Yes, I’m STILL Crying!

Comment:

It is so great that I can FINALLY email you!!  I’ve been waiting a very long time for this, and I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing such an amazing, relatable series that I believe every girl/woman should read!  I just finished the last book of the “Alice” series moments ago—and yes, I am STILL crying!

I started the series when I was in 6th grade back at Neelsville Middle School in Montgomery County!  When I figured out that Alice also went to school in the county, and I could pick up on street and highway references, I was even more attached to your books!  You created this girl and these friends of hers whom were so unbelievably relatable to everyday life, it shocked me—even at such a young age.  I would always tell my friends about them, and got them to start the series.  (But of course, I would always be very strict with them about reading them in the correct order!)

I read each book (laughing out loud throughout each one!) up until around my sophomore or junior year of high school, and I remember I was getting impatient waiting for each new one to come out!  I remember when you stopped writing the original series for a little while, and wrote the prequel series, and I was so upset because I just wanted to know all about how Alice ended up! I remember thinking, Noooo we aren’t supposed to be going backwards!  Thinking back on that now, I feel bad that I was ever mad at you for anything! (Please accept my sincerest apologies!)

So I guess during that time period you were writing the prequels, I began reading other books, and then I left for college and all my free reading in general stopped for five-six years basically.  I went to James Madison University to become a teacher, and I now work in a middle school in Montgomery County!  All the while, I had never finished the “Alice” series, and it was always something that bothered me in the back of my mind.  But I would always tell myself that I would finish it one day when I had time to.

This past April, I awoke so suddenly one morning over our spring break, and I had this huge urge to finish the “Alice” series.  I went to my parent’s house and got out all my books from the basement.  I had #1 (The Agony of Alice) through #22 (Alice in Charge).  Even though I had most of the books, I was still so far behind in reality.  Throughout college, I tried to collect the books as they came out, knowing I would finish them one day.  So when the time came in April, I only had to order the last three books, and when I saw the title of the last book (Now I’ll Tell You Everything), my heart was so full of satisfaction already, even though I wasn’t certain what it was about, and obviously, I did not read the back cover!

So in April as a twenty-four-year-old woman, I started from the beginning of the original series (The Agony of Alice), and read everything all over again.  I never read an inside or back cover; I wanted to be surprised all over again and not be reminded!  It felt so good to finally be in the process of finishing the series, and whenever I would have to explain to someone what I was reading, I would always finish with, “I am making my soul happy.”

It’s September now, and I just finished the last book on this late Sunday afternoon.  I have experienced so many emotions with your books, and I am so appreciative that you wrote us a final book we all were hoping for.  Every series should end in the way you ended your “Alice” series! Alice and I are very similar people, and even when reading about her marriage in the last book, I was able to relate my own marriage in very similar ways!  Alice is a true role-model, and I am so grateful you gave young (and old!) girls this wonderful gift.

Thank you so much for an incredible masterpiece I carried with me all throughout adolescence, and now into my adulthood.  I hope my story brings a smile to your face—all of yours certainly brought many to mine!

Phyllis replied:

What a wonderful email.  I’m so happy that you had saved all your old Alice books, and that the final book was so satisfying. I’m sure that living in the same county made the books all that more personal for you.  Actually, during each of the three years I was writing the three Alice prequels, I was also writing a new book for the regular series so that fans wouldn’t miss a thing.  But now you are up to date, and I’m just delighted that you took time to write to me.