMart Best Sellers Lists as well--so Thank YOU- Thank YOU- Thank YOU - for all of your support--I really appreciate it!

And speaking of SHADOWLAND, the Chattanooga Times chose it as a "Childrens Gift Book to Put Under the Tree"--you can see the full list HERE!

And speaking of DARK FLAME (okay, I know we weren't but I couldn't think of a better segue), I recently got a sneak peek at the cover and it's awesome!! Totally different from the ones that came before it in one very distinct way . . .I can't wait til I get the okay to share it with you!

And for those of you who prefer to listen to your books, the entire IMMORTALS SERIES is now available at Macmillan Audio, iTunes, and wherever else audio books are sold! And as it just so happens, the SHADOWLAND edition contains a special treat--an IMMORTALS pendant as pictured below:

(I've cut my hair since this pic, but the gist is the same!)

That's all for now--have a great day everyone!

A

xoxo