GCC Tours Alyson Noel

I'm so excited to announce the debut of Alyson Noël’s first paranormal YA novel, EVERMORE (February 3, 2009; 0-312-53275-X), the first in her IMMORTALS series.

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…

Do you (or did you ever) have a writing group? Who are the first people to read your book once it’s completed?
I don’t belong to a critique group—I’m too big of a hermit to ever work like that! Though before I was published, I enrolled in a couple of online writing classes where we’d critique each other’s work, but now I rely solely on my husband and editor for feedback.

What writers do you consider your “sisters”? Are there any published writers that you hang out or tour with a lot? Call? Email? IM?
Jessica Brody, author of the FIDELITY FILES, is definitely my writing sister, and not only because she’s fabulously talented and funny and nice, but she’s a total inspiration to me! We mostly e-mail and text, since she’s in LA and I’m in the OC and there’s this horrible freeway that divides us called the 405. But every now and then one of us will make the trek so we can hang out, and it’s always a blast!


Who do you find yourself being compared to or are often put together with in reading lists or book clubs?
Hmmm, I have no idea. I’ll have to look into that because I’d like to know too!

What writers do you wish would be in your “clique”? (It doesn’t have to be in your genre….doesn’t even have to be living! For example, I’d pick Alice Hoffman, Jodi Picoult, Sarah Dessen, Oscar Wilde, Stephenie Meyer, Meg Cabot, Stephen King and Joan Didion) MKH NOTE: I'D HAVE TO INVITE EITHER STEPHENIE MEYER OR STEPHEN KING--I DON'T THINK THEY'D WANT TO BE IN THE SAME ROOM ANYMORE.).
Oh, I’d pick JD Salinger (providing I could convince him to leave his house), Truman Capote because he wrote with such heart and I just know he’d have all sorts of scandalous gossip, Meg Cabot because I’m pretty sure she’d bring tiaras for everyone, Judith Krantz so I could tell her how I read SCRUPLES a gazillion times as a teen, and David Sedaris because he’s so dang awesome I can hardly stand it.

If someone was going to join your book club, what would be a “must read” in order to join?
Anything by JD Salinger gets you in.

What was your “initiation” to writing?
Embarrassingly pathetic, yet extremely heartfelt poetry written by my 7th grade self that, thankfully, no one will ever see!

When did you first feel that you’d officially joined the “published writers’ club”?
When I first saw my debut novel, FAKING 19, on the bookstore shelf—everything leading up to that moment felt completely surreal.

What was your best/worst memory of high school?
Best- the first day of ninth grade- I was optimistic and excited and eager to make the best of it!
Worst- the first day of twelfth grade- I was bored and jaded and just wanted to get the heck out!

In SISTERS OF MISERY, the last place new members want to go to is Misery Island. But if you had the choice, what island would you go to and what would you take with you?
Well, I lived on the Greek Island of Mykonos (MKH NOTE: SO JEALOUS!!) for many years, and then right after that, I moved to the New York island of Manhattan, but if I could go to any island at all—I’d visit the Seychelles—and I’d bring my husband along because he’s really good company!

Finally, what can you tell me about your book? Give me a quick run-down about why I’d want to pick it for my own book club.
EVERMORE is the first book in my new five book IMMORTALS series, and it’s about a sixteen-year old girl who undergoes a near death experience that leaves her with tremendous psychic powers she doesn’t want. And just when she’s beginning to adjust, the sudden arrival of the gorgeous, exotic, and wealthy Damen Auguste turns her world upside down . . .it’s full of mystery and romance and it’s a really fun read! (MKH NOTE: OOOOHHH!! SOUNDS VERY COOL!!)

So a great new series (with a very cool title--love the sound of Evermore) from an exceptional author. I don't know about you, but I know what's on my reading list!! For more information on Alyson Noel, check out her website at www.alysonnoel.com.

More info on Alyson:

Alyson Noël is the best selling, award-winning, author of FAKING 19, ART GEEKS AND PROM QUEENS, LAGUNA COVE, FLY ME TO THE MOON, KISS & BLOG, SAVING ZOE, CRUEL SUMMER, FIRST KISS (THEN TELL)- an anthology, and the upcoming IMMORTALS series including: EVERMORE (Feb 09), BLUE MOON (Aug 09), and three more titles for 2010. Her awards and honors include: the National Reader’s Choice Award, NYLA Book of Winter Award, NYPL Books for the Teenage, TeensReadToo 5 Star Gold Award, TeenReads Best Books of 2007, Reviewer’s Choice 2007 Top Ten, nominated for a CYBIL award, nominated for a Quill Award, nominated for YALSA’s Teen’s Top Ten, chosen for the CBS Early Show’s “Give the Gift of Reading” segment, and selected for Seventeen Magazine’s “Hot List” and Beach Book Club Pick. Her titles have been translated into French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Hungarian, and Romanian. She lives in Laguna Beach, CA.

Fun, fast, Alyson Facts:

Born and raised in The OC, Alyson's lived on the Greek island of Mykonos, the New York island of Manhattan, and now resides in Laguna Beach. (MKH QUESTION: DO YOU HANG OUT WITH LC, HEIDI, LO AND THE REST OF THE GANG?)

She is married to a brilliant man who is so good at so many things she sometimes wonders if he's a secret immortal.

Her favorite color used to be turquoise, though it's recently been replaced by purple.

She and her BFF answer to the code name "Sthnark," which is purposely pronounced with a lisp.

She's hopelessly addicted to: Seven jeans, Dior lip-gloss, Buffy DVD's, and playing Rock Band on the wii.

Even though she loves writing about immortals, she wouldn't actually want to be one herself.

Praise for Alyson

"Alyson Noël truly captures what it's like to be a teenager struggling to find herself."

–Portrait magazine

"Noël...writes with a bit more humor and authenticity than some of her chick-lit contemporaries..." —Booklist

Praise for EVERMORE


"Every once in awhile, a book comes along that I end up getting sucked into and become addicted. EVERMORE was one of those books. When I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about how I could sneak away to read some more. I couldn’t put it down. I dreamt about this book. When I finished, I couldn’t get it out of my head. This book was simply breathtaking.” 5 STAR GOLD AWARD, TeensReadToo

"Teen angst and the paranormal make for a combustible mix as Noel utilizes typical themes and gives them a dangerous and eerie twist. Getting hooked on this new series, IMMORTALS, is guaranteed."- 4 STARS, Romantic Times magazine

Top Choice Award, Flamingnet