Meeting Alyson Noël in Norway

Alyson Noël is in Norway. She arrived yesterday, and will stay until November 30th. And I got the chance to meet her, and not only that, I also did a public interview with her.

Evermore, the first book in the Immortals series, was one of the first books I read in the genres ya and paranormal romance, and one of the main reasons why I started out blogging. I found the book on Amazon.co.uk, loved the cover and the description of the story and preordered it. And when I read the story I knew that this was a series I had to follow. I loved Alyson's writing style and the story of Ever and Damen. It was magical and romantic, dramatic and full of warmth and atmosphere.

This autumn, the first book in the series was published here in Norway,and I have been raving about the books on my Norwegian blog. I also did an interview with Alyson by e-mail prior to the Norwegian release. You can read the interview here. And the book have done great here in Norway. A lot of teenagers and grown ups are buying Evermore and falling in love with it. In 2011, Blue Moon and Shadowland will be out here in Norway.

When I read that Alyson was coming to Norway, I was very excited. It is not everyday we Norwegians get the chance to meet a bestselling American author. I wowed that I was going to attend the booktalk and the signing her Norwegian publisher had set up for her at the House of Literature in Oslo.

A week ago I got a call from her Norwegian publisher, asking if I wanted to be the one to interview her during the booktalk. I could hardly believe my ears, but I said yes of course. I have been working as a journalist here in Norway, that is also one of my educations, but I have never interviewed an author in public, in front of an audience before. I have had butteflies in my stomach all week.

Yesterday I celebrated Thanksgiving with some of my Norwegian friends. We always celebrate thankgiving, because we think it is a great American tradition and a way to get together and remember the year that has gone by. One of my friends is from Britain, so I got to practise my English skills with her all evening.

And today was the big interview and it went well, thanks to Alyson. It was so easy to talk to her. She is such an amazing person, you get that feeling when you read her books, and she is that way in real life too. She is open, warm and not afraid to talk about personal things. It was her first time in Norway, and she has a lot planned. She will attend two signings, and do interviews with the media.

In the interview I focused on The Immortals, and how she got the idea for the series. She told me that the series was born from grief. She lost someone that was close to her, and nearly lost her husband as well. Through Ever she has decribed a lot of the feelings that she delt with.

Ever and Damen are carefully chosen names. She collects unusual names. Damen is actually named after the place where her husband was born.

We talked about the paranormal elements in her books, and she said that she has had some experiences she could not explain - some of them whilst doing the research for The Immortals . She also talked about her childhood, about starting to work very early and about her previois job as a flight attendant. She talked about how her writing day is, her imaginary dog Buttercup and what she does when she has finished a book. ( She used to clean the house, now she goes for a massage or take a pedicure).

There is some major upcoming plans for The Immortals, and you will get the chance to see Ever and Damen's story on a movie or TV Screen some time in the future. If you visit her website in a few days, you will get to read more about it there. She also talked about her last book in The Immortals series, which will be called Everlasting. Alyson is working on a new series, Soul Seekers, which will probably be released sometime in 2012. The story will take place in New Mexico.

We also talked about Miles and Haven and she gave advice to aspiring authors. Afterwards she signed books, and I got a lovely message from her in my copy of Evermore.



It was a great day,and like I said, so nice to meet her. I am also going to meet her tomorrow for another event. And after she has been in Norway, she will travel to Paris.

Alyson Noel Interview

Today I am very happy to welcome Alyson Noel to both my blogs. Give her a warm welcome!


It is a special day today, because "Evermore" is released in Norway in Norwegian translation this weekend. I am so excited about that. Alyson Noel's series is pure magic. It is one of my favorites, and I hope the Norwegian readers, who haven't read her yet, will also embrace it.


Here is the Norwegian cover:




I interviewed Alyson in June, the interview was aimed at the Norwegian readers. Here is what she told me:

Thanks a lot for accepting this interview, Alyson Noel. You have written 4 books in the Immortals series so far, and they have all been well received. How does that feel?

It feels like a dream come true! Prior to THE IMMORTALS I’d written seven contemporary novels—six for teens, one for adults—and with EVERMORE being my first attempt at paranormal I wasn’t sure how it would be received, so I was completely thrilled to see the way that readers have embraced it!

How would you describe the series to someone who hasn’t heard of it yet?

I would say that it’s an exciting, romantic, paranormal tale of alchemy, reincarnation, mystical dimensions, immortals, ghosts, auras, and chakras, and two star-crossed lovers, Ever and Damen, who’ve traveled across time—across continents—to be together, only to be thwarted each time. But now that they’ve found each other again, they’re determined to overcome all of their obstacles to realize the happily ever after they’ve sought through the centuries.

Where did you get the idea for the Immortals?

THE IMMORTALS was born form grief. Five years ago I lost three people I loved in five months, and shortly after that almost lost my husband to leukemia (he’s in full remission now). Experiencing that sort of intense grief and fear got me thinking a lot about life and death, mortality and immortality, and the binds that tie us to our loved ones even after they’re gone, and Ever and Damen’s story was born from there.

How many books can we expect about Ever and the Immortals?

There will be six books in total. I’m working on the final book now.

How do you go about when you develop a character?

I usually start with a premise—a sort of “what if” scenario—then I come up with a character who is not at all ready to handle the situation and challenge she’ll find herself in, then I create a cast of allies and enemies, then I watch them all grow and change as we head off on the journey!

How is a normal writing day for you and when and where do you write?

I have a home office that I head for each morning, and I pretty much stay there all day, drinking green tea, answering e-mail, twittering, facebooking, myspacing, and, of course, writing! I aim for 2000-3000 words a day, sometimes I’m able to accomplish it in a few hours, sometimes it takes all day, but I don’t stop until I hit it. I keep to this routine seven days a week, including most holidays.

Do you do a lot of research and planning before you sit down to write?

Research is one of my favorite parts of the process, and for THE IMMORTALS I did a lot of it. I read a lot of books on metaphysics, reincarnation, near death experiences, auras, chakras, ghosts, mediums, psychics, crystals—you name it—I also took a three-day psychic development class with world famous medium, James Van Praagh, and I went under hypnosis in several past life regressions as well. All of which was fun and fascinating and revealing, and most of which helped create the world of the books.

You deal with a lot of paranormal subjects, such as life after death, mediums, reading people’s auras etc. Do you believe in the supernatural yourself?

I definitely believe there is more to the world than what we are used to seeing!

“Radiance”, the first book in the spinoff series featuring Riley, Ever’s sister, is coming out in august. Why did you feel like writing a whole new series about her?

Riley was so much fun to write, that she actually ended up with a much bigger role in EVERMORE than I originally anticipated. So when I was approached to create a series told from Riley’s point of view, I jumped at the chance and I’m so glad I did. Writing RADIANCE turned out to be some of the most fun I’ve ever had while writing a book, so I really hope readers enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Is there any authors or books that have inspired or influenced your writing?

Judy Blume’s books inspired me to become a writer, JD Salinger’s books inspired me to keep at it.
Has the Immortals been optioned for television or film yet?

We are in negotiations now for something that could turn out to be extremely exciting . . . my fingers are crossed!

What do you associate with Norway? Ever been here?

I have never been to Norway (yet!) but when I think of Norway I imagine pristine landscapes made of clear blue skies and sparkling waters, the artist Edward Munch, delicious sea food, and beautiful, friendly people—someday I hope to find out if I’m right!

Anything more you would like to add?

I’d just like to thank my Norwegian readers for all of their enthusiasm and support of THE IMMORTALS series—it really means the world to me, thank you!

Thank you so much, Alyson, for taking the time to do this. I am honored to have you on both my blogs today, and I wish you the best for the series about Riley.

If you haven't read The Immortals yet, I suggest you do so. It is really good. I love, love, love it!

Radiance is scheduled for release August 31th. I can't wait to get my hands on that book.

You can visit Alyson Noel's website here.
And here is her blog.






Let's finish off with the trailer for Radiance. It is so beautifully made, and I love it: