I have to give a huge shout out to the fabulous young adult authors in the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit for touring me last week! You guys rock! If any of you missed my 20-plus interviews, check out my blog from last week for all the links to the Q&A fun. And of course, don’t forget to swing by Amazon in case you failed to pick up your copies of Amor and Summer Secrets, Amigas and School Scandals, or Adios to All The Drama.
But enough about me, I’d like to welcome the GCC’s latest touring author, Alyson Noel! Alyson’s fabulous new book, Evermore, is already off to a rocking start and I know I can’t wait to read it. It just hit shelves February 3rd through St. Martin’s, and the reviews are looking good. So check it out!
And as always, here’s a little bit about her book to get you hooked:
Sixteen-year-old Ever used to have two parents, a little sister, a dog, and a nice house in Oregon. She used to be a varsity cheerleader and go to school dances. But that was before the horrible accident that claimed the lives of her family.
Now Ever blares the Sex Pistols through her headphones and hides under her hoodie in class. She doesn’t need to listen to hear, or see to know. All she needs is to touch someone to know their entire life story, not to mention always seeing their auras and hearing their thoughts. She’s been branded a freak at her new high school in Laguna Beach as she goes out of her way to avoid human contact, but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.
From the moment Ever first looks at Damen, she feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen is equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies, and nothing is as it seems…
Here’s what Alyson had to say:
Q: In AMOR AND SUMMER SECRETS, Mariana discovers a hidden family secret. Are you a good secret keeper? Why or why not?
Alyson: The best. Seriously. If you tell me not to tell anyone, I won’t, I’m a vault. But, if you somehow forget to say that…
Q: I love to travel, so I gotta ask, what is the favorite place you ever traveled to, and what was the coolest thing you saw/did there?
Alyson: I’m a traveler too! And my favorite place so far was Marrakech—everything about it seemed magical, exotic, mysterious, and mystical, it was truly the best! I saw snake charmers, camels, the most amazing bazaar, and I ate pigeon pie!
Q: I often tell the story of how a psychic once predicted that I would go on to write children’s books. Have you ever visited a psychic?
Alyson: I’ve visited a few in my time. One in particular who predicted so many things it was eerie! She predicted my future husband—going into great detail, even predicting I wouldn’t meet him until 8 years later, all of which came to be true! She predicted my move to NYC and job with the airlines (I was a flight attendant for Delta for many years), all of which seemed insane at the time since I was fully ensconced in Mykonos, Greece back then. And yet, years later, I sort of sat back in awe as I watched my whole life unfold just as she’d said!
I love this story down to your former residence in Mykonos! The Greek Islands are so far my favorite place in Europe.
Q: My character Mariana spends her summer in Puerto Rico connecting with her father’s heritage. Have you ever researched your family tree?
Alyson: I’ve never researched my family tree, though I did go to Puerto Rico for my honeymoon, which just happens to be where my Abuela is from, though unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to visit her village. And, on the other side of the family, I once made a trip to Mt. Airy, North Carolina where my mother hails from, and I got to meet a good number of relatives I’d never met before. I’m not sure which was more of a culture shock—P.R. or Mt. Airy—but in both places I had a lot of fun!
Gotta love a fellow Puerto Rican. 🙂
Q: Where were you when you found out that your book was going to be published?
Alyson: I remember the moment I got The Call so clearly it’s like it’s frozen in time. I was driving North on the 55 freeway, on my way to return a rental car to John Wayne Airport when my then agent called with the news. All I remember is him saying “St. Martin’s Press” and “Two-book deal” soon followed by “Maybe you should pull over” when I started excitedly yelling and screaming. By the time I got to the Avis drop off I was way beyond giddy. I was jumping up and down and mumbling unintelligibly to the poor attendant who wasn’t quite sure what to make of me. It was on 02.04.2004 and it was one of the best days of my life so far!!
Thank you, Eileen! Now, everyone go out and buy books, lots and lots of books!
Thanks so much for hosting me!