R.I.P.

"What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. I mean I've left schools and places I didn't even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don't care if it's a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I'm leaving it. If you don't, you feel even worse."

J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

1919-2010

Rest in Peace

RADIANCE!!!!

Book 1 in The Immortals spin-off series featuring Riley Bloom

(and Buttercup!)!

On sale 08.31.10!!!

Read the summary HERE!

DARK FLAME!!!

On sale 07.06.10

Read the summary HERE!!!

Pride (In the Name of Love)

(blog title courtesy of U2)

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. "-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Have a good day everyone!

A

:)

Q & A!!

So here's the thing--last time I checked my unanswered messages were hovering somewhere around the neighborhood of 300 plus. And with the 5th IMMORTALS book due in 2 months, the copy-edit on RADIANCE (the first book in the Riley series) also due soon, and the revision on BRING ME TO LIFE (a story in the KISSES FROM HELL anthology coming this fall) due at the end of this month, there is no way I'm going to get to it now. And with this entire scenario repeating itself every three months for the rest of the year (only the story titles will change!) I may not get to it ever.

And, the truth is, I feel awful about it.

Just awful.

Because I really do enjoy communicating with you all. But, the deadlines pay the bills and cannot be ignored, so I thought I'd try to answer some of your most frequently asked questions, in blog form, starting here:

1. Is SHADOWLAND the last book in THE IMMORTALS series?

No. DARK FLAME follows SHADOWLAND and it will be out sometime in spring/summer 2010.

2. How many books will there be in the series?

There will be six books in total. I am working on Book #5 now!

3. Do you know the release date for DARK FLAME?

They release date has not yet been determined, but I will announce it as soon as it is!

4. When can we see the cover for DARK FLAME?

As soon as I get the okay!

5. When will you post the first 2 chapters of DARK FLAME?

Well, it's still being copy-edited, so it might be a while . . .

6. What will DARK FLAME be about?

It will pick up right where SHADOWLAND left off. That's all I can tell you for now!

7. Will DARK FLAME be in Damen's point of view?

No, all of the books will be in Ever's point of view.

8. Is it true that Riley is getting her own series?

Yes! The first book is called RADIANCE and it will be in stores on September 4, 2010!!! The cover is absolutely gorgeous--the art department really outdid themselves--and I can't wait 'til I can show it to you!

9. I just read FAKING 19, ART GEEKS & PROM QUEENS, LAGUNA COVE, FLY ME TO THE MOON, KISS & BLOG, SAVING ZOE, and/or CRUEL SUMMER and was wondering if you will ever write a sequel to these books?

Probably not. I'm so busy with THE IMMORTALS series and the RILEY books that I just can't fit it in. Also I feel pretty good about where those stories left off. Everyone is living Happily Ever After for sure!

10. Will you come to my town for a book signing?

Well, I will be touring this September for The Smart Girls Tour, and not all of the cities have been set yet, but you can learn more here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Smart-Chicks-Kick-It-Tour/231876740525

11. Have you ever thought about making a movie of THE IMMORTALS?

All the time--it would be a dream come true! But in the end, it's really up to Hollywood, not me. Though a producer Spring Creek Productions, has optioned the dramatic rights so my fingers are crossed!

12. I think I would make a perfect Ever-Riley-Haven-Miles-insert character here- can I send you my photo/where do I audition?

If there is a movie version, I will have nothing to do with the casting. They hire professionals for that sort of thing!

13. Are Ever and Damen going to get married/have babies?

Well, at the moment my main concern is just getting them through high school!

14. When will SHADOWLAND be published in paperback?

Sometime in Fall 2010.

15. Can you use my name in one of your books?

All of the names for my next several books are already chosen.

16. I'm working on a book, will you read it when it's finished and tell me what you think?

I'm sorry but I can't. For legal reasons, I'm not allowed to read unpublished works. And for time reasons, I barely have enough for my own books!

17. I'm a young writer, do you have any advice for me?

I am in the process of a major, website overhaul where I will have a page dedicated to this, but until then, I've recently run across this site for young writers, run by the editors at Harper Collins:

http://inkpop.com/

18. When will BLUE MOON be published in my country?

Each country has it's own publisher, and it's own time line, so I'm afraid I don't know!

19. Do you have any random news to share with us?

Why yes--thanks for asking! I recently learned that BLUE MOON has been nominated for the "Children's Choice Book Awards Best Books of 2009"--!!! You can see the full list, and vote for your favorite HERE!

And SHADOWLAND has been nominated for RT magazine's "Reviewer's Choice Award" for Best Paranormal/Fantasy Young Adult Novel"-!!!

And EVERMORE has been on the German Hardcover Fiction Bestsellers list for 7 weeks! You can see it HERE.

Okay, back to work for me!!

Have a great day, everyone!

Alyson

:)

Top Ten Reasons Why I Heart my Snuggie

10. It fits—and there’s room to grow!

9. I really can wear it to a sporting event (though I probably won’t)!

8. It’s open in the back—just like a hospital gown!

7. It’s warm like a blanket

6. But unlike a blanket, it has sleeves, which make it superior for tasks like controlling the remote control!

5. It’s like a little black dress for couch potatoes—it can be dressed up or down!

4. It’s delightfully unisex—something the whole family can enjoy!

3. Even your dog can get in on the fun!

2. It promotes reading—it comes with a book light!

The #1 reason why I ¤ my SNuggie—it was given to me by a reader!! Thanks again, Christina!!

Secret Garden

(Blog title courtesy of The Boss--Bruce Springsteen!)

(Summerland--as imagined by Skyrose--isn't it lovely?!!)

So, the ringing in of a new decade got me thinking a lot about how I spent the last one, and I have to say, that if nothing else, it's been one of great change. Containing some of the hardest, most difficult hurdles I've ever faced, and yet those very same hurdles ended up providing not only great opportunity for learning and growth, but the chance to build something positive from them.

On the Millennium New Year's Eve, I was in Stockholm Sweden on a four day layover (I was working as a NYC based flight attendant back then), and a trip like that was pretty much the same as getting paid to vacation in a gorgeous (and cold!!) city. And, as I was still dating my soon-to-be husband, I took him along and we had an amazing time!

Fast forward to 2001, we got married in May, and by September, when 9/11 hit, I was suddenly faced with a 40% pay cut and the additional duty of performing early morning bomb checks. And as horrible and tragic as that day was, as much as that moment of watching those planes fly into the towers will forever be sealed in my mind, it also served as the impetus to finally stop talking about my dream of being a writer, and actually start, well, writing!

So, I dusted off the story I'd started nearly a decade before, finished it, sent it off to a slew of publishers (erroneously thinking I didn't need an agent--wrong!), only to get a slew of rejections for my efforts. And yet, as much as it hurt to be rejected by everyone, in the end it just made me try harder. I took classes, revised my manuscript over and over again, and by 2003 I had an agent, and by Feb 4, 2004 I was offered a two-book deal with St. Martin's Press!

But before we'd even finished celebrating, we were hit with tragedy as every member of my husband's immediate family was diagnosed with cancer within months of each other--including my husband.

By 2005, when my debut novel, FAKING 19, was released we'd already lost his mother, and a very, dear, old friend of mine (my first love!), suddenly passed away too. By the time my second book was released, my husband lost his twin brother, and by the time my third book was released, I was on the verge of losing my husband as well.

But, he pulled through, and what was truly the absolute darkest phase of my life, ultimately shifted into something else. And I soon realized that If I hadn't experienced that--if I hadn't gone through a grief so deep I could barely get off the couch--I wouldn't have been able to write Saving Zoe, Cruel Summer, or any of the books in The Immortals series. Those stories were a direct result of where I'd been and who I'd become because of it. Writing them helped me to make better sense of the world.

2009 has brought some amazing opportunities my way, and to say that I'm grateful hardly seems sufficient. And even though I have no idea what 2010 will bring--I can't wait to get started! If nothing else, I think I've finally learned that no matter how dire something may seem on the surface, if you go deep (very, very deep!), there's a message, an opportunity for growth, and maybe even a chance to turn it into something better.

The other night I watched "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (original version) on TV, and at the very end, in Charlie's "all is lost" moment, when Wonka tells him that he failed the test and to go away, Charlie reaches into his pocket and hands over the gum he'd taken earlier. Only to have Wonka look at him, eyes shining as he says:

"So shines a good dead in a weary world."

And then hands him the keys to the kingdom.

I hope you all shine just as bright (if not brighter!) in 2010!!

Alyson

xoxo