Interview with author Alyson Noel

I was lucky to interview Alyson Noel, author of many teen books including Cruel Summer, Faking 19, Saving Zoe, and Laguna Cove. She has also written the Immortals series. (You can read my review for "Evermore: Book One"right here!)


When writing a novel, do you like to plan ahead/outline or just write whatever comes to mind?

Once I get the idea, I’m usually pretty eager to jump in and start writing—but I don’t. I make myself draft a brief outline first, listing all the major turning points along the way, it helps me stay focused and on track.

How many books do you plan to be in the Immortals series?

There will be six! SHADOWLAND, book three, will be in stores on 11.17.09, and DARK FLAME and untitled books #5 & 6 will be out sometime in 2010/11 (I don’t have the exact dates yet). Also, starting in Fall 2010, Riley, Ever’s ghostly sister, will get her own series! I’m about to get started on that now, and I’m really excited about it!

Who is your favorite author and why?

Well, I have many, and I love them for different reasons. Though I will say that Judy Blume was the one who inspired me. She wrote about adolescence in such an open, real, and frank way at a time when few were doing that. Her books not only helped me through some tough times but also made me want to become a writer too!

Where was the most exotic place you visited/lived?

The most exotic place I lived was on the Greek island of Mykonos—I spent seven years there!

The most exotic place I’ve visited so far was Marrakech, Morocco—it was absolute magic!

You seem to have had an assortment of jobs - department store sales clerk, office manager, jewelry maker/T-shirt painter, hotel front desk clerk, flight attendant, author - how do you manage to find time to do it all?

Well, due to necessity, I started working at sixteen and I’ve been at it ever since! Those jobs all represent different phases of my life, though I must say I like this “author” phase best!

Top 5 favorite songs?

Wow, this is one of those impossible questions to answer since it changes all the time for, so I’ll just say that my Top 5 songs this week are:

Edge of Seventeen- Stevie Nicks

Something- The Beatles

Lush Life- All versions are good—but this week I’m really like Queen Latifah’s!

Magnificent- U2

Rain King- Counting Crows

What's been your favorite/best award given to you?

Hitting #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list was a dream come true!

Since you became an author, what's been the best thing about it? The worst thing?

The best thing about being an author is the readers—I have the nicest, sweetest, most awesome-est (!) readers ever! The worst thing—well, I have far less time for reading! I used to read several books a week and now I’m lucky if I read one a month!

Thanks for the interview Alyson!

Thanks so much, Ashley!!