Your Questions Answered
Question
I’ve been reading your “Alice” books and absolutely love them! I hope you know that they are a great insight into a teenage girl’s life. (I just started high school, so I feel like I can relate to them a little bit) I wanted to know how you got started as a writer, how did you get your first book published? I myself am aspiring to be an author someday, and I write stories constantly. Write on!
Phyllis replied:
You would enjoy my book “How I Came to be a Writer.” It will tell you much more than I can here. I always loved to make little “books” as a child, and when I was 16, I had my first short story published in a church magazine. I wrote short stories and sent them out to magazines for 15 years before I ever got up the nerve to write a novel. If you want the details, please do read the book I mentioned. Wishing you the best of luck!
Posted on: January 16, 2011
Question:
I used to love your books and now i am in love with them. I wish you would never stop. I have read every single one. I want to be a writer one day too, and your series out of my collection of over 500 book is by far my favourites next to Bronte and Austen. I want your books to keep on going
Phyllis replied:
I wish I would never stop either, but nobody lives forever! I’m sure that I will be writing as long as I can hold a pen, however, and hope that is for many more years.
Posted on: January 16, 2011
Question:
I love, love, love the Alice books and I’m really surprised that none of the Alice books (that I know of) have awards! You should write books for how she is in college, who she gets married to, her kids, if Lester gets married…are you going to stop writing Alice books when Alice turns 60? I really want to know how Pamela and Elizabeth turn out when they’re adults, not only Alice and it’s nice that you don’t only see yourself in Alice but in Pamela and Elizabeth too! This email might turn out really long because I like to type, but I understand you’re really, really busy. I really want to know what happens when Miss Summers comes back from teaching in England! I’m wondering if then Mrs. Summers finds someone else she likes in England! Poor Mr. Mckinley. I’ve been rereading the Alice books for a long time! Ever since my mom got them from the library, I’ve never stopped reading them! I hope you keep writing the Alice books!
Phyllis replied:
If in the last book you read, Sylvia Summers was still in England, you have LOTS AD LOTS AND LOTS of Alice books waiting to be read! The very last book of the series that will come out in June of 2013 will have the answers to all your questions, I promise.
Posted on: January 16, 2011
Question:
I LOVVVVE your books so much!!! I know you probably hear that alot but it’s true. A lot of girls, including me, are growing up with your books and they help alot. You cover topics that most shy away from and I’m very thankful. So thank you. I love you and Alice.
I…. have a boy problem. This is probably the #1 thing teenage girls say but if you could give me advice, I’d really appreciate it. Here goes:
So I liked this guy. Or, I thought I did. Then I find out that he likes me too. Words spread fast and then everyone is pressuring us to go out. I am not allowed to go out yet and I didn’t want to go out with the guy behind my mother’s back so we’re kind of just hanging out. But we’re both pretty shy so most of our conversations are on Facebook. I don’t like this. And when we are together, I feel uncomfortable and wish I was somewhere else. That is when I realized that I don’t like him and thought I did because I let everyone brainwash me. So how do I tell him this? I don’t know if I should tell him face to face or online because we don’t really talk face to face. He’s a great guy, super sweet and buys me presents but I’m not feeling it. I would very much like to be his friend though. How should I proceed (I guess that’s the word)?
That’s my guy problem and I’d appreciate if you could give me advice but it’s cool if you can’t. I understand that you’re busy writing very amazing books. Thanks for being a writer.
Phyllis replied:
I’m glad you’re concerned about his feelings. Chances are, he’s as uncomfortable as you are about all this. And if you accepted his presents, he obviously thought you liked him. Simply tell him–to his face–NOT on Facebook–that you’re feeling uncomfortable in the relationship, even though he’s been really nice to you, and since you’re not allowed to go out yet, you’d like to wait for a while to hang out with a guy.
Posted on: January 16, 2011
Question:
I really love your books. Me and two of my friends are just like
Alice, Pamela, and Elizabeth. I’m probably Alice. Haha. But to get to
the point… so I love the Alice books but I’m only 13 and my mom is
sort is behind on what teens these days read. She thinks I shouldn’t
read the books cause they have sex in them. I don’t care that they do
cause it ads character to the stories, but my mom always says that,
“Alice is growing up very fast.” hint hint. I don’t know what to say
to her. Then we don’t talk for hours cause it gets really awkward
between us. Please help me!
Phyllis replied:
Well, timewise, Alice is growing up very slowly, because I write three for each year of her life. So it takes her three times as long to get from 13 to 14. On the other hand, I started writing these books many years ago, and if you are reading one right after the other, then yes, Alice is growing older as fast as you can read about her. Why don’t you suggest that your mom read the books too, either together with you, or separately, and then you can talk about them afterwards. And she can give you her take on what Alice and her friends do. Would that work?
Posted on: January 4, 2011
we r big fans of the alice series!! we r emailing u because we r wondering if you r going to continue the alice series when she and her friends are off at college? if you do so we were hoping that you could add 2 characters named after us. p.s. this is random but i had a book idea that a gay boy and a lesbian girl r best friends trying to survive high school with all the bullies.
Phyllis replied:
I’ve omitted your names, but I’m flattered that you’d like me to name some characters after you and your friends. I never do that, however, because it distorts the way these characters act in my novels. And it’s an interesting idea to have a lesbian and a gay character become best friends and fight discrimination–so good an idea that it’s been used in a number of books. Happy New Year to you and your friends!
Posted on: January 1, 2011
Question:
it’s a long story but I really could use some insight.
there was this guy I met at school, and we started texting and talking a lot pretty soon after. I always noticed him talking with this one other girl in school but didn’t really think anything of it. it was soon made pretty clear that me and him were going to be together, yet he was still talking to her pretty often from what I could see. but I wasn’t concerned, because one day he told me that he told her that he was with me, and that’s when she started crying and told him to f_ck off.
if she had that kind of reaction, it makes me wonder what was going on between the two of them… right?
we had a good relationship… he talked to me and made time for me a lot, included me with his friends, always was thinking of fun things for us to do, paid when we went out, etc.
he told me that nothing had been going on with her, that he was with me. then I guess she texted him a few days later, but he wouldn’t tell me what she said. then the next day he dumped me… for her. turns out she was his ex girlfriend that he dated before for like a year or something. I’m having a hard time understanding where all this came from. does it seem like he was just using me the whole time?
Phyllis replied:
He might have been. Or he might have wanted to play the field. Or he wanted to have two girls interested in him at the same time. Or he was really more into you for a while than he was into her….. All kinds of possibilities. Sometimes we simply have to chalk things up to a learning experience, and realization that maybe we liked somebody more than he liked us. Now that you know how he operates, isn’t it good that he moved on? You should do the same.
Posted on: December 31, 2010
Question:
I was just wondering how you get Lester’s hilarious comments like does your son’s help you?
Phyllis replied:
I don’t know, they just come to me. Alice seems to set Lester up, and then he delivers. My grown sons probably influence me more than I know..they both have a very dry sense of humor that I like a lot.
Posted on: December 31, 2010
Question:
So, I write stories. I write stories, and then I write more. I’m only 13, and it feels like, I can’t do anything at this point. But, writing is what I want to do, and I have problems sharing this. Usually when people ask, I say a cop. (That would be my 2nd choice if I cannot be an author) and, I saw that you published your first book when you were sixteen. That’s very young, but I don’t know if I can wait that long. And the other day, we had to a project about a book the class read, and one of the choices was, create the next chapter. So, that’s what I did. I got it back, and I got an A and my teacher said she felt as if she was reading an actual novel. I got so excited, and so what I’m asking is, is it a remote possibility I could publish a book of mine? And if so, what company?
Phyllis replied:
Whoa, whoa, whoa! I didn’t have a book published when I was sixteen. It was a short story, and it was published in a little church story paper. You’re 13 and don’t know if you can wait until you’re 16 to publish a book? I hate to tell you, but becoming an author means hours and hours and months and months and usually years before you have anything published. It’s true that a few people publish books before they are twenty, but these have to be very good books, very planned out and revised, very polished. You need patience as much as you need talent. If you enjoy writing, by all means, keep at it, and enter every writing contest you possibly can to get feedback. Concentrate on writing the very best story you can, the story that only you can write, and time and feedback will eventually tell you whether you should aim for a career in writing or enter another field.
Posted on: December 31, 2010
Question:
i absolutely love the Alice books. I started to read them when i was little, 1st grade(To tell the truth, my mom read them to me). The Alice books helped me get through so very hard times in my life, my parents are divorced and i often feel the same emotions that Alice does. I have made almost the same mistakes that Alice has, especially in Dangerously Alice. My mom is sick now, and the Alice books are helping me with that also. I am 13 years old, and i am so very excited for the newest book when Alice and Patric FINALLY get to go to Prom together! In one of the books when Liz started her period at one of “the group”s parties had me laughing so much! While in Intensely Alice i was bawling my eyes out when —- died. Alice and Patrick are so incredible perfect for each other, and that is why i just can not wait for the newest one to come out! Do you have a title for it yet?
This is my first time writing to a author, so i don’t really know what to expect… but if you had time to reply to this email i would be very happy!
Phyllis replied:
I’m so glad you enjoy the Alice books! The two books following “Intensely Alice” are “Alice in Charge” and “Incredibly Alice,” (which will be out next June). Right now I’m working on the summer between her senior year and college. I’m not sure of the title yet, but it will be something like “Alice Aboard” or “Alice on Board.”
Posted on: December 22, 2010
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