1. What drew you to YA fantasy writing?  Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I  was always an avid reader, raised by a mom who introduced me to the magic of books early on. But it wasn’t until I read Judy Blume’s   ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET and DEENIE , that I knew I wanted to be a writer too. It was those books that felt like they were written just for me, and my friends, and all the things we were going through. They made me realize how a story could be so much more. So I started writing really dreadful poetry in junior high, and by high school I took to writing short stories that I used to hand in instead of the essays my teachers assigned. And though I took various writing classes through the years, it wasn’t until the tragic events of 9/11 when I was working as a flight attendant in NYC and figured a job change might be in order, when I finally sat down and finished the manuscript that’d been living in my head for decades. Ultimately resulting in my debut novel, FAKING 19. As for writing fantasy, ever since I was a little kid I’ve been fascinated by anything to do with the supernatural. Seriously,   CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST   was my favorite cartoon! So I’m actually kind of surprised I didn’t write a paranormal sooner, especially since I love being in Ever and Damen’s world.

2. Where did the idea for Evermore come from?

EVERMORE, and the entire IMMORTALS series, was inspired by grief. A few years ago I lost three people I loved in five months, and shortly after that I nearly 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, the soul’s journey, the bonds that tie us even after a loved one is gone, and how our youth loving culture sort of seeks physical immortality by trying to remain youthful looking for as long as we can-and yet, what would happen if we really could achieve it? What would it mean for us, our loved ones, society in general? And since I’ve been interested in all things paranormal since I was a kid, Ever and Damen’s story seemed like the perfect vehicle to explore all of those themes.

3. Are there any plans for a movie?  If there is, will you be part of it as a producer?

We are currently in serious negotiations that I’m really excited about, but that’s all I’m allowed to say until everything is inked and ready to go! Though, if there is a movie / TV show, they’ll most likely hire a team of professionals so I probably won’t be part of that process-I just get to write the books !

4. Do you know how many more books will be in the series or do you just write one at a time?

There will be a total of six books in the IMMORTALS series. I’m currently in the process of finishing the final book in the series. So far, the release schedule is: Evermore - in stores now Blue Moon - in stores now Shadowland - in stores now Dark Flame - in stores now Shadowland paperback- 09.14.10 IMMORTALS boxed set- 10.12.10 NIGHT STAR - 11.16.10 UNTITLED #6 - in stores 2011

5. Radiance is Riley’s life after death, can you give us a little peek into the story?

RADIANCE is the first book in the Immortals spin-off series featuring Riley, Ever’s ghostly little sister. Riley’s series picks up right after we left her in EVERMORE , and it’s about her experiences in the afterlife-which is not quite the eternity of cloud lounging and harp lessons she envisioned. She has a job-Soul Catcher-and she’s been assigned a guide-Bodhi, a fourteen-year old boy she’s not quite sure what to make of.Riley turned out to be one of my favorite characters to write, and because of that she ended up getting a much bigger part in EVERMORE than I originally planned. So I was thrilled when I was offered the chance to send her out into the world to tell her own story.

6. Can you tell us about some of the new characters in Radiance?

Well, there’s Riley, her yellow Lab, Buttercup, and there’s also Bodhi-her fourteen-year old teacher/guidance counselor/coach/boss all rolled into one-or at least that’s how he sees it, Riley has other ideas. He’s dorky and nerdy and a bit of a mystery and she doubts he has anything to teach her. And then of course, there’s the Radiant Boy, a ghost who’s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. A ghost Riley is supposed to convince to “cross over” even though every Soul Catcher that’s tried before her has failed.

7. I’m equally excited about Soul Seekers.  Can you tell us anything about it?

THE SOUL SEEKERS is about a sixteen-year-old girl who is able to walk among the Underworld, the Upperworld, and the dead. It’s a young adult supernatural novel and it’s set in a completely new world, with completely different characters and themes. The IMMORTALS takes place in Laguna Beach, California, and this book is going to be set in the Southwest, most likely New Mexico. So it’s going to have a very different atmosphere, landscape and feel, and it’ll explore themes of Shamanism-I can’t wait to get started on the research! I’ll begin research/writing the first book sometime this winter (must finish  UNTITLED IMMORTALS #6   first!), and it will be in stores probably sometime around early 2012.

8. Many of our readers are aspiring writers so I like to ask a few questions from that perspective. How did you land your literary agent?  Did you know someone in the business or were you part of the famous ‘slush’ pile?

Well, it was a little different from the usual journey, but that’s because I was so green and naïve I didn’t know there were “rules” I was supposed to follow! The short version is, I wrote a book, sent out query letters to publishers but not agents, figured I didn’t need one of those (wrong!) and got requests for fulls from pretty much all of them that were quickly followed by rejections that said basically the same thing-great voice/structure needs work. So I enrolled in some online writing classes where a fellow student led me to her agent who looked at my work, advised me to read   STORY by Robert McKee to deal with my structure issues, requested a revision, (which I did!), signed me based on said revision, and several months later sold it in a two -book deal to St. Martin’s Press and I’ve been writing for them ever since!

9. Do you have any advice for someone who wants to write YA fantasy?

The best advice I can give any writer is to READ-and read widely. The books you like, as well as the books you don’t like-they all have something to teach you. Reading a lot of books, in a wide variety of genres, goes a long way toward teaching storytelling rhythm. It’s the most valuable tool a reader has .And then, of course, you have to WRITE. Get in the habit of writing when and where you can because the more you write the better you get. And again, allow yourself to write without judging, since you can (and should!) always go back and revise it later. I revise my books countless times before I hand them into my editor, and then, even after that, I usually revise them again before they hit the bookstore shelves. Then, once your work is finished, it’s good to put it aside for a few weeks while you work on something else. It’s amazing what you’ll see when you revisit it with fresh eyes!If you have writing classes available in school take them-if not, there are a lot of good writing books out there-two of my favorites are actually geared toward screenwriters, but whether it’s a movie or a book, the story elements are basically the same. One is STORY by Robert McKee-and the other is  SAVE THE CAT  by Blake Snyder. ON WRITING  by Stephen King is really helpful as well-the first part is mostly autobiography (which is really quite interesting), while the second half is some really solid writing advice.Oh, and don’t forget to LIVE! Don’t spend so much time writing that you’re not out there living! Your own experiences will make for much richer stories, so make sure to walk away from your computer now and then and go make some memories!

Alyson Noël is the #1 New York Times best selling, award-winning, author of FAKING 19, ART GEEKS AND PROM QUEENS, LAGUNA COVE, FLY ME TO THE MOON, KISS & BLOG, SAVING ZOË, CRUEL SUMMER, FOREVER SUMMER (a LAGUNA COVE/CRUEL SUMMER 2-in-1), the IMMORTALS series including: EVERMORE, BLUE MOON, SHADOWLAND, DARK FLAME, NIGHT STAR, and EVERLASTING, the IMMORTALS spin-off, RILEY BLOOM series including RADIANCE, SHIMMER, DREAMLAND & WHISPER (04.24.12), with short stories appearing in the anthologies FIRST KISS (THEN TELL), KISSES FROM HELL, & DEAR BULLY. She is currently working on a new series for teens, SOUL SEEKERS, set to debut with FATED on 05.22.12, to be followed by ECHO, MYSTIC, & HORIZON in 2012/13.