Alison Storm

February Town Magazine

Alison — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:09:09 +0000

Last fall I met the coolest guy– chef Michael Granata. He’s a New Yorker (who all share a special spot in my heart!) and a chef with a cool local business called Granata’s Catering and Kitchen Studio. We met through a mutual friend (thanks Johnnie!) at an event at Granata’s. My husband and I monopolized Mike’s time that night asking a million questions about his favorite New York City restaurants, what it was like growing up that close to Times Square, and how he ended up in South Carolina. I immediately knew I had to write a story about this guy and thankfully my editor at Town Magazine agreed! So in the February issue you can find out why I find Michael Granata so fascinating. Let’s just say he holds some Guinness World Records and plans to set a few more. So please pick up a copy or visit Granata’s yourself to meet him!

Child Slavery in March REDBOOK

Alison — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:03:50 +0000

If you would have asked me six months ago whether child slavery exists in our world today I probably would have said absolutely not. I had no idea that children as young as five and six are forced to work in mines, brothels and coffee shops every day around the world and right here in our American communities. In fact, there are more slaves in the world now than any other time in history. It wasn’t until my friend Roland Bergeron returned from India with photos and stories of barefoot orphans picking away at slate quarries that this horrible reality was brought to my attention. And if I had no idea, I was sure other people didn’t realize either.

I figured the best way I could help was to bring it to my editor’s attention who graciously allowed me to write about child slavery and trafficking for the March issue of REDBOOK. The piece highlights seven simple ways you can stop this rampant injustice. I could have easily filled 20 pages on this subject, but I’m thankful for the opportunity to have learned more about child slavery and share some of that knowledge with our readers.

Please take some time to read the article and commit to doing just one thing on the list– whether it’s giving up your coffee once a week for Mercy 29′s Lattes for Legacies campaign, buying jewelry made by trafficking survivors or taking the 11-question survey at SlaveryFootprint.org to find out how many slaves work for you. I hope that you’re like me– now that you know that millions of children are forced into slavery you’ll do what you can to put an end to it. If we all do our small part then we can all be a part of the solution.

Hope for Women Cover Story

Alison — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:12:02 +0000

Check out the winter issue of Hope for Women magazine to read my cover story on actress and activist April Lee Hernandez. April is a lovely woman and I absolutely loved interviewing her for this piece. She shot to stardom with her role opposite Oscar-winner Hilary Swank in “Freedom Writers.” But at the height of her career she says God plucked her from fame’s grip to use her in other ways. She’s now sharing the gospel with anyone who will listen– including incarcerated youth.

She still acts. In fact you can watch her on the Showtime hit “Dexter.” In addition to acting, she feels called to use her past struggle through an abusive relationship to help other women in similar circumstances. Last fall she organized a charity walk through her New York City neighborhood. And she’s also working on a documentary featuring women in all walks of life who have been abused.

If you want to learn more about April I suggest following her on Twitter or Facebook! And be sure to check out Hope for Women!

February Belle is Out!

Alison — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:11:13 +0000

The February issue of Belle is always our wedding issue– one of my favorites! This year I got to interview reality star and children’s book author Holly Durst about her upcoming summer wedding to dentist Blake Julian. The pair met on ABC’s hit reality show “Bachelor Pad” last year. Not only did Holly win $125,000, but she also found love. We visited the Cliff’s Chapel at Glassy and it was absolutely gorgeous! It was a fun morning, even though I did get really car sick on the way up the mountain!

The issue also features Sheri Cameron who lost more than 100 pounds on Weight Watchers. She has an inspiring story that was featured TWICE in recent issues of People Magazine. I also wrote an article on avoiding wedding day disasters and we featured several local and extremely romantic engagement stories. My talented sister Stephanie even contributed an article on bachelorette parties. And she’s sponsoring the February giveaway, which is a fun prize pack from The House of Bachelorette! You can enter on Belle’s Facebook page by commenting in the February Giveaway photo album. Enter quick though because we’re drawing a winner tomorrow!

David Sitton on Hour of Power

Alison — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:05:04 +0000

I absolutely love David Sitton’s new book Reckless Abandon. I feel strongly about the message so working to land media interviews for David was exciting. And I was absolutely thrilled when the Hour of Power asked to schedule him as a guest. Hour of Power is seen in millions of homes and airs on the Lifetime Network. Here is a sneak peek of David’s interview which airs this Sunday February 12 on Hour of Power. Check out their website for local listings. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Reckless Abandon or download it to your digital device. It’s also available in iTunes.

David Sitton interview excerpt from Crystal Cathedral Ministries on Vimeo.

Article in Business Black Box

Alison — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:14:46 +0000

I just received the latest copy of Business Black Box, which includes a piece I wrote on the hospitality industry in the Upstate. I learned a lot about how big of an economic impact this industry has in our area. Every tax dollar spent on travel and tourism generates $2.67 in income for South Carolina. To learn more pick up your copy of Business Black Box and look for my article “Come On In.”

January Belle is Out!

Alison — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:17:55 +0000

Be sure to grab your copy of the January issue of Belle while you still can! It’s a great issue full of fun pieces like how to add years to your life. (Flossing really works people!) There’s an artist profile on a local florist and our Girl Talk features an inspiring local mom who just returned from serving in India.

I also interviewed one of the writers for Grey’s Anatomy about her book The Game On Diet. I am now completing my first week on this diet and it’s tough! But it helped the author and lots of other people lose some serious weight so I have no doubt that it works. Me and some of the other Belle girls are competing in The Game On Diet. The winning team gets a facial from Greenville Natural Health (I want it bad!) and two tickets to Memphis at the Peace Center. One lucky winner will also receive a facial as well as $25 to spend on products at Greenville Natural Health Center. Just head to Belle’s Facebook page to enter!

December Nashville Lifestyles Mag

Alison — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:48:43 +0000

I love seeing Ambassador International books featured in magazines almost as much as I love seeing my own work published in a glossy. The December issue of Nashville Lifestyles magazine features The Shamrock and Peach: A Culinary Journey From the North of Ireland to the American South. It’s at the top of the list of their “Read This” column. Nashville Lifestyles is a beautiful magazine. It’s stuffed full of celebrities and music news and definitely makes me want to plan a trip to Music City very soon! Be sure to grab a copy of Nashville Lifestyles and The Shamrock and Peach!

New Blog: Money Crashers

Alison — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:48:02 +0000

I’m excited to announce that I’ve started writing at a new blog: Money Crashers. My first post features an interview with Jim DeBetta whom I met at Ali Brown’s recent Shine conference. I talked to Jim about how to get your products featured on HSN or QVC.

According to the site, Money Crashers “strives to educate individuals in making wise choices about credit and debt, investing, education, real estate, insurance, spending, and more.” I love the 11 indispensable principles of Money Crashers:

Always spend less than you make.
Do not believe in money myths.
Get out of debt and stay out of debt.
Save money for the unexpected.
Student loans are not the only answer. Be resourceful and open-minded.
Find creative ways to boost your income.
Invest for the long-term and keep it simple.
Educate yourself about real estate, cars, and financial products.
Avoid scams and financial predators.
If you have a spouse or partner, treat this person as a teammate!
If you achieve financial success, give back. It helps others and feels great.

There will be more posts to come so keep an eye out for my work at Money Crashers. And I would be very grateful if you took the time to leave me a comment there!

December Belle is Out!

Alison — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:07:16 +0000

The December issue of Belle is out and it’s definitely one of my favorites! I was able to interview Miss South Carolina Bree Boyce. She has an incredible story. She was severely overweight and at the age of 17 went to the doctor for knee pain. He told her to lose weight and gave her a handicap sticker for her car to use in the meantime. That was a huge wake up call for her. She ended up shedding more than 100 pounds and will compete for Miss America next month in Las Vegas. We also gave one lucky (and deserving) local lady a makeover. She too lost a lot of weight and is committed to a healthier lifestyle.

The issue includes not one, but two weekend getaway options if you’re craving a trip to the mountains. We also asked readers to show us their dots– polka dots that is! We wanted to see how Belle fans are sporting this popular fashion trend. Our Girl Talk section features a Q&A with author Tica Tallent whose book What Is Beautiful will help you feel confident and lovely at any age. Win a copy of her book in this month’s Facebook giveaway!