Alice Blog

Alice McKinley

I had answered long ago on my blog.  Sorry.  Alice wasn’t gay because that wasn’t her character.  Her friends Leslie and Lori were gay.

Thank you for Alice

Comment:

This isn’t a question in particular, but I just want to say thank you for writing the Alice series. I started the first book when I was around 12 and now I’m 28 and I finished the series yesterday for the maybe 8th or 9th time.
I just love these books and I always feel so connected to her and I can’t help but ALWAYS cry at the end.  *sigh*
Thank you!

 

Phyllis replied:

I love to hear from readers, and am just delighted that they meant so much to you.   If you ever crave to own the whole set, they are now available in three boxed paperback sets.  (See “The Alice Collection,” from Amazon or other bookstores)

Alice Titles?

Comment:

Hi I found some books that are different from the series names like Alice in apirl, Alice alone,smiply Alice,and others. Is it the same as the series or different?

Phyllis replied:

I’m not sure if you found books with different titles, or books with the same titles but different covers.  The Alice titles never change, but the same title can come out with one picture on the hardcover copies, then a different picture on the first paperback edition to come out, still another picture on the cover of the next paperback edition, and so forth.  If there is Alice in the title, and my name is on the cover, then it’s part of my Alice collection of 28 books.

 

 

 

 

TYSM

Comment:

TYSM for writing these books it was almost the end of summer and i wasn’t reading at all i couldn’t find time between tae kwon do and friends and then i came across an alice book after i found how interesting it was i made myself time to read in the summer. i haven’t yet come across a single serires ike yours i enjoyed so much 🙂

Phyllis replied:

I’m delighted that you found the Alice books.  If you don’t know, the entire 28-book series, in paperback, in available in three different boxed sets:  her elementary grades, middle school, then high school and beyond.  Check the titles on www.phyllis.naylor.com

LA TIMES HS INSIDER INTERVIEW

Comment:

Hi Phyllis!  I write for the high school branch of LA Times called HS Insider. I really enjoy your books, and I was wondering if I could interview and write a feature article on you and your work. Thank you!

 

Phyllis replied:

Yes, you may interview me, but I’d much prefer you send your questions to me by email to my personal email address.  I had sent an email to the personal email listed on your first inquiry, but have not heard from you again.

Alice Movie?

Comment:

Hello! I was wondering if there would be another Alice movie based on Alice being an adult? Also would you ever want another Alice movie to see how Alice physically looks like on screen and to see everything that is in the books in a visual way?

 

Phyllis replied:

I really don’t know.  I spend most of my time writing books, and don’t worry too much about whether they will become movies.  Once a producer makes an offer to my agent, then  I often get to read the screenplay first and make suggestions.  In the case of the Shiloh movies, I was invited to visit the set also as one of the movies was being made.  But yes, it would be fun to see another Alice movie in which all the cast were based on the descriptions of them in my books.

What is your favorite Alice quote?

Comment:

 

I’m a rising college senior in California. I just wanted to reach out to you because I found myself thinking of the Alice books the other day. You’ve probably been told this numerous times before, but I just felt I had to say thank you for writing these books. It seems amazing to me now to think back on it, but I really do feel like I grew up with Alice in a way. From the time I was in elementary school, up until I was about to enter college, there was a book that somewhat paralleled what I was going through.

I admire your ability to find a way to create a story and characters that felt so real and incorporated a variety of issues, while still having an element of light-heartedness and fun. I just wanted to thank you for that. I’m not sure if you will get this message, but if you do and are able to respond, would you mind telling me one of your favorite quotes from the Alice series? I’m curious to know.

 

Phyllis replied:

 

Thank you so much for your email.  I probably hear from more college-age women than any other group, so perhaps these are the readers who grew up with Alice as the books were being written.

I guess my own favorite parts of the books–other than Lester’s discussions with Alice, which were so much fun to write–were the scenes in which Alice experienced the most growth, or was given advice that best helped her to cope.  I believe there was time she was so devastated when she and Patrick broke up, that someone asked her why she was letting a person, who only ten years ago was in diapers, to cause her so much grief?  And the time, after a friend’s death, when she announced to her dad that she wasn’t even sure she believed in God any longer, that all she knew was that she wanted to be a part of everything that was good and true and real. And her dad replied, “That’s a terrific place to begin.”  And most certainly, a quote that I repeat on every congratulations card I send to a young married couple–Lester’s definition of how you really know you’re in love, when the relationship consists of passion, tenderness and joy.

Did they ever have that date?

Comment:

Did Alice and Patrick ever have that date on New Year’s Eve date when they were 21?

Phyllis replied:

Sorry.  You’ll have to read the final book, NOW I’LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING to find out!

Alice Alice Alice

Comment:
1) If you had to write another series from the point of view of either Elizabeth or Pamela, or any other character, who would it be and why? (This is not a request, I’m just curious)

2) What made you decide to encapsulate so much of Alice’s life into the last book? What made you choose to gloss over college and graduate school?

3) What made you decide to have Patrick end up with Alice and for Alice to not form many other close friendships? I mean this non-offensively, I love your work. It’s just as someone who has gone through college and grad school, I know it’s highly unlikely how things played out. Alice has encounters with almost everyone she knew throughout her life. Usually, people grow apart. Some people you never hear from again, and at the very least you make new close friends. Also, not many people marry their on-again-off again boyfriend from grade school.

Phyllis replied:

Briefly, I could easily write books about many of the other characters, but there are too many other kinds of books on my mind right now.  The reason I put so much into the last Alice book was because I felt it was time to wrap it up.  Again, I have spent one half of each of the last 28 years writing the Alice books, and I have a long list of other kinds of books waiting to be written.

Romances come in all sizes, and I can assure you that quite a few people marry after dating only a few other people, and some even end up with their high school sweethearts.  That may not be your experience, but the Alice books are read by girls and women in cities, on ranches, on farms, in the mountains, in other countries, etc. and I wrote the books as it appeared to me that  Alice might live her life.  Yes, people often do grow apart, but I’ve known quite a few who reconnected later on.

Letter from Sweden

COMMENT:  Hi! My name is Nelle Gray, Im 11 years old and just wanted to thank you for writing these incredible books. Even though Im only reading them it feels like Im experiencing them. I’ve only read 3 of them but I plan on reading more. I think that you are an incredible author and it has helped me a lot by helping prevent making the same mistakes in my life as Alice or one of her friends did.

Phyllis replied:

How great that you can find the Alice books in Sweden!   They have been translated in many different languages, however, and perhaps you are even reading the English editions.  I hope you will be able to locate all 28 of them.