Alice Blog

Why wasn’t Patrick Alice’s first?

Hi! I just can’t help but tell you how much I LOVE the Alice books! I believe it was the best book series ever written, in my own opinion. I love how you were very realistic. I want to know why you didn’t make Alice lose her virginity to Patrick, In the last book he said that on some level he wished he was her first. Why didn’t she lose her virginity to him while in highschool? Did you know they’d get together in the last book and you wanted the first time they slept together to be special? To be honest, I LOVED how they met up again and when they got married I had tears of joy because my whole childhood ever since I read the first book I was praying that they’d get married so thank you!

Yes.  I knew they’d get together in the last book and I wanted their first time to be special.  I did NOT want Alice to lose her virginity to Patrick because that’s what everyone would expect.   And because so many girls look up to Alice as their ideal, I wanted to emphasize that every expectation of a romance and marriage does not have to be met for a couple to be genuinely happy.  I don’t want any reader to feel she has failed the “future happiness test” because she lost her virginity to someone else, or she didn’t wear white at the wedding, or she left out the garter thing, or her ring should have been a diamond , or only her dad can walk her down the aisle, or…or…or…or….   I think if you took a poll, you might find that losing your virginity was not a night of fairy tale delight, no matter how much in love you were and how happy you are now.  Remember what Alice keeps telling you, that real sex isn’t like it is in the movies (especially now where each love scene seems to begin with a couple suddenly losing their minds and ripping off each other clothes, thus missing all the loving foreplay).

Thank you, a fan from Indonesia

Hi,I’m from Indonesia, 36 years old and reading Alice series since high school, I just want to tell you that Alice series is such a comfort for me, and thank you for creating such a wonderful characters. Alice agony for all the embarassing thing I’ve ever done, Lester for being a brother that I never had, and Ben for being the best dad ever.
Recently I bought a few of Alice books to complete my collection and ended re-reading the whole series, I feel warm and hopeful all over again. Once again I want to say thank you for helping me getting through this hard time with Alice series, have a nice day!!

I’m so glad to know that you were able to find all of the Alice books.  It just delights me that they make you feel “warm and hopeful.”   All of us need to feel that, if not ALL the time, then enough to keep us optimistic and functioning . Thanks so much for taking the time to write to me.

A Big Fan

Hello Phyllis! You are my favorite author 🙂 Back in third grade, I remember my teacher read the Cat Pack books aloud to my class. I fell in love with the stories. Growing up, I also read many of the Alice books. I practically grew up reading them. Your books mean a lot to me since I am not too fond of reading but I definitely enjoyed your works! I also wrote my one of public speech topics in college about you. I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you and your works! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You made my day, and I needed that right now.  Thanks so much.

Was Patrick a good guy?

Hello, I just want to know was Patrick a good guy? I always thought so but it seems to me that he was a real jerk sometimes and was really arrogant and seemed to not care about Alice’s feelings like when he left her for another girl twice or sometimes he seemed to lead her on when they were in high school. Then he was kind of a jerk when he tried defending himself when he told Alice about Helene from work and that if the circumstances had been different he might’ve gone through with it, Why? Also, why didn’t Patrick ever apologize to Alice for all the mean things he did to her the whole time they were growing up? Is he a good husband to Alice? take your time to answer this, I don’t want to rush you because I know answering a lot of questions can be hectic.

Well, gee thanks for telling me to take my time.  I only have the income tax and a 367 page manuscript waiting for me.  Each character is, to each reader, whatever the reader wants, or sees, that character to be.   Boys usually mature later than girls do, and can do really goofy things sometimes.  Obviously the Patrick who left for the Peace Corps has become a much more mature man when he returns.  Is he a good husband?  Alice seems to think so.

Who did Patrick like more?

So we all know Patrick left Alice for penny, ugh. but He only dated her for a short amount of time and later married Alice, so Alice won, YAY! But who did Patrick like better? when he broke up with penny he told Alice “Besides, she wasn’t you” and why did he kiss her forehead if he didn’t want to get back together with Alice after telling her that? I know you might need to look back in the book so take your time to answer this question, no pressure.

You’re right.  I’d need to look that up in the book, and I don’t have time to reread the books for questions that readers are supposed to think about and decide for themselves.  So perhaps another reader has ideas about this and will be glad to share thoughts with you here.

Regrets on the final book?

Hello! I was wondering if you regret anything about how you ended the Alice series, personally I thought it was PERFECT, but you’re the writer you have to be content with it. Also, are writers supposed to write for them or are they supposed to write what they know the readers want them to write or what the readers want to read?

I wrote what I felt was most true to who the characters were and what they most likely would do.  (And in most cases they did what I hoped they would do!)

would you change anything?

Hi, Mrs. Reynolds-Naylor! I don’t know if you’ve gotten this question before or not so I’m really sorry if you have. If you had the chance, would you change anything about how you ended the Alice series? For example, Would you change Alice and Patrick getting married or Alice’s career, or her Dad dying? stuff like that? Once again, sorry if you’ve already gotten that question.

No.  I had known for a long time that these things would happen.

When did Patrick know?

How and when did Patrick know that he really loved Alice with all his heart and soul and how and when did he know he wanted to marry her and grow old with her?

I think he decided that while he was overseas in the Peace Corps.

Alice & Patrick’s happily ever after

Hello Ma’am, I love the Alice books and I was wondering one thing after finally finding out how I could contact you, When and how did you decide you wanted Alice to marry Patrick who was her childhood sweetheart? Was it the plan through the whole series? thank you for reading this! xoxoxo

I’m not really sure.  I had to see how their personalities developed as the books continued and at some point I guess I fell in love with the idea of Alice and Patrick truly falling in love, and from then on I just knew….

Most Favorite parts in The last book?

Hi, I just want to say I love the Alice series with all my heart and soul! Thank you for writing them! My most favorite book in the series is “Now I’ll Tell You Everything” because I love how Alice and Patrick FINALLY got married and had children and GRANDKIDS which made me feel so old lol. I also loved how Alice became an author writing the books herself, that was cool. I have to ask you, What was your most ABSOLUTE favorite parts in the Now I’ll Tell You Everything?

My absolute favorite part was the way she and Patrick met up at the end.  I knew I wanted it to be a complete surprise–that the readers wouldn’t even guess it unless they peaked.