30 Things I can do...sort of

You are still enjoying, (or at least tolerating,) Alyson King's ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists of 30 things about her. Don't worry we are now half way through. Wheew!
15 years old. I am the most tan and the skinniest I have ever been in my life. Oh to go back to those days.

Here are some things I can do, some I do ok, some not very well, some are just pathetic attempts. But I like to do them. So if you are ever wondering, gee I wish I know someone that knows how to, say, put up wallpaper, I'm your gal!

1. Write (You probably have figured this one out by now.)

2. Read (It goes with the whole writing thing)

3. Play the Flute (I use to be good, I even gave lessons at one time. Now, well, I kind of suck. Amazing how those talents go away when they're not used. But it's still fun to try it every now and then.)

4. Act (If I hadn't embraced writing and full-time motherhood, acting would have been my next pursuit)

5. Cook (I love cooking, and baking and being in the kitchen around food. It's the cleanup that keeps me from doing it more.)

6. Sing, (I’m horrible, but I still enjoy doing it, as long as there’s no one around)

7. Play the piano (just barely, not well enough to play in any kind of church calling...seriously!)

8. Do stuff on the computer (not sure if that’s a hobby)

9. Plan parties (If I had the budget all my parties would be way over the top. There is no question that I go over with every party I plan.)

10. Decorate for holidays (I love this and don't do it nearly enough, it's so much work to put everything up, pull everything down, and store everything that right now I'm kind of fading on it. But I hope to do it more in the future.)

11. Style hair (I used to style all my friends hair for prom, and even the Drama teacher put me in charge of hair for the musicals and plays. It started because I hated having my mom do my hair so i decided one day I would do my own hair. I used to get really fancy, but now I'm lazy. My kids wont' let me touch their hair so i worry I've forgotten what I knew.)

12. Apply makeup (I've always loved to do makeup, and i wonder where my daughter gets it from

13. Dance (My mother was a dance major in college, and for many years I loved dancing too. Wish i had kept it up, but it's another thing that has fallen by the wayside

14. Be a supportive mother (I try to do this, sometimes I better than at other times, but it's one thing I hope to do well someday.)

15. Be understanding (I think everyone thinks they are understanding, it's something that's hard to do well. I think this is something I'm either good at or terrible at, depending on the day, (or time of the month)

16. See the good in people (My father was amazing at this, and I hope i picked up his ability to always see people for the best they can be)

17. Lead music (It came with playing the flute)

18. Surf the Internet (Yeah, I know, it's a rel talent and I'm awesome at it. I bet I could spend hours at a time doing it, if I had the opportunity)

19. Blog (Ok, I'm not that good at blogging, not like some of you amazing bloggers out there. But I'm still on my learning curve, right?)

20. Wrap presents (This is something I've always loved to do, and I think I was the best at it in my family. That's not saying much, and now that I know my sister-in-law Lindsey, I know I'm not that good. But it is fun for me)

21. Tie bows (I can tie a bow well. Bet you didn't know that. Next time my girls wear a dress to church with a bow that ties in the back, check out the bow. i tied that!)

22. Snuggle with my kids (I snuggle with my kids everyday for at least half an hour. It's my to make sure they each get one-on-one everyday, but it does take a lot of time)

23. Eat sweets, especially if they involve chocolate (this talent has taken me years to get just right, but I still practice as often as possible)

24. Make homemade, pulled candy (My grandma has always made home-made candy at Christmas and so for many years I would go to her house and learn how she does it.)

25. Spend money (Another talent I try to improve every chance I can)

26. Put up wall paper (I'm actually very good at this one, too bad wall-paper isn't in style right now)

27. Balance a book on my head (Ok, now I'm pushing, trying to find things I can do)

28. Smile :)

29. Play “The Legend of Zelda” (I admit it, I love video games!)

30. Do Algebra (I hate math, but for some reason it makes sense to me)

30 favorite movies

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

Age 14

For this list I basically tried to pick movies that, if stuck on a desert island the rest of my life and I could only have 30 movies to watch again and again, which would they be. What are your favorite movies?

1. 13 going on 30 (Had to put this in, simply because I feel like I’m still 13 and I’m going to be 30!)

2. Legend This is one of those defining movies for me. I think I've watched it at least 20 times.

3. Labyrinth Mmmm, David Bowie as King Jareth sooooo HOT!

4. The Last Unicorn (Funny, this title is on my favorite song, book, and move list)

5. Grave of the Fireflies One of the most amazing movies about World War Two. Totally heart wrenching.

6. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves I haven't watched this movie for years, maybe because I will realize how terrible it is, and I like my happy memories I have with it. This was another defining movie for me.

7. The Little Mermaid I was 11 when this cartoon came out, and I was in love. The summer it was released on video, I watched it every single day!

8. Titanic I saw this more times in the theater than any other movie, and bawled every time.

9. Memoirs of a Geisha Of course the book is better, but I still loved this movie and how they captured the world of the Geisha

10. August Rush I just saw this movie for the first time and loved it so much.

11. Spirited Away Have I mentioned how much I love Hayao Miyazaki

12. Whispers of the Heart This is about a young girl who dreams of becoming a writer. How could I not love it? But what I love most, is the story told of her trying to look inside herself and finding a jewel, and how frightened she is to look, because she is so scared that all she'll find is a rock. Don't we all feel that way sometimes.

13. Twilight (ok, yes, it hasn’t come out yet, but I’m sure it will be a favorite)

14. Becoming Jane So deliciously romantic!

15. Lord of the Rings Besides being an awesome version of this great story, I wanted to include this movie, because of how long it takes to watch all three movies. If I was stuck on a desert island, this would be a great one to watch, because you would only have to repeat it every 14 hours.

16. Anna and the King Totally fell in love with Chow Yun-Fat in this!

17. Pride and Prejudice Love this and the BBC version. Every woman should love this story.

18. The Phantom of the Opera How could I not include this? I'm not really in love with Gerald Butler, however if you watch it with the French dubbing it makes it much more enjoyable!

19. Unico and the Island of Magic This is a fantastic movie I grew up on about a baby unicorn that brings happiness to everyone he meets.

20. Howl’s Moving Castle I am a huge fan of watching movies in their original language, but I make an exception with this one, Christian Bale as Howl makes me melt every time!

21. The Never Ending Story Such a classic movie. Why did they ruin it by making a sequel?

22. The Hobbit I loved this movie as a child and I'm so excited to see what they do with the new movie coming out.

23. Stardust Besides being packed full of hotties and being an awesome story, this movie is a must simply because of Captain Shakespeare.

24. Amadeus A fantastic telling of the life of Mozart!

25. The Haunting (1963 version)They just don't make scary movies like they used to. I love this movie. I use to watch black and white ghost movies with my father all the time, and this was, by far, the best. You never see a "ghost" through the whole thing, but all your other senses are used--the feeling of being watched, smells, sounds, all of that. No blood and gore, no psycho characters, just really cool camera angels, eerie sounds and a great plot.

26. Sunset Boulevard Another absolute classic. I discovered this movie on accident. When Andrew Lloyd Webber announced he was making a musical based off this movie Sonnett and I ran out and watched it. I fell in love with the movie and think it's so well done and such a great portrayal of Hollywood at that time, (and even now). The musical? Well, it's ok, don't love it, don't hate it, it's simple O.K.

27. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon This movie has it all! Kick-butt fight scenes, intense romances, and stunning cinematography, not to mention an awesome story. What more do you need?

28. Chocolat I love watching this on Valentine's Day. Don't ever watch it when trying to diet!

29. Fairytale: A True Story This is based on the story of the Cottington Fairies. During World War I, two young girls snap picture of fairies in their garden. Although the pictures prove to be fake, the girls claimed all their life that they did see and play with fairies, but were never able to capture them on the photographs.

30. Watcher in the Woods Who doesn't LOVE this Disney ghost story? This is another classic I love to watch each Halloween!

I'm a Barbie Girl!

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

(Well, I'm not a barbie girl not in this picture) 13 years old.

I love Barbie dolls. I have never grown out of them, I went straight from playing with them to collecting them. In fact a few years ago I became so obsessive with collecting I made myself sell almost my whole collection. (I was obsessively buying Barbie dolls. It was bad) I do miss my collection, but I’m glad I did it. I was really feeling out of control. But I still love them and browse barbiecollectors.com all the time. So here is a list of my favorites. Some I have, some I don’t, but I love them all!

1. Lady of the Unicorns(If anyone is looking for a great gift to give me for my birthday, this would be it! Here's where you can buy it. So what that it costs $200--right??)

2. Mermaid Enchantress

3. Faerie Queen (brunette)Only 500 of these dolls were every made, and I did, at one point, have my own doll. It was the most rare doll I've ever had. Because she was worth so much I did sale her, (sniff, sniff)

4. Morning Sun Princess

5. Midnight Moon Princess

6. Venetian Opulence

7. Maiko

8. Peppermint ObsessionShe even smells like peppermint!

9. Dancing Fire

10. Fairy of the gardenShe's one I regreat selling.

11. IllusionThis was the first barbie my husband ever bought me.

12. Lord of the Rings

13. Phantom of the Opera

14. Lighter than Air

15. Marie Antoinette

16. Heartstring Angel

17. Harpist Angel

18. Water Lily

19. The Peacock

20. Merlin and Morgan Le FayI like this one because I think it's awesome they would make a Ken doll with such a massive beard

21. Romeo and Juliet

22. The PirateShe looks so awesome! I would love to write a story about her.

23. Orange PekoeShe is one of the most rare barbies out there. Limited quantity and made out of porcelin!

24. The Bard

25. 2003 Treasure Hunt

26. Winter Fantasy

27. Princess of the VikingsMy Norse heritage comes out in this barbie!

28. Vera Wang

29. Oktoberfest

30. Medusa

Out and about

Wow, two posts in one day, how cool is that!

I hope everyone is enjoying my 30 days of stuff... or at least tolerating it. It is a bit excessive, but it was really fun to create.

Anyway I've been gone for the past two weeks, and just wanted to thank everyone for the posts, and emails, and I'm sorry I haven't responded, It's been crazy. This has been my past two weeks

Park City
Salt Lake
St. George
Camping
Lagoon
Zoo
Birthdays
Swimming
Croup
Pink Eye
Colds
Sore throats
High school Musical
Playing the Wii
Too much shopping
And lots of eating

The coolest thing though, that I really wanted to blog about, is my family surprised me and gave me my birthday gift early. They bought me a Wii!! Yes, I have my own Wii!!! So freakin' cool!

Anyway I have missed reading people's blogs and hope to get caught up on everything soon.

30 of my biggest fears

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

Age 12. This picture makes me laugh, simply because I felt so popular in my "cool" outfit, and crimped hair. Love it!

1. I’m scared I’m a bad writer, and no one will tell me the truth. But I love it too much to stop.

2. I’m worried that people think I’m dumb

3. I get scared thinking about where I would be if I hadn’t married my husband.

4. I terrified of some kind of disaster happening and not being close to my kids when it does.

5. I’m terrified of earthquakes!

6. I am scared of being in the car with my kids and falling into a river, and not being able to get them out.

7. I have a reoccurring dream of my kids drowning

8. I am scared of spiders, but not bees

9. I’m scared of rats, but not bats

10. I’m scared that people think less of me because I’m overweight

11. I’m so scared that my children will need me and I won’t be there for them

12. I have a weird phobia of calling people on the phone. (If I call you, know that it took some time for me to muster the courage)

13. I’m scared of ghosts, but I love them too.

14. I’m scared of my playroom 90% of the time.

15. I’m literally terrified of being poor, and worry that someday I will be really poor just so I can learn to cope with it.

16. Laser eye surgery frightens me, but I really want to get it down.

17. Any kind of plastic surgery freaks me out.

18. I’m scared of losing my husband

19. I’m worried I’ll get cancer someday. But I don’t do too much to prevent it

20. I’m really worried that oneday I will turn into one of those extremely obese people that you see on TV, that have to be lifted out of their house with a crane…. I really am afraid of that.

21. I’m scared of dying young and leaving my children before they are grown.

22. Did I mention the fear of spiders! Even if I kill one I think it might jump up and bite me.

23. I worry a lot about hurting people’s feelings

24. I worry my children will resent me and need years of therapy to deal with the childhood I’m giving them. (but I think there’s not much I can do, I’m trying my best)

25. I’m scared of failing as a mother, and as a writer (I know I’ve already failed as a housekeeper, so I don’t worry about that one anymore)

26. I’m scared I won’t be able to have more children

27. I’m scared of having more kids, (right now)

28. I don’t think I could ever parachute out of a plane, I’m too frightened of heights

29. I’m scared of farting in public and having people know it was me! How embarrassing!!

30. Just so we’re clear, I’m terrified of spiders.

Someday I hope to be a world travler. A list of places I want to go!

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

Age 11. Yup, these are my ugly years.

My list of places I have traveled is so pathetic, but I hope someday to travel the world, here is where I want to go. I didn’t even bother putting cities, because there are so many places I want to go, I just put the country.

1. Japan
2. Egypt
3. Jerusalem
4. Germany
5. Norway
6. Denmark
7. France
8. Ireland
9. England
10. Scotland
11. Wales
12. Austria
13. Switzerland
14. Prince Edward Island
15. Cancun
16. Hawaii
17. Alaska
18. Greece
19. Italy
20. China
21. Australia
22. Spain
23. Argentina
24. New Zealand
25. Philadelphia
26. Hershey, Pennsylvania
27. Coast of Maine
28. Cozumel
29. A private island (which I own of course, and has 5 star service!)
30. Mont Everest

Places I’ve been

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

Here I am at 10. I think of the next few pictures as my ugly years. I can't beleive I'm posting them on the internet!

I wish I was an avid traveler and I hope to someday, but until then here are places I have actually spent the night in that city. How pathetic, you don’t know how hard I had to rack my brain to come up with this list.

1. Orem, Utah
2. Salt Lake City, Utah
3. Bear Lake, Utah
4. Vernal, Utah
5. St George, Utah
6. Las Vegas, Nevada
7. San Diego, California
8. Los Angeles, California
9. San Francisco, California
10. Mexico
11. Sweden
12. New York, New York
13. Seattle, Washington
14. Park City, Utah
15. Twin Falls, Idaho
16. Boise, Idaho
17. Idaho Falls, Idaho
18. Lake Powell, Utah
19. Ithaca, New York
20. Cedar City, Utah
21. Heber City, Utah
22. Flagstaff, Arizona
23. Mesa, Arizona
24. Monterey, California
25. Cambria, California
26. Chicago, Illinois
27. Anaheim, California
28. Sun Valley, Idaho
29. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
30. Orlando, Florida

30 of my favorite names, (for both people and fictional characters)

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…
Age 9

The majority of these names are from either my book or books I’ve read. But they are just cool names—perhaps not for a baby, but cool none-the-less

1. AaJanaet (ah-janae) Jason thought it was a bit much and agreed to Janae for the name of our first daughter
2. Eileyrie (Wish I could claim this one, but it belongs to Sonnett)
3. Xenzues (zen-zues)
4. Adalaid
5. Celestia
6. Cynthia
7. Tara
8. Cara
9. Usagi
10. Zyren
11. Autumn Lilly
12. Summer Rose
13. Ganarr
14. Mendrek
15. Kalliope
16. Serena
17. Cera
18. Adora
19. Ariel
20. Samantha
21. Elizabeth
22. Victoria
23. Benjamin
24. Zachery
25. Edward (don’t have a clue where that one came from)
26. Sorcha
27. Darien
28. Seyia
29. Welcome (Yes, it’s a real name, it’s the name of my great-great grandfather)
30. Alyson (of course)

30 of my favorite words

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…
Age 8

Words are an interesting thing for me, being a writer they are the tool of my trade, and although I know very few, I do have a love for certain ones. I also find that I will favor words for a year or so, and then ignore them and favor other words, so these are the favorite words on my mind right now.

1. Paradigm
2. Diaphanous
3. Fathom
4. Feckless
5. Excruciating
6. Exuberant
7. Zephyr
8. Preposterous
9. Titillate
10. Adamantine
11. Impregnable
12. Sizzle
13. Envelope
14. Facetious
15. Perfect
16. Antidisestablishmentarianism (no longer the longest word in the dictionary, but so many fond memories using this word in grade school)
17. Copasetic
18. Seared
19. Loath
20. Hippopotamomonstrososessiquippadaliaphobia (The fear of long words, how great it that!
21. Iridescent
22. Zealous
23. Serendipity
24. Writhe
25. Satin
26. Copious
27. Ensue
28. Frivolous
29. Elated
30. Reminisce

My daydreams

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

7 Years old

These are things I really want, or use to want, or pretend to have, or hope to have someday, but I haven’t had any of them yet. This is why I write, to have the things I can’t have. (Wow, I used have, had, and haven’t six times in one paragraph. See what an awesome writer I am)

1. I use to dream of being a Broadway Star
2. I dream of being a great writer, and on the New York Times bestseller list
3. Sometimes I wish I was single, successful, living in a spotless penthouse apartment in a big city, but then I think about how lonely I would be and I’m really glad I’m a stay-at-home mom.
4. I dream of having my entire house thoroughly deep cleaned
5. I dream of keeping it that way for at least 24 hours
6. I dream of having my own chef that cooks fabulous, healthy meals and cleans up afterwards
7. I wish I had a maid
8. I’ve always wanted to live in a castle with a huge garden in the front
9. I’ve always wanted to have a maze grown out of tall hedges in my backyard.
10. I’ve always wanted to go to a masked ball
11. I want to travel the world.
12. I honestly believe I will get published someday, I feel it deep inside of me.
13. I’ve always wanted two guys to fight over me
14. I’d love to have one of my books made into a movie
15. Sometimes I pretend I’m rich and famous and everyone wants to be my friend.
16. I wish I could talk to animals
17. I wish I could fly
18. I wish I could be a mermaid
19. I wish I could relive high school, knowing then what I know now.
20. Once in a while I wish I was very skinny and incredible beautiful
21. I wish I could pause time to sleep, clean, read books, and watch TV, so I wouldn’t spend time doing those things.
22. I wish I could walk on water
23. I wish I could run as fast as the wind
24. I wish I could give my kids everything they wanted, without spoiling them or going bankrupt
25. I wish I could go to Walt Disney World for two weeks, staying in the most luxurious hotel, and spend oodles of money
26. I also wish I could do more to help people who have no money, or no family
27. I’ve always wanted to win first place in a contest
28. I wish I was an amazing sword fighter, (well, I wish I was a sword fighter, period)
29. I wish I had magic
30. I wish I could clone myself, so I could get more accomplished

30 Writing Tips

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

Age 6

What qualifies me to give writing advice. Not much. I’ve never been published—at all. Well, except for some poetry in my high school magazine. But I have written—a lot! I’ve read a few books and gone to many workshops, so I feel like I have an idea, but just an idea. Maybe one day I’ll know how to write really well. But until then here is my small advice to anyone who wants to be a writer. (And I should add that I do fiction writing. Non-fiction is a totally separate ballgame, and I have no clue how to do that)

1. Write, (you’d be surprised how many people want to be writers, but they don’t write)
2. Write (keep writing, don’t stop once you’re done with a story)
3. Write (you can never do enough of it)
4. Read, especially books in the genre you want to write in.
5. Read books in other genres.
6. Read “Character’s and Viewpoints” by Orson Scott Card
7. Get added to Dave Wolverton’s “Daily Kick in the Pants” list. They are awesome!
8. Join a writer’s group, but one that you won’t be afraid of leaving when you get too close.
9. Attended writing conferences.
10. When you pick up a book to read, pay attention to who edited the book, and who the publisher is. You never know when that information might be useful.
11. Don’t write worried about what other people will think. Write first for yourself. In fact write with the idea that no one will ever read it. That allows you to remove so many writing boundaries.
12. If you get stuck in the story, either go back and start rewriting, or skip forward and write that scene that’s been running through your head, even if you don’t know how you’re going to get there.
13. It’s ok to kill characters, make characters do stupid things, or have them do something that’s totally out of character. Tomorrow, if you don’t like it, you can write it over again.
14. There is such a thing as something being too revised.
15. Keep writing (even if it’s nonsense, it helps you find your voice)
16. If your stuck and have no idea what to write, pick a movie or book that you didn’t like the ending, and rewrite it.
17. All writing rules were made to be broken
18. But you really shouldn’t break them, most of the time. They are there for a reason.
19. Attend book signings, and don’t be afraid to talk with authors. They are fun, cool, and often have great advice about writing.
20. Exercise. Your mind is more clear when your blood is circulating, and it’s very easy to get out of shape sitting in front of a computer all day. (Hmm, I need to take more of my own advice on this one)
21. Love to write. There is nothing to be gained as writer, unless if you love it.
22. Make time for your family. Sometimes we as writers forget that our characters aren’t real people, and that the real people around us need as just as much as our stories do. As Orson Scott Card said, “it’s your family that will surround you when you die, not your books.”
23. Try to write every day. Your brain and hands are muscles that need to be worked.
24. Be proud of being a writer, it is one of the coolest things in the world.
25. Find a support system, it is tough trying to break into print, and you need people there to love you through it.
26. When your not writing, think about your story as much as possible.
27. When plotting, always ask, “what if” and never settle on your first response. (unless you’re writing an LDS romance, there is only one or two plots to follow) Just kidding
28. Get familiar with word count, instead of page count. I’m so glad we have computers that do this for us.
29. Quantity is not always quality. Set your goals on making the best story you can, not in getting a certain word count.
30. When asking someone to read your story and you want honest feedback, ask them to look for the three grunts. (This is from Orson Scott Card, and it’s some of the best advice I’ve received) Basically if there is a time when they feel one of the following three ways they should mark your manuscript.
• Huh (the story doesn’t make sense)
• Yeah Right (the story is unbelievable in the world you’ve created)
• So what (they don’t care about the story)

30 Titles of Books (or stories) I've written

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

Age five, (I cut my hair myself for this picture) :)

So, I love to write. If could be described as one thing I would love for it to be a “Great Writer”, (well, after, a great mother, and a great wife, of course). Here is a little information about several books or stories I’ve written. Many have not been completed. And of course all of these fabulous ideas and stories are copyrighted, but hey if you think the story sounds good and that you could write it well, go ahead and use it. I’d love to see what you do with it.

1. (Age 6) The Bishop and His Tree House—My very first story I remember writing and being so proud of. It was basically about a bishop who noticed the children were sad, so he built them a tree house.

2. (Age 9) Where the Sidewalk Ends—Inspired by the famous book of poetry this was a story about two young girls who sent off on a journey to see where the sidewalk ends. The follow the sidewalk over mountains, across oceans to a golden tree.

3. (Age 10) Prisoner in Pink—My first chapter book! About a Princess who always wore pink, about 100 pages, handwritten

4. (Age 12) The Unicorn Necklace—A novel about two fairy princess who have magical necklace that can control the elements and a wizard who is trying to get them. (About 1,200 pages handwritten)

5. (Age 13) The Unicorn Necklace rewrite—I didn’t like the ending and rewrote over 600 pages, so I kind of consider it a book in itself.

6. Egypt and I—A novel about a beautiful popular high school student who is in an awful car accident that physically scars her. She goes to Egypt as an exchange student, and while exploring the pyramids is taken back in time where the Pharaoh believes her scars are a sign from the gods

7. Untitled—A perfect retelling of the story of Phantom of the Opera. Except the names have been changed. This was when I was young. Every writer goes through a phase where the rewrite their favorite stories, it’s part of becoming a writer, I promise.

8. The Tail of a Mermaid—Set in Spain during the renaissance, this tells the story of a Princess who is in hiding from her father and one day wakes up to discover a baby outside her door. She raises the baby as her daughter and discovers the the baby is really a mermaid who is destined to stop the feuding countries.

9. Angel of Music—A novel of the Phantom of the Opera, told through Christine’s point of view, starting with her birth. It focuses on her relationship with her father and Raoul, and why she was so in need of an angel of music when Erik came to her. This is one that I really hope to publish someday.

10. Untitled—Your typical romance book. Yes, I have spent a great deal of time writing a romance, and it is one that no one but me has read and no one else will ever read. It’s your basic plot of a beautiful kind woman, who is engaged to a millionaire, and, surprise, surprise, a billionaire, who happens to be the richest man in the world, falls in love with her. While her fiancée is away the billionaire tries to woo her by taking her on shopping sprees, eating at fine restaurants all that stuff. (blush and giggle) The sad thing about this, I’ve written over 400,000 words with this story. (That’s close to the size of a Harry Potter novel) Pathetic huh! And for anyone wondering, it’s not that kind of a “romance” I do have certain standards when I write.

11. Untitled—This is kind of a fantasy romance, about a Queen with magic who was left in the desert to die by her husband the king, so he could marry her lady in waiting. She survives with the help of the unicorns, and is taken to the great king, who hires her as a servant in the castle, and they fall in love. The great king learns the truth of what has happened to her with her husbands and seeks to prosecute him. About 200,000 words (And you wonder why I’m not yet published. Hmm, maybe it has something to do with my cheesy plot line. No…)

12. Untitled—My one attempt at an LDS romance, and it bombed! About a Mormon girl who gets involved with a man who she later discovers used to be LDS, but has left the church and wants nothing to do with it. Guess what! She’s the answer to his family prayers. Bet you didn’t see that one coming. Ok, I’m done talking about this book, let’s move on.

13. Untitled—a story I wrote in high school about a high school girl who has a teenage boy wizard come to her school because he’s searching for her and ends up falling in love with her.

14. The Mermaid—A retelling of The Little Mermaid. This is another one that I think might have potential of getting published. (about 60,000 words)

15. The Frog Prince—A retelling of the Frog Prince (still in outline form)

16. Fan Fiction for “Harry Potter” (anyone who doesn’t know what fan fiction is, it’s stories using the same characters and places of popular stories. The fact that I’ve written so much is kind of embarrassing, but I’m trying to fill up my list.

17. Fan Fiction for “Lord of the Rings”

18. Fan Fiction for “The Mummy”

19. Fan Fiction for “The Legend of Zelda”

20. Fan Fiction for Terry Brooks “Magic Kingdom” series

21. Fan Fiction for “Spirited Away”

22. Untitled—A story in outline form based on a dream I had about a princess who is in love with a warrior

23. Cara—A side story from my novel, about the Fairy Queen and her life 50,000 words

24. Harold—A side story to my main novel about the life of this character 35,000 words

25. Kaspian—I named my main character in this before I was familiar with Prince Caspian—OK! A sweet novel, that is a side story to my main book The wizards Princess. It a love story between a princess and a merman, kind of a twist on the whole Little Mermaid story. 80,000 words.

26. The Unicorn Necklace—A complete rewrite of the novel I wrote when I was younger. About 600,000 words. (my biggest piece of writing yet)

27. The Wizards’ Princess—My first serious novel, that I’ve actually tried to get published. This is the first of three books about a princess who finds a magical sword and sets off on a journey to find a wizard. (Available to read upon request) about 120,000 words.

28. Sequel the Wizard’s Princess (Untitled)—The story continues as Celestia searches in the ocean for the mer-people. Unfinished, so far about 60,000 words

29. Tutankhamen’s Conundrum—A short story I wrote during Orson Scott Card’s boot camp, and Tutankhamen, and many of the other ancient Egyptian mummies coming back to life in the modern day. Someday I hope to write this into a novel.

30. Untitled—A new idea I just started working on and I don’t have the story worked out, it’s about 7,000 words so far and involves fairies.

Favorite Books I've read

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

4 years old

I love reading, and picking favorite books is like picking a favorite child. There are so many things I love about them, but also none are perfect, maybe I should do my favorite scenes from books. No, just the books. Here are lists of books I loved reading, affected my life, are amazing, or just plain fun. I would recommend each one!

1. “The Hiding Place” Connie Ten Boom
2. “The Twilight Saga” Stephenie Meyer, (how could I not put this on)
3. “Phantom” Susan Kay
4. “The Last Unicorn” Peter S. Beagle
5. “Enchantment” Orson Scott Card
6. “Austenland” Shannon Hale
7. “Magic Kingdom of Landover Series” Terry Brooks
8. “Sword of Truth Series” Terry Goodkind. (There’s making a mini series of this in the fall!
9. “The Belgarid” David Eddings
10. “The Phantom of the Opera” Gaston Lerox
11. “Les Miserable” Victor Hugo
12. “These is my Words” Nancy E. Turner
13. “Harry Potter Series” J. K. Rowling (had to put this on as well.)
14. “The Little Prince” Antoine De Saint-Exuprery
15. “The Sleepover Friends” Susan Saunders (I read these instead of the Babysitter’s Club”)
16. “And the Sky Full of Stars” Sabine Berlin (Of course had to put that in as well.)
17. “Silver Dragons” By Sonnett Shelline
18. “Characters and Viewpoints” Orson Scott Card
19. “Reunion” Fred Uhlman
20. “The Goose Girl” Shannon Hale
21. “The Great Gatsby” F. Scott Fitzgerald
22. “What the Witch Left” Ruth Chew
23. “Goodnight Moon” Margaret Wise Brown
24. “The Giving Tree” Shel Silverstein
25. “Winter Rose” Patricia A. McKillip
26. “Seven Waters Trilogy” Juliet Marillier
27. “The Black Swan” Mercedes Lackey
28. “Always Follow Your Dreams” A Collection of Poems Susan Polis Schutz
29. “Webster’s Dictionary/Thesaurus” (May sound lame, but you would be surprised how much I crack this book open
30. Any book I’ve written (That sounds so narcissistic, but I really am my favorite author)

Foods I would rather starve than eat, (at least I say that now, hopefully I won't have to test this claim)

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

Me at 3

As I said, I am a super picky eater, which drives most people who know me, crazy. But at least I know what I don’t like. Here it is.

1. I hate nuts!! Considering I’m allergic to them no wonder
2. Almonds are the worst
3. Mushrooms, (although I do like the flavor, it’s the texture I can’t stand)
4. Tomatoes (again, love the flavor, not so much the texture.
5. Wasabi sauce (too hot)
6. Strawberries, no matter how many times I’ve tried them, (dipped in chocolate, wrapped in cream cheese and brown sugar), I just can’t stomach them. I think I have an intolerance.
7. liver and onions, (ok I admit I have never tried this, but I’ve never been able to bring myself to try it either)
8. Ribs, too messy, too chewy, I’ve just never been able to fall in love with them. Amazingly my marriage has still survived despite the fact
9. Cole slaw (gag)
10. Most left overs ( for whatever reason I have a mental aversion to prepared food that’s been in the fridge)
11. Cow tongue, pigs feet, chicken beak. Or any animal body part that we don’t normally eat, (again never tried them, but the very idea makes me gag)
12. drumsticks, loved them as a kid, not so much as an adult and I don’t know why
13. most soups made from a powder, some are great, but there are a few that should just stay powdered
14. Any kind of chocolate delicacies with nuts. There is nothing worse than getting my hopes up that I’m going to have something delicious and wonderful, only to get them dashed when I see the nuts. (this happened many times to me in Europe)
15. Fast food hamburgers. I must have been traumatized as a child, because I haven’t even been able to order one in over 20 years.
16. McDonalds. Ok let’s admit it—it’s a love/hate relationship. But at the moment I’m leaning more towards hate, simply because I just had some. Curse you McDonalds, and your hot salty french-fries!
17. Twinkies. Never have and never will like Twinkies.
18. Lobster, by itself not so grand. Lobster bisque! YUM! Chunks of lobster in a cheesy fondue, SUPER YUM! By itself, err, not so great.
19. Western Family Mac and Cheese, yes there is a big difference form the Kraft brand, and trust me, it’s worth those extra $0.15.
20. Cornflakes
21. Hot dogs boiled in water
22. Green Peppers (but I love red peppers)
23. Jalapeños
24. Little Caesar’s Pizza (It use to be so good)
25. Chili (except on Halloween)
26. Pickles
27. Maraschino cherries (they just seem so unnatural to me)
28. Plain vanilla ice cream (add chocolate sauce and it’s great)
29. Raw pumpkin (carving pumpkins at Halloween, makes me gag)
30. Yams

Yummy, favorite foods!

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

Me at age 2

I am a very picky eater, as you will learn more about on my list of my least favorite foods. But when I fall in love with food it lasts forever. So here is my list of favorite foods. (and you might notice the majority of foods involve sugar on some level. That just means I'm very sweet, right?)


1. Magelbys chocolate cake
2. Hot homemade wheat bread with butter and honey
3. Pears in warm carmel sauce
4. warm chocolate chip cookies
5. Homemade chicken noodle soup on a snowy day.
6. Sonnett’s mother’s lasagna
7. most food items from Kneaders
8. Noodles and Company Macaroni and cheese
9. Chocolate éclairs
10. Vanilla Italian Cream Soda’s from Barnes and Nobel
11. Chick Fila
12. Grilled chicken salad
13. bacon, especially when it’s still sizzling
14. I love breakfast foods, pancakes, waffles, french toast, all smothered in syrup and real butter
15. mint brownies
16. rice crispies treats
17. Olive Garden’s fettuccine Alfredo
18. Red Lobsters Seafood Cheesy fondue
19. The bread over in Europe!
20. cupcakes
21. fresh squeezed orange juice
22. chocolate frozen custard
23. Sees chocolate, especially their butterscotch squares
24. gingerbread
25. hand pulled butter mints
26. chocolate cheesecake
27. Marie Calenders Kulaha Cream Pie
28. Dulce de leche ice cream
29. cinnamon sugar toast
30. homemade tapioca pudding

30 of my favorite songs

You are enjoying Alyson King’s ultimate, 30 days of 30 lists with 30 facts about her…

Me on my first birthday, you can't see under the hat, but I was completely bald

How do you only pick 30 songs out of the hundreds that you love? So I finally decided to just pick my top 30 that either have some meaning, some memory attached, or a song I find myself putting on a play mix over and over. I also tried to limit one song per artist I love, even though most artist on here I love tons of their music, so I picked one of my favorite songs by them. (They are in no particular order)

1. “Silent All these Years” Tori Amos
2. “Walking on Air” Kerli
3. “Slow Me Down” Emmy Rossum
4. “Every time” Britney Spears
5. “The Phantom of the Opera” (I know this is a full musical, not necessarily one song, but I could fill up this list if I listed each song individually)
6. “Calling You” Blue October
7. “The Elf Knight” Steeleye Span (couldn't find a youtube video of this song, so I included Steeleye Span's most popular tune, "All Around my Hat"
8. “Window Panes” Karen Gibbs (impossible to find this song anywhere since it was only ever on a record, but it was the first song my Dad recorded with the new digital technology, and I can't hear it without bursting into tears)
9. “The Marvelous Toy” Peter, Paul and Mary
10. “Passion” Utada Hikaru
11. “Bonny Portmore” Loreena Mckennitt
12. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” Bonnie Tyler
13. “Ghost Love Score” Nightwish (check out this song, not only will you here this song, but see several awesome clips of the most amazing TV show Japan has ever done, “Sailor Moon Live Action”
14. “In the End” Linkin Park
15. “Oh Holy Night”
16. “Sono Luminous” Erasure (Mine and Jason’s Song)
17. “Behind the Waterfall” David Lanz
18. “Girlfriend” Avril Lavigne
19. “Love Changes Everything” Michael Ball
20. “Fly” Sarah Brightman
21. “All Love Can Be” Charlotte Church
22. The “ABC song” (it was the first song I ever learned, and one of the most important, how could I be a writer if I didn’t have my ABC’s)Watch this on youtube, it's adorable!
23. “Moonlight Sonata” Beethoven
24. “セーラースターソング” Theme song to Sailor Moon Season 5
25. “Candle on the Water” Pete’s Dragon
26. “The Kind of Love You Never Recover From” Christine Lavin
27. “The Last Unicorn” America
28. “Loved By the Sun” Tangerine Dream
29. “On My Own” Les Miserables
30. “I am a Child of God”

Everything you've ever wanted to know about Alyson King and so much more than you really care to know

This is my hospital picture

So this year, on August 15th, I am turning 30 years old. It has been, for whatever reason, something I’ve struggled with. So to help ease the depression, or perhaps to help me take my mind off of the fact, I have created the ultimate list. So, 30 days before my birthday, (starting July 17th) I’m going to post 30 different lists, each one with 30 different facts about me. Yup, that’s 900 facts for your enjoyment. Now, I’m not narcissistic enough to really think anyone would want to read everything, but it was really fun for me to create. (It’s been a few months in the process) And it was a great way for me to document who I am for my posterity. I would recommend everyone try it, and see if you learn about yourself. I also want to apologize for all grammar mistakes through these lists, as well as I'm sorry if information is repeated. I can no longer remember what I put where and if I repeated myself. Here is a preview of what you will be getting over the next month. Enjoy.

My 30 list

1. 30 favorite songs
2. 30 favorite foods
3. 30 least favorite foods
4. 30 favorite books I’ve read
5. 30 titles of books I’ve written
6. 30 writing tips
7. 30 dreams I have
8. 30 favorite words
9. 30 favorite names
10. 30 places I’ve been.
11. 30 places I would like to go
12. 30 things that scare me
13. 30 favorite Barbies
14. 30 favorite movies
15. 30 Things I do
16. 30 people who have changed my life
17. 30 most memorable memories
18. 30 beliefs
19. 30 cheapest things I own
20. 30 most expensive things I own
21. 30 facts about my family
22. 30 favorite kinds of candy
23. 30 irreplaceable things I have
24. 30 favorite TV shows
25. 30 things I would buy if I was a millionaire
26. 30 things about me as a kid
27. 30 things about me as a teenager
28. 30 things about me as an adult
29. 30 things I want to be doing in 30 years
30. 30 random things about me

Swiper no Swipping

I got swipped again! That kid! This time it was my contact lens case. It’s rather frustrating to go at 1:00 in the morning to take your contacts out and have no idea where your contact lens case is, and spend 20 min searching for it.

I found the lids, and just put them in that.

A great pair of pants

I love shopping as much as the next girl. Heck, if I could I would look for any opportunity to spend money. Except when it comes to buying pants. Who decided that they needed to make pant shopping some kind of punishment for women? The other day I tried on over 30 pairs of jeans, searching for the perfect pair. They were either too short, too long, too baggy, too tight, gapped in the back, showed my muffin top, or came up to my chest. When I finally found a pair I fell in love with it cost a hefty $118. (the brand was Not Your daughter’s Jeans, tummy tuck. I would recommend them to anyone)

Why can’t inexpensive jeans fit as good as the expensive one. Why???? WHY?

Now I’m on the search for a good pair of slacks, something I could wear to Writing conferences where I will be schmoozing with editors and agents in hopes that I can convince them to buy my book. With three kids it’s been impossible to get out, so I’ve been roaming the internet.

If it’s hard to find a pair at the store it’s even more difficult on the computer. Trying to decipher how high, or how low it looks on the model just doesn’t cut it. Trying to picture my chunky thighs in place of their tiny sleek legs just doesn’t work. I need a virtual dressing room where I can download a picture of myself and try on each pair of pants, where I can clearly see how it will tug, cling, and chaff all through the computer.

Come on people, give us clothes that fit and easy ways to buy them. In the struggling economy where we can only afford buying one pair of jeans every ten years, we need to be making jeans that are awesome, comfortable, stylish and at an unbeatable price. Is that really so much to ask for?

We believe

"We believe that the first principles and ordinances of Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."

I don’t often get spiritual in my posts, but I couldn’t contain the feelings that overwhelmed me yesterday as I watched my oldest daughter get baptized. The ordinance itself is so quick, so simple, and yet it will set her on a path to guide her through her whole life. It is true that it’s these small, simple things that make great things come to past. After she received the gift of the Holy Ghost I had an opportunity to bare my testimony to her. Tears filled her eyes as I told her that I knew Jesus was the Christ and I can honestly say, at that moment I have never felt closer to my daughter. I have never felt so peaceful in my life. I truly felt a fullness of joy. I’m so grateful for this opportunity. I love my family so much and I’m so grateful for the chance to spend all eternity with them.

What a wonderful thing baptism is, that we can be clean forever of our sins. As we exercise faith and repentance we will be as spotless as the moment we were baptized. It was a good reminder for me, as I see myself struggle and fall each day, that the Lord will always love us, and always provide an opportunity for us to be spotless, to have a member of the godhead with us at all times, and to be with Him again. How truly glorious this gospel is.