Alice Blog

Being an amazing Idol

Hi Phyllis! I’m 14 years old and I’m a huge fan of yours, I love the Alice books the most, I’m sure besides Shiloh that’s what you’re most known for :). I’m an aspiring author and I’ve read so many young girls who said that you are their idol and their inspiration, how does that feel for you as a person and an author?

I never wanted to be an idol, but it makes me extremely happy if I’ve inspired anyone to live a happier, more meaningful life.  I think it was beneficial to me also to write the books and have to live in the body and mind of Alice for 28 years.  My family might disagree with that, but I know they liked my books too.

Alice’s trips

Hello Mrs. Reynolds-Naylor!!
I just wanted to know, did Patrick take Alice on all these trips to Ireland and the Carribean because he loved her or because she kept begging him? You said in your book that as Patrick got older, traveling didn’t really appeal to him anymore. At the end of Now I’ll Tell You Everything, Patrick said that once a year he and Alice are going to Japan together, did he want to bring her along or did she beg him?

He most definitely wanted her along.

Virginity: What would Alice do?

Hi, So I’m 17 and I’m dating this boy who I’ve known since I was young and I’ve been thinking about losing my virginity to him. Alice lost her virginity at 20 and she said all she was looking for was a guy she could trust and someone who cared for her, but I don’t think she was in love with him, do you have to be in love to lose your virginity or do you just have to be comfortable? Alice is my idol and I’ve always wanted to be like her because she does make a lot of great choices, I very much value my virginity just like Alice did which I guess is why I’m still a virgin and I always thought Id lose it in college. So what should I do? what would Alice do?

I’m glad you think so much of Alice, but it’s a little scary that you would plan your own life around hers.  Much as you like her, you’re still two different people.  Having intercourse for the first time isn’t like planning a vacation where you do it in high school or “do it” in college.  So much depends on the time and the circumstance and the person.  Ideally, yes, it should be with someone you love very much and trust.  Someone who cares enough about you to take precautions so you won’t become pregnant.  A time and a place where you are comfortable and safe and private, and you are as sexually eager as he is.  But “losing your virginity” should not be akin to getting engaged or a trip around the world or graduating from college.   You’re not going to make scrapbook about it of take photos or throw a party to celebrate it.   It may turn out to be just a so-so experience.  Or you got your period.  Or he wasn’t as gentle as you thought he would be.   Don’t go into mourning.   Exciting as it can be, it’ s  still only one small part of life and you have a lot ahead of you.

Alice’s Childhood Sweetheart.

Hello there! I just want to say I worship the Alice series, they’re my all time favorite and you’re my #1 favorite author. I personally believe that Alice and Patrick had a beautiful and wonderful love story as they grew up together, they’re my favorite fictional couple, I think they beat Romeo & Juliet. Anyways, Did you always know Alice & Patrick would get married and be together forever? Did you plan it from the very first book? Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my question, have a very nice day!

Yes, I did.  But I also knew that had a long, complicated road before them before life worked out the way they wanted it to.

Alice’s breast cancer survival

Dearest Phyllis Reynolds-Naylor,
I want to say I am a really big fan of yours. You are a miraculous author and I’ve never really seen any book series like the Alice series, I wish there were more out there but even then they couldn’t beat Alice. I just wanted to ask you: Was Patrick really worried & scared for and about Alice when she had breast cancer? because he seemed really calm about it when they found out. I thought it was very sweet when he was there for her when she woke up from surgery. Was he scared he was going to lose her? Thank you for writing the Alice series and for taking the time out of your day to read this. xoxo

Of course he was really worried and scared.  But I’m sure he also had talked with her doctor and felt that her chances of surviving it were good.   And he knew that he could help most by being calm and optimistic for her.  I’m so glad you really like the Alice series!

Just Wanted to Say Thank You

 

I just wanted to write a note of thanks. When I was eleven, I picked up my first Alice book from the library. My grandma was taking me to visit my aunt in Phoenix, and I was nervous for my first flight. But as I sat in the airplane preparing for takeoff, all of that anxiety dissipated as I found myself lost in Alice’s world.

From there, I was completely smitten with Alice! There was nothing more exciting than discovering an Alice book I hadn’t read before during my weekly library trips, and then I had the new Alice book releases to anticipate! To this day, my parents smile, “Jenna on her way!” whenever I accomplish a new goal, as a nod to the “Alice on Her Way” title.

I am 31 now and a writer myself. While my first women’s fiction manuscript never left submission purgatory, I do have another manuscript in the works and a children’s series that came out last August. The compliment I receive most often is how cozy my stories are. I realized recently that’s because of your writing and Alice’s world. From warm Christmas scenes to visiting Aunt Sally in Chicago, Alice’s universe was always one filled with so much love and comfort. Even when something awful or uncomfortable happened, Alice’s home base and her family unit made readers feel like it would all be okay.

Thank you for writing the Alice books and for being such a tremendous influence. I am so appreciative for your work, and I will always proudly display my Alice books above my writing desk.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me.   And congratulations on your own published books!  It’s wonderful to hear from both young girls who are just beginning the series, and women in their thirties and beyond who read the books one by one as they came out each year.  Wishing you success in whatever you’re working on now.

was Alice Patrick’s first love?

Hi Phyllis! I hope you are staying safe and are in good health. I just wanted to know was Alice Patrick’s first love? We all know that she always loved Patrick and I was SO happy that they got married in the end. My friends and I have been reading the Alice series since fifth grade and we all feel like Alice, Pamela, and Elizabeth. We’re such big fans and we always felt like Alice was a big sister who taught us a lot, Well I suppose you had something to do with that. I hope you have a great week!

Yes, I am safe and have had my two COVID shots!  If you can call a sixth-grade attraction love, then yes, Patrick was Alice’s first love.   A mix of awkwardness and excitement.  Remember how they ate chocolate covered cherries on her front porch?   And she was so nervous at the restaurant she came home with the big cloth napkin in her purse?  Reminds me of my seventh grade boyfriend and my first kiss.

From a BIG fan

Hello! I just wanted to say that I am a BIG fan of the Alice series. I love all of them, I’ll be honest I grew up with Alice and I always felt she was my best friend in the whole world, but I only recently read the prequels. My most favorite book in the series is Now I’ll Tell You Everything because that’s where Alice and everyone else gets their happy ending and her being in her 60s makes it all the more beautiful because it just shows how far she’s came even when there were times she thought she wouldn’t make it. Did you cry when you ended the series? I know I did because it felt I was saying goodbye to a really dear friend and I was happy because she and her friends were happy and retiring, Alice and Patrick got married and had children and a grandson and were planning on traveling the world together. Personally, Alice and Patrick FINALLY getting married and being together forever was one of my favorite parts because I was hoping they’d get together since The Agony of Alice, I always thought they were a power couple, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING HER MARRY PATRICK! and thank you for giving me my Childhood best friend who I could look up to, I hope you are staying healthy and are living an amazing and peaceful life, I wish you and your family the best life possible!

What a lovely letter!  You made my day.  Yes, I did get tears in my eyes when Alice and Patrick finally married.  And it was a HUGE relief when I finally finished the last book.  Somewhere along the way, writing approximately 3 books for each remaining year of Alice’s life up to age 60, I figured out there would be about 28 books. And since I only wrote one Alice book a year (each book took 6 months to write, and I spent the other 6 months writing some other kind of book) I began to worry a little bit that something might happen to me–sickness or an accident or something– that would make me end the series before she ever married Patrick.  So I finally hurriedly wrote a final book, put it in a fireproof box in my office, with a letter to my two sons, telling them that if anything happened to me before I’d written the final Alice book, they should send this manuscript to my editor.  I’m so glad nothing bad happened to me, because that manuscript wasn’t very good, and I’m glad I was able to take my time and write a better one.  My favorite incident of all was the way Alice and Patrick met up again after all those years…  Thank you so much for your good wishes!

 

A longtime fan of Alice

Hi there! I’ve loved the Alice series for as long as I can remember. I remember reading them when I was in middle school and I’m now 24 years old. Your books really made me feel understood, and I truly considered Alice a friend. There were many times I would turn to Alice in a time of confusion or when I needed insight on a new experience. I randomly thought to check this site because I remember writing to you for advice on several topics when I was a child and you responded! I’m so very happy to see that you are still active and answering questions and your books are still read and loved by so many people today. I had no question, I just wanted to thank you for my childhood friend, Alice. Take care!

What a lovely letter.  I appreciate your taking the time to write to me.  Yes, I’m still writing and answering questions, but I wish there were 48 hours in every day, not just 24.  Still, amid all the craziness that is going on in this country, much about life is good and I’m grateful for every day I have.

Why else did Patrick like Alice?

First off, let me just say that the Alice series is my favorite book series of all time and always will be and you are my top favorite author. I LOVE that Alice married Patrick and grew old with him, one of the last lines of the last book said “and marrying my Childhood sweetheart” and my heart warmed and I thought it was so beautiful that after all the heartbreaks and growing up together that Patrick chose Alice! I just wanted to know, Why else did Patrick like Alice? he admitted it was because she liked home but were there other reasons that he loved her more than all the other girls he dated? Once again, I love how you ended the series with Alice marrying Patrick (her Childhood Sweetheart) and I think you’re the best Author ever!!

Hey, you’re supposed to be reading the series, so you should know Alice by now.  What do YOU think Patrick loved most about her?   Her honesty?  Her home life–having a brother?  Sense of humor?  Liked her family?  Caring for others?  It’s often said that when you marry, it’s not just the person, it’s her family.