Eighteen-year-old Alexandra Adornetto has just wrapped up a whirlwind three-week tour to promote Halo, the launch title of her paranormal romance trilogy, released by Feiwel & Friends on August 31. The author, who published her first novel, The Shadow Thief, in her native Australia at the age of 14, toured with her mother and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group publicist Elizabeth Kerins, making appearances at schools, stores, and other venues in seven states—from California to New York—plus Toronto. When Bookshelf spoke with her on one of the final days of her tour, Adornetto gave no hint of road-weariness, but rather exuded boundless enthusiasm about her travels, the fans she’s met, and the U.S. Here are some of her notes from the road.

• Where she was when reached by phone: “I’m having lunch at the Mall of America and it’s quite amazing. There’s even a huge amusement park in the middle of the mall! I’ve been to the States twice before—last year to meet with my agent, Jill Grinberg, and with prospective publishing houses, and then again last March for a pre-pub buzz tour for Halo, but I’ve never been to this place before.”

• Some highlights of the tour: “There are so many! I went to a fashion show for teenagers in East Memphis sponsored by Justine magazine, where I did a reading. There was a big cake with a cover of my book printed on it, and a young country music singer, Katie Armiger, performed. I also got to attend her album launch on Music Row inn Nashville, which was very exciting since I’m a huge fan of country music. And I had the chance to speak at the Young Adult Literature Conference sponsored by Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois. There were other young writers there and David Levithan and John Green also spoke. They were very funny!”

• Memorable travel moments: “We drove for quite a while along the banks of the Mississippi, which was really cool. And we also went on a couple of road trips across Texas. In Austin we bought some souvenir license plates, and my favorite one reads, ‘I’m from Texas. What country are you from?’ ”

• Favorite city visited: “I fell in love with Memphis. It is an awesome place and has so much character. We went to a place called Rendezvous, an underground saloon that serves the best ribs. I love that old South history and culture. My mom loved it as well. We’ve both been raving on about it. But everywhere we’ve been is special in a different way.”

• Food orders lost in translation: “I’ve had a few embarrassing moments in restaurants. I tried to order a quesadilla and I totally mispronounced the word. And another time I asked for some toast with Marmite and they had no idea what I was asking for!”

• Her fan base: “There’s been such a range of people at events, which has been great. I’ve met kids who are nine or 10 and adults who are in their 40s and 50s, but most of the people who showed up at events were teenage girls, I’d say around 15 years old. But a surprising number of boys are also getting into the book. At one school I visited everyone had read Halo and they were all dressed up as angels—with halos!”

• Frequently asked questions: “Well, the youngest readers tend to ask questions about Australia—things like how high kangaroos can jump. Some of the older kids had some great, informed questions about angels and books in general. Since I’ve been writing since I was 13 and just graduated this year, a lot of teenagers were interested in how I managed to write books while balancing social life and school and getting good grades—and everything else. I got a lot of questions about that.”

• Last tour stop: “We’re headed for New York, and I’m very excited about carving pumpkins at the apartment of my publicist, Liz. We don’t have Halloween in Australia so I’m looking forward to that. I leave for home in just a few days and I really don’t want to leave. I’ve become very close to Liz—she’s like my big sister. I’ll be sad to leave her.”

• On her post-tour agenda: “I’m nearly finished Hades, the second book in my trilogy. Part of the novel is set in hell, so the action and drama kicks up a few notches. When I get back to Australia I’ll finish that book, which will be out next year. And then I’ll write the third novel, Heaven.”

• And her plans post-trilogy: “I’d like to continue with school, but I’ve got enough to focus on right now. I’d love to study in the U.S. I visited Vanderbilt in Nashville and I’ve been told to check out Ole Miss. There are so many schools that I don’t really know where to start. But I do love the U.S. and have met so many supportive and enthusiastic people here while I’ve been on tour. I could definitely live here!”

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto. Feiwel & Friends, $16.99 Aug. ISBN 978-0-312-65626-3