Alice Clayton

Long time, no type...

2011-08-09T21:20:00.002-05:00

So yeah. It’s been a long time. Um. Yeah. No excuses. Did I miss you guys? Yes. Of course. Did I post at all in the last few months? No. Shall we get caught up? Yes indeed.

My summer has been interesting. Some ways good, some ways bad, so we’ll call it interesting. Let’s dive right in.

Not Your Mother’s Podcast debuted to smashing success, and then after Episode 2 “Reacharound Chicago” we went dark! This is what happens when you take 3 very busy ladies and try to make us all sit down together every other week, sometimes it just ain’t gonna happen! The good news is we are back, and excited to jump back into recording. We will have our third episode up within the next week, and look forward to a more regular posting schedule. What’s Not Your Mother’s Podcast? Word to the wise, don’t listen while on the treadmill as you may stumble and fall at the ridiculous.

On the last podcast we debuted the 10 Pound Challenge. How is it going? Well, it’s going. And by going I mean the pounds aren’t going anywhere. But I have hope! Summer is almost over, and with that comes September. I always feel good about projects that start in September, don’t you? Something about that month makes you want to start things, buy new notebooks, sharpen your pencils, and commit to SOMETHING! Anyone else feel like Fall, and not just Spring, is the time to start something new? With the heat wave we have been experiencing in the Midwest this summer, there is nothing I am more looking forward to than the start of Fall. Walking every day is a much easier task to accomplish when you’re not passing out from heatstroke. So I relaunch the 10 Pound Challenge, and I sure hope some of you will join me in it. Let’s walk together? Let’s get out there and move our asses!

52 Week Book Challenge I can announce is going MUCH better than the weight loss. We had a new addition in our little family this past February when our beloved iPad came to live with us. This has turned me into a series reading fiend! The benefit of being able to download the next book in a series at 11pm at night when there isn’t a bookstore open for miles around is my new favorite thing. Here are some of the books and series that have gotten me through these hot summer nights, and made a few of those nights even hotter…ahem. The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning, The Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh, The Night Huntress Series by Jeanine Frost, and The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon.

And as for writing? Well, sadly this summer has taken a lot of out me and has left my creative reserves quite dry. I gave myself a bit of a time off from writing, but I am outlining a writing schedule that should get me back on track as soon as possible! George and Gracie will have their story continued, that is a given.

So that’s it chickens, I will be back again soon, thanks for sticking with me!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

2011-01-31T13:44:00.005-06:00

I’ve been away awhile, but steadily cooking up some fun tasty little items for you. To start with, in a few days my latest project will debut on iTunes. Not Your Mother’s Podcast will be just that, not your mothers. I’ve teamed up with two of my besties, Keili and Ashley, to bring you our comical, more than a little insane, take on life. As women in their thirties rapidly approaching their 4^th decade, we realized we were all waiting for the same thing. When do you feel like a grown up?

My friends and I are still as silly as we were when we were in high school. If not maybe even more so, since with age comes something truly amazing. You don’t give a shit how ridiculous you are, and that is truly a blessing. Not Your Mother’s Podcast was born from an earlier idea of writing a three woman comedy show for the three of us, who find ourselves endlessly entertaining. Women who grew up in the age of Jake Ryan and Smurfs, The Lost Boys and Back to the Future. We wanted a platform and a playroom to have a great time, and give our listeners a place to go to get great recipes, parenting advice, movie reviews, as well as a reservation-free conversation about sex, sex, and more sex.

So for us, we barely feel like grownups even though we are all homeowners, Keili and Ashley are actually mothers, and we all pay taxes and vote in major elections. But grownups? Hmmm…

In the house I grew up in, in suburban St. Louis, our backyard backed up to a large wooded area, stretching back for miles. This was great fun for us neighborhood kids, constructing tree houses, playing in the creek, climbing rocks, and daring each other to go into the woods after dark (especially after seeing Watcher in The Woods, a freaking Disney movie. Seriously? Disney? Twisted). Needless to say, after this movie I NEVER ventured into the woods much past dusk.

My dad and a few of the other neighborhood dads were constantly battling the wild vines that would hang down from the canopy of trees, often times choking out the wild dogwoods that were so beautiful in the springtime. I can remember him heading out there, decked out in his weekend clothes, gloves and clippers in hand to do battle against the encroaching vines. These were big mother vines, and I often entertained Tarzan like fantasies of swinging through the jungle, but my father wisely cautioned against this, knowing I would surely fall and then need some Bactine.

A few years ago, I was chatting with my Dad about this, and a sheepish look crept over his face when remembering it. He admitted that he had, on occasion, been known to take a swing from these very vines. My father, who was an executive for a Fortune 500 company, and the two dads on either side of us (lawyer and doctor respectively), while doing a little weekend warrior landscaping, were swinging from vines. Why? Because they were there.

These were grown ass men in their early thirties, yuppies in the perfect sense of this word. I love this. It makes me feel better to know that even though my Dad was a grownup, he still indulged his inner child enough to bring out his own Tarzan. Tarzan in deck shoes and a Polo T-shirt.

So now, when I find myself rocking out in my car to an unexpected Guns n Roses song (if Paradise City comes on, it is nearly impossible for me to ignore it), or smiling hugely when I stumble across an old Nancy Drew mystery in the boxes in my basement, I appreciate the fact that I barely feel like a grownup.

This is the spirit behind Not Your Mother’s Podcast, the idea that every mom and wife out there is still a giggly high school girl, who doesn’t want to bring up that question about blow jobs, but is so glad when someone else does. Give us a listen, download us and take us with you to the gym, we will try our best to make you giggle on the Treadmill.

In other news, I am still working on my 52 Week Book Challenge, and recently completed Fallen and Torment by Lauren Kate, and am in the middle of both Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell and Good In Bed by Jennifer Wiener, all of which I highly recommend. I am going to be asking for recs soon for your favorite chicklit/rom-com/adult contemporary/erotica books soon, so get ready!!

Watch my twitter feed (@alice_clayton) for the exact launch date for Not Your Mother’s Podcast, and follow us @NYMpodcast, as we will do our best to entertain you. For now, check out notyourmotherspodcast.com for info.

Stay young, stay silly, and go swing!

PS, Disney? No more movies like this, it simply isn’t fair.

Is that a blog in your pocket or…

2010-11-10T23:45:00.002-06:00

Hello ladies and jellyspoons. This has been an amazing week, and I wanted to check in with everyone and share some of the highlights.

The Redhead Series has been garnering a bit of a buzz among some wonderful online book reviews blogs, and I have been tickled pink with the response! In the coming weeks, I will have a little space dedicated on the site with the reviews as they come in. Big big BIG thanks go out to The Book Vixen, who has been tireless in her promotion of the escapades of George and Gracie, and I can’t thank you enough. Make sure you check out her blog, she has some great recs for anyone wanting to pick up a new book!

And speaking of new books, I am in Week 2 of my 52 Week Book Challenge, (a book a week for the next year) and I am almost finished with book 2! Last week I got to read Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane, and this was something new for me. I had not previously read any urban fantasy, and I thoroughly enjoyed. I will be diving into the rest of this series in the New Year. This week I started working on Salem Falls, by Jodi Picoult and I am loving the way this story is woven. So many characters, and yet, they are all clear and strong in their characterizations.

I heard from many of you in the past weeks about joining me on my little literary journey, and you are more than welcome to jump on board! I won’t be reviewing any books in an official capacity, simply passing on from one reader to another what I am engrossed in each week.

And now for something completely random. We ate broccoli this week. And the entire time I was chopping it… I was reminded of this fantastic song by the great Dana Carvey. I can literally watch this again and again and it still cracks me up. Sometimes, you just need a giggle, and this never fails for me.

Until next time!

Hold me closer tiny blogger…

2010-11-01T22:48:00.001-05:00

Hey all, can you believe 2 posts in as many days?? I spent this past weekend out of town, Des Moines IA to be exact. I hold the coolest position in the entire world, Aunt. That’s right, no kidlets of my own, so I can thoroughly enjoy my 4 yr old niece and 2 yr old nephew. And let me tell you, watching them trick or treat was so damn cute my uterus hurts.

Now, I realize this may sound biased, but it is entirely possible that I am related to the two most adorable children in America. Wait, I take that back, that sounded foolish. IN THE WORLD. And since I live in St Louis, and they are in the great state of Iowa, I only get to see them every few months or so. I have the unique perspective of seeing them grow in leaps and bounds. Not only are they the cutest children in the world, they also happen to be tiny geniuses.

My niece, who I have been told is the spitting image of me at that age (poor poor dear) is already an avid reader. Can she actually read? Well, no, admittedly she memorizes and then repeats. But already she has discovered the rapture of finding an amazing book and curling up in her favorite chair and spending an hour lost in her imagination. An imagination I might add that found her teaching class one day to my sister’s toes. Her toes were her students you see.

Anywhoodle, we all trooped downstairs to Grandma’s basement to look for buried treasure. The treasure being boxes and boxes of books from my own childhood. And when we found them, you would have thought we had uncovered a giant pile of chocolate and puppy dogs. The pure joy my niece has in digging through stack of unread books, it’s a wonderful thing to see. And I squealed with just as much joy when I found some of my old favorites. Later on that afternoon, I heard her to say, “Yep, I like to read like my Aunt. That’s what we’re in to these days”. Killed. Me. Dead.

These kids like to watch The Backyardigans as much as the next kid, but my goodness, never discount the power of reading and what it can bring into your child’s world. Of course, when we found my old Star Wars picture book, I took it and hid it in my bag…I am the biggest child of all.

When did you become an avid reader?

Blogga What?

2010-10-30T22:43:00.006-05:00

So, here I am. Starting to blog. I suppose this is where I chat you all up, collectively speaking. Am I blogging yet? If a blog falls in the forest, will anyone read it?

Speaking of reading, I am getting ready to start a 52 week book challenge. Who is throwing this literary shindig? Me, myself, and I. Cue De La Soul…

Seriously, it’s my own little challenge that I have decided to begin, a literary journey if you will. I used to read a TON of fiction, and then I lost myself in the world of historical non-fiction and other assorted tidbits. Did this also happen to correspond with a job that had me on planes every week? Yes. Did it have something to do with the company I was keeping in the American Airlines Admirals Club in airports around the country? Yes. Did it have something to do with the self inflated sense of self I got when I thrust my copy of Black Holes and Baby Universes in the face of the cute traveler in seat 2B? Yes…I am hanging my head a bit.

Truth be told, I have quite a little crush on Stephan Hawking, but that is a story for another day. For today, and starting November 1st, I will be reading a book a week for the next 52 weeks, and I am steering my way back towards the reading for pleasure genre, just for the joy of a good story. I never used to think I liked romance, but golly shucks, it turns out I am a sucker for a man in a rainstorm, and I am jumping feet first into this world. I also am starting a new love affair with the paranormal, and my reading list is growing by leaps and bounds. I will continue to grow this list as the weeks pass, and keep you up to date on what I am reading and what is killing me softly.

I have several books that I have started but not finished, so this is the stack I am concerning myself with first. Does anyone else do this? Have several books going at the same time? Currently on my nightstand is Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane, Under the Dome by Stephen King, Women Food and God by Geneen Roth, Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult, and there is also a copy of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs…don’t judge.

I am starting with Unholy Ghosts. Several reasons for this, not the least of which is I went to high school with the author and I am quite excited to dip my big toe into her world. Thank goodness I recently had a pedicure, and my newly painted tootsies (Malaga Wine by OPI thank you very much) are super excited to kick this book challenge off! Get it, my tootsies….kick off….sigh…

Want to read along with me this year? I would love the company. We don’t all have to read the same book, this ain’t no book club. But the joy of curling up after a long day with a good book, mmm, I can’t wait!

So, I came. I blogged. I am now going to sleep. I trick or treated my ass off tonight, and the Snickers high is wearing off. Nightie night.

The Readhead Revealed

2010-09-21T07:43:00.005-05:00

Hello all you gorgeous Nuts Girls. I have been away for awhile, but I am so excited to be back and share with you some exciting news!

The next installment in the story of Jack and Grace is finally here, and I am literally jumping out of my seat to share it with you. The Redhead Revealed picks up where The Unidentified Redhead leaves off, and oh my goodness are we in for quite a ride. The Redhead Revealed will be available for purchase on Sept. 28th, and there will be a purchasing link here, as well as on the publisher site, omnificpublishing.com.

I will be posting on this site much more often in the coming weeks, so please make sure you check back in. Also, make sure you are following me on twitter, @alice_clayton.

Finally, the new website theredheadrevealed.com will be up soon, with all kinds of fun little extras like those playlists that we all enjoy so much.

So come on in. Play. Laugh. Swoon. It’s all good chickens.

The Redhead Revealed: back cover summary

As their careers catch fire, Grace and Jack -- everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed, funny, and feisty couple -- find themselves on opposite coasts. Grace has landed in New York City, where she loves being onstage again, particularly because she’s playing a fabulous character in a musical written by her old college flame, Michael. Their rekindled friendship makes exploring the city that much more fun.

Wait, it’s just friendship, right?

Meanwhile, in L.A., Jack can scarcely keep up with the swirling throngs of women who track him everywhere he goes, the endless press appearances, and the ridiculous rules his manager, Holly, keeps concocting for him -- all part of the buildup to the release of Time, his steamy new film.

Thank goodness for phone sex.

But even when their schedules allow them to connect, Grace and Jack must keep their relationship off the radar and away from paparazzi cameras. Sure, the sex is sensational, but can this duo survive swirling rumors, the demands of their chosen professions, Grace’s raging internal battles, and a whopping nine-year age difference?

Tick-tock, the clock is ticking. Isn’t it?

Alice Clayton brings the second installment of a tale told with her magical mix of humor and heat, so cuddle up under the sheets and flip on the Golden Girls. Grace and Jack are at it again.

Welcome to the Crazy

2010-02-10T18:49:00.000-06:00

Hello! Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out the new site! I am beyond excited to be able to share with you The Unidentified Redhead, and the exciting world of these characters. I can hardly believe that in less than a week, the book will be available and we will all go on this insane journey together.

I’m excited, thrilled, ecstatic, emotional, devotional, and frankly a little nauseous at the entire prospect to be honest with you, but I am ready to go!

This site will be…well…whatever we want it to be. Please feel free to leave me comments, hit me up on twitter (alice_clayton) email me, whatever chickens. There are so many of you that are as in love with Grace as I am, and this belongs to all of us.

The book will be available on Feb 16^th, and for anyone that lives in the St Louis area, we are having a book launch party on Saturday, Feb 20^th. Please email me at alice@aliceclayton.com for more details, would love to see you there!

OK chickens, as we say in the redhead world…

Welcome to The Crazy

2010-01-04T15:19:00.003-06:00

No Upcoming Even Scheduled at this time. Please check back soon!

2010-01-02T15:37:00.006-06:00

When Grace Sheridan moves to Los Angeles to become a working actor, it's a second shot at a life-long dream. But at thirty-three, has she missed her chance? And will an unexpected romance with the entertainment industry's newest "it" boy shine an uncomfortable spotlight on her life?
For more information, visit www.theunidentifiedredhead.com

Click here to purchase your copy in eBook format or here to purchase the paperback.

A collection of romantic short stories by Alice Clayton, Jennifer DeLucy, Nicki Elson, Jessica McQuinn, Victoria Michaels & Alison Oburia.

Click here to purchase your copy.

2010-01-02T15:25:00.003-06:00

Email Alice at: alice@aliceclayton.com

Or Drop her a line at:
Alice Clayton
c/o Omnific Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 793871
Dallas, TX 75379

Sign Up for Her Updates Here:

2010-01-02T15:24:00.009-06:00