| Interview with Alyson Noel |
First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com! My
name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out of
your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers and fans.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted
to be a writer?
From the moment I finished Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, which I immediately followed up with
Deenie. I’d been an avid reader since I got hold of my first Dr. Seuss book at age four, but Judy Blume was
the first author I’d come across that was writing just for me, or so it seemed. And I knew that someday I
wanted to do that, too.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
When asked how long it took to write my debut novel, Faking 19, the honest answer is fourteen years! It
started as a short story for a creative writing class I took a long time ago, and even though I’d always
planned to turn it into a novel, I didn’t get serious about it for years. Then 9/11 hit, and I was working as a
flight attendant in NYC, and I knew it was time for me to find a new gig, so I decided to finally get serious
about writing. Once the manuscript was finished, it was about a ten-month wait from signing with an agent to
the sale to St. Martin’s Press. And luckily, they wanted two books since I’d already started Art Geeks and
Prom Queens!
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing
about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
Laguna Cove is my latest novel, and on the surface it appears to be about beautiful teens living and surfing
in my hometown of Laguna Beach, CA, yet my characters are forced to deal with some pretty heavy issues
like- divorce, death of a parent, painful breakups, changing friendships, finding your place in a new school
when the most popular girl hates you, competition and the high price of winning and staying on top, and
walking the fine line between pleasing your parents and being yourself. I grew to really like these girls, they
became very real to me!
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
My own awful high school years are pretty much the basis for my stories! I was so eager to graduate- I just
couldn’t wait to get out! So it’s kind of funny that I’m now making a living by going back!
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My family rocks! My mother who reads more books in a year than anyone else I know is completely thrilled,
and great PR! She always carries an autographed copy of my books in her purse, because as she says,
“You just never know when you’ll need them.” And my husband is a Saint, truly! He’s my first reader, my
legal advisor, my personal gourmet chef, my tech support, and my dark cloud eraser- and I couldn’t do it
without him! And my sister has five awesome daughters, who I’m crazy about and who provide loads of
inspiration!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Golden Spoon frozen yogurt, half vanilla, half pistachio, with yogurt chips on top! I love it so much I even
mentioned it on page 53 in Laguna Cove!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Coffee, coffee, and more coffee!
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
That I’m a neat freak- I have files for my files, which are grouped into subsets!
Everyone always asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to
know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Aqua. It’s vibrant yet calming, it’s beautiful, and it reminds me of the beach where I live.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Homer Simpson totally cracks me up. But I’m more like Lisa Simpson, well meaning but also a little geeky!
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
I’m really enjoying the moment, writing books and living in Laguna Beach. . .but, if forced to choose then
probably the roaring 20’s, I would’ve been a great flapper!
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I love music, and am a big fan of car karaoke, you know driving along, and singing at the top or your lungs?
And some of my books definitely have soundtracks. When I was writing Faking 19, I listened to a lot of
female artists, and the amazing Tori Amos gave me permission to quote from “Cornflake Girl” which was just
so perfect for that story. And in my upcoming book, Kiss & Blog, which comes out next Spring, I use a ton of
musical references, as the protagonist, Winter, is the product of a former pop star dad, and a hippie mom.
And so she uses her own musical choices to define herself as separate from them. So while I was writing I
listened to a lot of stuff like The Jam, The Bangles, The Who, The Beatles, The Sex Pistols, along with other
more current stuff.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you
saw at the theater?
I LOVE The Office- so much that I will arrange all of my evening activities around it. But I’m also liking-
Entourage, The Gilmore Girls, Monk, Rescue Me, Big Love, My Name is Earl, The Daily Show, The Colbert
Report, and judging from the first episode, Studio 60. I guess I watch a lot of TV!
Okay, I’m also big on Netflix, but the last movie I saw in a theatre was The Black Dahlia, because I loved the
James Ellroy book so much.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
To be your own unique, wonderful, creative, individual self! And try to travel, read, and laugh as much as
you can!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Fly Me to the Moon, is my debut adult novel which will be in stores on 12/26/06, and Kiss & Blog is my next
teen novel, coming out sometime Spring 2007. And I just finished my sixth book which is scheduled for either
late 2007 or early 2008, and now I’m starting to work on Untitled #7!
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank You!
name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out of
your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers and fans.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted
to be a writer?
From the moment I finished Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, which I immediately followed up with
Deenie. I’d been an avid reader since I got hold of my first Dr. Seuss book at age four, but Judy Blume was
the first author I’d come across that was writing just for me, or so it seemed. And I knew that someday I
wanted to do that, too.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
When asked how long it took to write my debut novel, Faking 19, the honest answer is fourteen years! It
started as a short story for a creative writing class I took a long time ago, and even though I’d always
planned to turn it into a novel, I didn’t get serious about it for years. Then 9/11 hit, and I was working as a
flight attendant in NYC, and I knew it was time for me to find a new gig, so I decided to finally get serious
about writing. Once the manuscript was finished, it was about a ten-month wait from signing with an agent to
the sale to St. Martin’s Press. And luckily, they wanted two books since I’d already started Art Geeks and
Prom Queens!
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing
about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
Laguna Cove is my latest novel, and on the surface it appears to be about beautiful teens living and surfing
in my hometown of Laguna Beach, CA, yet my characters are forced to deal with some pretty heavy issues
like- divorce, death of a parent, painful breakups, changing friendships, finding your place in a new school
when the most popular girl hates you, competition and the high price of winning and staying on top, and
walking the fine line between pleasing your parents and being yourself. I grew to really like these girls, they
became very real to me!
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
My own awful high school years are pretty much the basis for my stories! I was so eager to graduate- I just
couldn’t wait to get out! So it’s kind of funny that I’m now making a living by going back!
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My family rocks! My mother who reads more books in a year than anyone else I know is completely thrilled,
and great PR! She always carries an autographed copy of my books in her purse, because as she says,
“You just never know when you’ll need them.” And my husband is a Saint, truly! He’s my first reader, my
legal advisor, my personal gourmet chef, my tech support, and my dark cloud eraser- and I couldn’t do it
without him! And my sister has five awesome daughters, who I’m crazy about and who provide loads of
inspiration!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Golden Spoon frozen yogurt, half vanilla, half pistachio, with yogurt chips on top! I love it so much I even
mentioned it on page 53 in Laguna Cove!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Coffee, coffee, and more coffee!
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
That I’m a neat freak- I have files for my files, which are grouped into subsets!
Everyone always asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to
know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Aqua. It’s vibrant yet calming, it’s beautiful, and it reminds me of the beach where I live.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Homer Simpson totally cracks me up. But I’m more like Lisa Simpson, well meaning but also a little geeky!
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
I’m really enjoying the moment, writing books and living in Laguna Beach. . .but, if forced to choose then
probably the roaring 20’s, I would’ve been a great flapper!
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I love music, and am a big fan of car karaoke, you know driving along, and singing at the top or your lungs?
And some of my books definitely have soundtracks. When I was writing Faking 19, I listened to a lot of
female artists, and the amazing Tori Amos gave me permission to quote from “Cornflake Girl” which was just
so perfect for that story. And in my upcoming book, Kiss & Blog, which comes out next Spring, I use a ton of
musical references, as the protagonist, Winter, is the product of a former pop star dad, and a hippie mom.
And so she uses her own musical choices to define herself as separate from them. So while I was writing I
listened to a lot of stuff like The Jam, The Bangles, The Who, The Beatles, The Sex Pistols, along with other
more current stuff.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you
saw at the theater?
I LOVE The Office- so much that I will arrange all of my evening activities around it. But I’m also liking-
Entourage, The Gilmore Girls, Monk, Rescue Me, Big Love, My Name is Earl, The Daily Show, The Colbert
Report, and judging from the first episode, Studio 60. I guess I watch a lot of TV!
Okay, I’m also big on Netflix, but the last movie I saw in a theatre was The Black Dahlia, because I loved the
James Ellroy book so much.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
To be your own unique, wonderful, creative, individual self! And try to travel, read, and laugh as much as
you can!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Fly Me to the Moon, is my debut adult novel which will be in stores on 12/26/06, and Kiss & Blog is my next
teen novel, coming out sometime Spring 2007. And I just finished my sixth book which is scheduled for either
late 2007 or early 2008, and now I’m starting to work on Untitled #7!
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank You!
