R.I.P. O.C.

According to my most trusted Internet source for late breaking news (Defamer), this really is the final season for that quasi-documentary pop-culture phenom, The OC. Apparently Josh Schwartz, the writer behind the show, is heading east so that he can write about those other privileged kids, those beloved by Gossip Girls fans. And while I’m happy that Mr. Schwartz is able to pick up and move on so quickly and seamlessly, I can’t help but wonder what this might mean for those of us still stuck in an OC that is so officially over? I mean, having stretched our 15 minutes for as long as we possibly could, are we destined to suffer the fate of those other, once hip yet now forgotten neighborhoods- 90210, and Melrose Place? And even more important, what will become of all that OC merchandise- you know, the pink hoodies, the coffee mugs, the bumper stickers, the key chains, the baseball caps, the tote bags, the baby bibs- that currently adorn our beloved John Wayne airport gift shop, (nearly renamed The OC Airport during the height of our heady celebrity), as well as every other mall kiosk? Will it all be shipped off to EBay? And what do those of us born and raised here call ourselves now that the phrase "OC native" has so clearly lost it’s cool?

I guess the fall out of all this remains to be seen. I’m just counting on the longevity of "The Real OC" to keep the traffic nice and clogged, and all of the parking spaces filled.

Behind the Book- Fly Me to the Moon!!

Back when I was a kid, right before I wanted to be Judy Blume, I wanted to be Eloise-that iconic, naughty, six year old who lived in New York City’s Plaza Hotel. It seemed so glamorous, hotel living. To reside in a place where others make the bed, where skating in the lobby is a choice, and where ice-cream sundaes are delivered right to your door.

I told my mom as much, making the announcement the day she refused to let me eat chocolate chip cookie dough for dinner: “Someday I’m going to live in a hotel,” I’d said. “And then you’ll be sorry.”

Years later, when I found myself spending yet another night in some anonymous, low budget, roach motel, the kind where the sheets are suspect, and showering in your shoes is a must, I realized that this is where my Eloise fantasy had led me. This is where my dream had gotten me. Into a bunion building, flammable skirt wearing, bag dragging, Buh-Bye chanting, not so glamorous career as a flight attendant. One where I spent more time in hotels than I did at home. One where I never, not once, got to skate down the hall.

Of course I’d been warned that it wouldn’t be all coffee, tea, or me, that I’d spend most of my time just picking up other people’s trash. But I refused to listen to that sort of heresy. I mean, how could it not be the greatest job in the world when they paid you to layover in Paris?

Let me count the ways. . .

Still I hung in there. Logging in over a decade’s worth of flying, partly because of all that free travel, but mostly because it provided lots of time for writing. My debut novel, Faking 19, was cribbed during boring layovers and long weather delays. And even though I followed it up with two more YA’s, the flight attendant story was always there, patiently waiting, occasionally giving me a gentle nudge and saying- Hey, what about me? When do I get a say?

Fly Me to the Moon is that book. It’s the result of eleven years spent “researching” life behind the navy blue suit, the control top pantyhose, and the little plastic wings. It’s a revealing, insider look at what it’s really like to work in a metal tube, hurling through the sky, at 37,000 feet.

It’s also the story of Hailey Lane, a lovable, bumbling, flight attendant/aspiring novelist, whose life undergoes a traumatic, unexpected reroute that propels her on a worldwide journey to fix her broken heart. A journey filled with mojitos at every layover, outrageous passengers in every seat, and a cute guy at every gate, as Hailey ultimately discovers she has more options than she ever could’ve imagined.

Publisher’s Weekly calls it- “Sex in the City at 37,000 feet.”

I call it my Valentine to flight attendants, and anyone who’s ever been curious about them.

New Year, New Look, New Book!

You may have noticed a whole new look over here at the Alyson Noel page. Well, that's all due to the hard work of the amazing Heidi over at Xuni, who so generously took time out from her holiday to design me a new website, blog, and myspace page! It seemed like the book covers were starting to pile up on my old site, and Heidi did a great job of sorting it all out in a fun, vibrant, user friendly way!! Man, I love a good makeover!!

Also, my debut adult novel, FLY ME TO THE MOON, was released the day after Christmas! And I will admit to slinking into a bookstore or two (or three) to see just where it's placed on the adult shelves. I'll be singing copies in January at the following locations and would love if you could make it!

Wed, Jan 17 at 7pm- Barnes & Noble, 7881 Edinger Ave, Huntington Beach, Ca

Thurs, Jan 18 at 7pm- Borders Books, 125 W Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks, CA

Wed, Jan 14 at 7pm- Borders Books, 3333 Bear Street, Costa Mesa, CA (across from South Coast Plaza!)

Next up- I'll be announcing a contest soon, so stay tuned for that, and my next teen book, Kiss & Blog, is coming out in May, and another, as of yet untitled, teen book is coming out next Fall. . . .

Happy New Year to all of you! And if you get a chance, check out this fun interview I did over at BookBurger. I actually had a chance to eat that exact same burger here- and it was awesome!

Getting to know you 2007

So, it's already 4:24 in Laguna Beach and instead of writing, excercising, or showering- I chose to spend the day answering this getting to know you e-mail from my friend Jeannie in Oregon. The following is the result of a hard days work!

1.. What time did you get up this morning? 8:35, it seemed like the right thing to do

2. Diamonds or Pearls? Turquoise

3.What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Stranger than Fiction- loved it!

4. What is your favorite TV show? Tie between The Office and Entourage

5. What did you have for breakfast? An entire pot of coffee, followed by toast and a handful of vitamins 3 hours later

6. What is your middle name? Noel

7. What is your favorite cuisine? I love it all, but good French Bistro always satisfies

8. What foods do you dislike? Snack foods, pre-packaged foods, fast foods

9. Your favorite Potato chip? See above!

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? U2- because Bono is that perfect blend of hot and altruistic!

11. What kind of car do you drive? A black one with new rear tires, a partially missing bumper, and a messed up passenger door due to the Christmas day tread separation incident.

12. Favorite sandwich? The tuna tartine at Bouchon in Las Vegas. I dream about that sandwich.

13. Favorite item of clothing? My new Ugg boots that I'm tempted to sleep in. . .

14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you
go? I'll start with Sir Richard Branson's private Virgin island and see where that leads. . .

15. What color is your bathroom? A light, terra cotta, orangey type of color

16. Favorite brand of clothing? I really love my new Gap hoodie.

17. Where would you want to retire to? I don't want to retire!

18. Favorite time of day? Thursdays at 8:30.

19. Where were you born? Some hospital in The OC

21. What laundry detergent do you use? The one in the green box

22. Coke or Pepsi? Venti non-fat latte, s'il vous plait.

23. Are you a morning person or night owl? PM- totally

24. What size shoe do you wear? 7- 7.5

25. Favorite animal? Dogs rule!

26. Any news you'd like to share with everyone? Why yes, now that you ask, I'd like to mention that FLY ME TO THE MOON is in stores now!

27. What did you want to be when you were little? A mermaid, a princess, Mrs. John Travolta, Judy Blume- In that order.

28. Favorite candy bar? See number 8.

29. What are your favorite childhood memories? Riding my horse after school with my friends. . .

30. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? baby sitter, department store sales girl, bookkeeper in training, secretary, tour guide, hotel clerk, T-shirt painter, jewelry maker, flight attendant, author

31. Any nicknames? Snarky, pronounced with a lisp.

32. Eye color? Greenish hazel

33. Ever been to Africa? Yes, and it was awesome!

34. Ever been toilet papering? Oh, yeah!

35. Ever loved someone so much it made you cry? It wasn't love that made me cry. . .

36. Ever been in a car accident? Christmas day- me vs. my right rear tire

37. Favorite restaurant? Studio in Laguna Beach, Bouchon in Las Vegas

38. Favorite ice cream? Golden Spoon frozen yogurt- half vanilla, half pistachio, with yogurt chips on top= pure heaven

39. Favorite flower? Tie between orchids and peonies

40. Disney or Warner Brothers? Disney, totally.

41. Favorite fast food restaurant? Again, see #8.

42. What color is your bedroom carpet? Hard wood floors with flokati rugs

43. How many times did you take your drivers test? One anxiety ridden, sweaty palmed time.

44. Before this one, from whom did you get your last email? The iTunes store, welcoming me to the iTunes family

45. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? The iTunes store. That was one helluva a welcome.

46. What do you do most often when you are bored? I don't do bored.

47. Bedtime? Late. Very, very late

48. Who are you most curious about their responses to this
questionnaire? STS, I have no idea if he's ever been toilet papering. That's something I should have cleared up before we got married.

49. Last person you went to dinner with? STS, last night.

50. What are you listening to right now? Psychedelic Furs- Pretty in Pink, courtesy of the iTunes store.

51. What is your favorite color? Turquoise blue

52. Lake, Ocean or River? Ocean

53. How many tattoos do you have? Zero, too fickle.

54. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The intention.

55. Who sent this to you and what is something you didn't know about
him/her? Ms. Jeanie sent it, and I learned soooo many interesting things! Norma-? Really-????

56. What materialistic thing would you ask for if you had one wish to
make? More wishes.

57. Time you finished this email? Shhh! I'm procrastinating!



Hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and wishing you all good things in 2007!
Alyson

Win Free Stuff!

Just a reminder to click over to TEENSREADTOO for your chance to win tons of cool stuff! There are multiple prizes for every day between now and December 31st. On December 19, I'll be giving away autographed copies of Faking 19, Art Geeks and Prom Queens, and Laguna Cove, as well as a Sephora gift card! But there are plenty of other awesome prizes as well!

Just click on the "31 Days of Giving" banner. What are you waiting for??

Alyson