Alyson Noel
Alyson Noël grew up in a house filled with books. A voracious reader, she always looked to books as guide posts. She believes that certain books find you when you need them the most. One instance of this came when she was in sixth grade: while her parents were going through a divorce, she happened to be reading Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Her math teacher called it trash and confiscated it. Not only did this book speak to her at this pivotal moment but she recognized the power that books can have. This experience confirmed her desire to become a writer.
Today, Alyson has over eight New York Times bestsellers with over six million copies of her books in print. They have been translated into thirty-seven languages and are sold in over 50 countries. Her novels, including the popular "The Immortals" and "Riley Bloom" series', are written for teens. When I heard Alyson speak at an ALAN workshop, she spoke candidly about her experiences in high school and how her life has changed since. As a teenager, her family had to adjust to her father's abandonment. Her mom got a job at JC Penney's and Alyson babysat and held various other jobs. With so much going on in her home life, she noted that she had a hard time caring about "regular" teen stuff and keeping up with her friends. She would cut school--to spend time at home or at the library. She struggled with feelings of isolation and indifference. The only class she didn't cut was AP English. She would consistently attend and do the readings but would not complete the required writing assignments. Instead, she would turn in creative writing pieces. One day, her teacher read her work aloud in class. The other students responded positively, and, since Alyson had seemed so disengaged, they were surprised by her writing.
Having her writing accepted by her peers was another big moment in Alyson's life, but she admits that it didn't immediately change her behavior. She continued to not apply herself, barely graduating from high school. She used money she had saved on a plane ticket to London, leaving her home in Orange County, California. She lived in Greece for seven years--working enough to afford traveling. Then she returned to New York she became a flight attendant, hoping this would pay for her travel and allow her time to write. However, she didn't focus on writing until after 9/11. When, Alyson began to submit her work, she received the same rejection notes: great voice, no plot. Instead of discouraging her, Alyson took writing classes and got a literary agent. Offers from publishers began to come in, but asked for changes to be made, typically to "sanitize" her work, such as easing the life of her the protagonist. She turned these offers down and started working on new writing projects. Eventually she found an agent looking for something edgy for teens. Although Alyson had not planned to write young adult novels, she felt this new path would fit well.
Alyson's first seven novels were realistic fiction for teens, but then her life changed once again. Three people she loved died and her husband was diagnosed with cancer (he is in remission now). She drew upon those experiences, and her writing shifted to the paranormal. Just like in her youth, she used books to work through her own issues. This is how Ever and Damen's story came to be. "The Immortals" series, an epic paranormal romance, begins with Evermore (St. Martin's Griffin/Macmillan, 2009). After Sixteen-year-old Ever loses her family in a car accident, she has the ability to see auras and hear people's thoughts. She turns from out-going, popular teen to a withdrawn, sullen outcast. That is until new student Damen comes to town, complete with his own psychic powers. In addition to being inspired by events in her life, Alyson recounted the research she did on mediums, past lives, and psychology--although she was already a published young adult author, she did not realize Ever's story was would become such a focal point in her writing; so much so that there are now six books and a spin-off series which focuses on Riley Bloom, the twelve-year-old deceased sister of Ever.
After Alyson's less-than-stellar high school experience, she finds it amusing that she is paid to relive those years in her writing--a fact she never would have predicted. She feels that no matter how one's high school years go, it's a period of time that shapes and informs the person. Fashion is cyclical and technology changes but the adolescent journey stays the same. Through this realization, she hopes that her readers can find themselves in her pages.
To learn more about Alyson visit:
http://www.alysonnoel.com
Contributor: Emily Griffin
Reviews
Everlasting
Alyson Noël
Ever and Damen embark upon their final quest hoping to finally free Damen of the poison's lingering curse. This final installment of the Immortals epic love story leads them on a quest for the antidote into the darkest heart of Summerland, where the ancient one taunts Ever to solve the mystery of Adelina and the numeric key. They travel to the magnificent Great Halls of Learning in order to solve the code. They even enlist the help of Jude, who has patiently waited in vain for Ever to reciprocate his love, and he asks them to examine the results of the karma Damen himself has created. After much frustration, the couple seeks the pavilion, from where Damen and Ever visit gloriously passionate past lives that have kept their fates entwined for centuries. The tensions build as the two must make a choice between life everlasting and the true immortality of enlightenment. Ever must also make her own personal journey to pick the fruit from the tree of life. Mystery and drama surround their history and destiny, but the ending is surprisingly fulfilling. Fans of the supernatural and the Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer will appreciate this great teen paranormal thriller. Teen angst, passion, drama, mystery, and romance abound in this series, which has hooked many readers. This is a great book, with vivid descriptions and interesting twists for fans, but not an easy one to pick up as a starting place. VOYA CODES: 4Q 5P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2011, St. Martin's, 336p., $17.99. Ages 11 to 18. Reviewer: Ava Ehde (VOYA, June 2011 (Vol. 34, No. 2)).
ISBN: 9780312642075
Evermore
Alyson Noël
Grieving the loss of her family in a car accident that she feels was her fault, Ever turns from popular A-lister to slouching, hoodie-wearing outcast in her new school. She has also acquired psychic powers, and she spends most of her afternoons communing with her dead little sister. Her two living friends, gay Miles and goth Haven, don't ask too many questions about her when she summarily joins their lunch table, but things start to go a little haywire when Damen appears. Haven calls dibs, and Ever declares her lack of interest, but Damen seems determined to get and keep Ever's attention. Ever knows that Damen is different, but she doesn't realize that he is immortal, and that his old girlfriend, as in really old girlfriend, objects to their relationship to the point of endangering Ever and her friends. This has all the delicately wrought frustrations common to a satisfying paranormal romantic mystery; anything is possible because of the supernatural element, but things run a fairly classic course of initial resistance, inevitable surrender, passionate interlude, shock and horror, and a painful decision to remain human and alone or opt for bliss. Conveniently for the genre, everyone already has a vampire-suitable name—besides Haven, Ever, Miles, and Damen, there's a Sabine, an Ava, and a Drina—but Noël largely plays her game without irony and even manages to arouse genuine empathy for Ever's loss. It's hard to imagine where the expected sequels will take the plot, but a smokin' hot immortal boyfriend and the choice of whether or not to join him for an eternity of bliss is certainly the romance mode of the present moment Give this to those awaiting Stephenie Meyer's retelling of her series through Edward's point of view Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2009, St. Martin's Griffin, 320p.; Reviewed from galleys, $8.95. Grades 7-10. Reviewer: Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 2009 (Vol. 62, No. 7)).
ISBN: 9780312532758
Faking 19
Alyson Noël
In this coming-of-age novel for teen girls, Alex and her best friend, M, are seniors in high school, mere months away from graduation. Alex is drifting through life with no passion or direction. Her grades have plummeted, and she has become distant from everything and everyone in her life. She is no longer eligible for college scholarships, and her estranged father refuses to help her pay tuition. Her life consists of shopping and partying with M. They meet twenty-something British guys, Connor and Trevor, and start attending parties with them. Alex decides "faking 19" (pretending that she is a nineteen-year-old freshman in college) is now her goal in life, so that she does not scare Connor away. Alex faces many important issues while approaching adulthood-dating, sex, education, parents, and friends growing apart. The relationship troubles between Alex and M are really the strong part of this story. The reality of how two female friends can grow apart emotionally because one matures and begins making adult decisions for a positive future, whereas the other clings to adolescence, is poignant and will help readers identify and deal with similar problems in their own lives. Alex is likeable and her handling of situations is realistic. It is a novel most appropriate for readers eighth grade and up and will appeal to those who like Judy Blume and the Gossip Girl series. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P S (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2005, St. Martin's, 210p., $8.95 Trade pb. Ages 15 to 18. Reviewer: Karen Sykeny (VOYA, October 2005 (Vol. 28, No. 4)).
ISBN: 9780312336332
Kisses from Hell
Kristin Cast, Richelle Mead, Alyson Noël, Kelley Armstrong, Francesca Lia Block
This is a collection of vampire love stories by five popular authors. In "Sunshine," which is a backstory for some of the characters in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, vampire royal Eric Dragomir finds true love with half-royal Rhea. In "Bring Me to Life" by Alyson Noel, Dani Kavanaugh is the key to life and restoration for an old hotel and its immortal inhabitants, including the handsome and charming vampire Bram. In "Hunting Kat" by Kelley Armstrong, vampire Kat is captured and about to be returned to her nemesis, the Edison Group. She manages to escape with the help of an unturned vampire who just might awaken some feelings in her that she had not thought possible, being dead. This collection is rounded out with stories by Francesca Lia Block and Kristin Cast. The strongest story by far is the Armstrong offering; an extension of her Darkest Powers series, it is suspenseful and has well-developed characters and a satisfying and hopeful ending. As vampire romance authors go, these five are among the best. Interest in this volume of the . . . from Hell series will be limited to die-hard fans of the authors. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P S (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2010, HarperTeen, 272p., $9.99 Trade pb. Ages 15 to 18. Reviewer: Laura Lehner-Ennis (VOYA, December 2010 (Vol. 33, No. 5)).
ISBN: 9780061956973
Radiance
Alyson Noël
In this spinoff of the "Immortals" series, the reader joins Ever's younger sister, Riley, in the afterlife. Not unlike the awkward first days at a new school, Riley's new life includes navigating an ethereal world called Here with far different rules than the home she left. For one thing, all one has to do is "manifest" something to make it real--clothes, housing, food, anything. And some people at school have an enviable glow that piques Riley's interest. But the biggest surprise is the day she stands before a council to review scenes from her life on a big screen. Riley receives a mission as Soul Catcher: persuade a reluctant ghost called Radiant Boy to leave the castle he is terrorizing on earth and enter the afterlife where he belongs. Accompanied by a "dorky guy" named Bodhi as a teacher and guide, Riley blithely pursues her mission with the confidence of the ignorant. Dealing with Radiant Boy proves a more daunting task than she imagined, with some truly frightening moments, and Bodhi's mission proves more daunting still. It's their cooperation and mutual support that sees them through, deepening their relationship and hinting at what might transpire between them in future volumes. Although Riley's voice is authentic for a middle schooler, she fails to evoke the reader's empathy. Fortunately some of her character's growth takes the edge off her bratty tendencies, giving the reader hope that Riley could eventually be someone worth knowing. 2010, Square Fish Books/Macmillan, Ages 8 to 12, $7.99. Reviewer: Michele C. Hughes (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780312629175
Saving Zoe
Alyson Noël
One year after her older sister Zoë's murder, Zoë's former boyfriend gives fifteen-year-old Echo her sister's diary. Skeptical about the diary containing any revelations, Echo sets it aside. Echo's curiosity eventually peaks and she digs in. While reading through the entries, Echo discovers that Zoë kept many secrets. Zoë's diary details the mysterious events that preceded her brutal murder. After Zoë's killers' capture and subsequent conviction, her family and friends gather around Zoë's new honorary park bench to celebrate her life. This well-written story is both tragic and optimistic. Besides coping with her own grief, Echo must deal with the additional pressure of being overprotected by her numb, pill-popping mother and her absentee father. Echo decides to have a heart-to-heart discussion with her parents and this leads to positive changes. Zoë's family members and friends demonstrate that love and memories do not have to die along with the loved one. Noël's novel will remind readers to appreciate the people in their lives. 2007, St. Martin's Griffin/Macmillan, Ages 12 up, $8.95. Reviewer: Mary Jo Edwards (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780312355104
Updated 10/20/11
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