Dark Flame by Alyson Noël

DARK FLAME
(an Immortals Novel)

by Alyson Noël

Paranormal Young Adult

St. Martin's Press
www.AlysonNoel.com

5 autographed copies will be given away on Friday, June 25, 2010!






About the Book:

Enter the realm of the Immortals-the #1 New York Times bestselling series that has been acclaimed as breathtaking, mesmerizing, flawless and extraordinary.

Ever is trying to help Haven transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and acting recklessly, she poses the ultimate threat—exposing their secret world to the outside. As Ever struggles to keep the Immortals hidden, it only propels Haven closer to the enemy—Roman and his evil companions

At the same time, Ever delves deeper into dark magick to free Damen from Roman’s power. But when her spell backfires, it binds her to the one guy who’s hell-bent on her destruction. Now there’s a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, and no matter what she does, she can’t stop thinking about Roman—and longing for his touch. As she struggles to resist the fiery attraction threatening to consume her, Roman is more than willing to take advantage of her weakened state…and Ever edges closer and closer to surrender.

Frantic to break the spell before its too late, Ever turns to Jude for help, risking everything she knows and loves to save herself—and her future with Damen …

Check out our exclusive interview with the Author!

1) What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of and why?

I had a lot of fun writing Chapter 22 of DARK FLAME when Damen surprises Ever for her birthday with . . . well, I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but let’s just say it was probably even more fun for Ever to experience it, than it was for me to write it!

Here’s a mini excerpt to give you a hint:

My fingers pick at the soft, silky blindfold Damen used to cover my eyes. A silly formality since we both know I don’t have to look to see, but still, he’s so intent on keeping the secret, he chooses to cover every single one of his bases, whether or not it’s actually necessary.

He laughs, the sound so melodic it makes my heart swell. Grasping my hand, his fingers entwined around mine, as the almost feel of his palm emits the warmest, most delicious tingle and heat—a sensation I’ll never take for granted again, especially after knowing what it’s like to lose it completely.

“Ready?” he asks, moving behind me and untying the knot at the back of my head, dropping the blindfold and taking a moment to smooth down my hair, before spinning me around and adding, “Happy Birthday!”

I smile—smile before I’ve even had a chance to open my eyes. Already convinced that whatever it is, it’s sure to be good.

And the second I see it, I gasp, my jaw dropped, hand clutching my neck, gazing upon a scene so wondrous it hardly seems possible—even for Summerland.


2) If you could have one super power what would it be?

The power of instant manifestation, please!

3) Series like these always fascinate me because I want to know where the author is going and if he/she even knows where they’re going. So do you? Do you have it all plotted out in your head until the end or are you winging it as you go?

When I first started writing EVERMORE, I was so focused on the story that I didn’t really think much beyond it. But once I got to the end, I realized it was really more like the beginning, in that there was so much more to tell. So I started working on its sequel, BLUE MOON, and somewhere in the middle of Act I, I knew how the entire series would ultimately end. Now it’s just a matter of getting there!

But even though I’m eager for Ever to realize her destiny, the journey of getting her there is half the fun. Writing these books has been such an amazing experience I feel like I actually know these characters, they’ve become like friends—which also makes it hard to put such difficult obstacles in their paths. But, in the end, I know it will make them stronger and better, and every single thing that happens is leading them there. Nothing is tossed in—nothing is an accident—every single event is leading to the next.

4) What’s your typical celebration ritual when you sell a new book or get exciting news about an existing one? Anything strange or quirky we should know about?

Well, not that it’s all that strange or quirky, but every time I close a new book deal, or get good news about a book, my husband and I pop open a bottle of champagne. So when EVERMORE first hit the New York Times bestsellers list back in February ’09, we toasted with champagne. The next week when it hit again, we opened another bottle. And as the books stayed on the list for 55 weeks, we found ourselves swigging champagne (though we switched to splits!) every Wednesday (the day the list is sent to publishers), for over a year—a day we referred to as “Champagne Wednesday.”

When the inevitable Wednesday came that I fell off the list, we weren’t sure what to do with ourselves as the ritual had become so ingrained. So my husband came up with the idea to find something else to celebrate instead—be it a particularly beautiful sunset, a nice bloom on my orchids—nothing is considered too small. And I loved the idea of celebrating the small things so much that the tradition lives on so that every week, once a week, no matter what kind of week it’s been—we find something to toast to!

5) What's up next for you?

This fall will see the debut of Riley’s new series beginning with RADIANCE on August 31, and on November 16, book 5 in THE IMMORTALS series, NIGHT STAR, will hit stores, and then sometime in 2011, the 6th and final IMMORTALS book will be released, along with SHIMMER, the second book in the Riley series . . . oh, and I’ve also got a brand new YA series in the works for 2011/12, more details on that coming soon!

About the Author:

Alyson Noel is the #1 New York Times, and USA Today and Publisher's Weekly bestselling, award-winning, author of FAKING 19, ART GEEKS AND PROM QUEENS, LAGUNA COVE, FLY ME TO THE MOON, KISS & BLOG, SAVING ZOE, CRUEL SUMMER, FIRST KISS (THEN TELL)- an anthology, and the IMMORTALS series including: EVERMORE, BLUE MOON (July 09), SHADOWLAND (Jan 2010), and more to come in 2010/11/12. Her books have won the National Reader's Choice Award, NYLA Book of Winter Award, NYPL Books for the Teenage, TeenReads Best Books of 2007, Reviewer's Choice 2007 Top Ten, nominated for YALSA's Teen's Top Ten Award, chosen for the CBS Early Show's "Give the Gift of Reading" segment, and selected for Seventeen Magazine's "Hot List" and Beach Book Club Pick. She was born and raised in The OC and has lived in both Mykonos and Manhattan, but now finds herself settled right back in California where she lives and writes full time. Visit her online at: www.AlysonNoel.com or visit the series website at: www.ImmortalsSeries.com

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