Alice Blog

Why does it end at Always Alice?

Question:

I am a big, big fan of the Alice series….but why does it have to end at Always Alice?  Why cant it follow her through college. 

Phyllis replied:

It DOES follow her through college, and on into her thirties and forties and all the way up to sixty!!!

Alice and Anastasia

Question:

 just wanted to say first I am so sorry to have read of your
husband’s passing. Although I don’t know you, you have brought so much
joy and wisdom into my life through your books – and so much to the
lives of others – that I cannot help feeling so much sorrow and
sympathy for your loss.

My other comment is much, much less important, but I will say it
anyway so as not to waste your time with two separate messages. I
think I read years ago that you and your friend Lois Lowry did not
read each others ‘Alice’ and ‘Anastasia’ books because people had told
you they were so similar that you each didn’t want to feel influenced
by reading the other series. Is that true, or have I mis-remembered?
In a way, I hope it is true, because I like thinking that once you
have said goodbye to Alice you will have Anastasia to look forward to!
Is that silly? Probably – but I still like to think it! They are both
wonderful series – I remember when I first discovered Alice, she and
her family reminded me a lot of Anastasia and the other Krupniks, but
not as much anymore as Alice has continued to grow up, but Anastasia
never really aged. If it’s true you never read the books, then I’m
sure you will love it when you finally get to read them. I hope so,
anyway!

Phyllis replied:

Lois Lowry is my very good friend, and I think we had discussed this once when someone suggested it, but neither of us wanted to do it.  I’m not sure exactly why.  I guess that it seemed sort of gimmicky, not quite in character of either girl, and we’d both have to work on it.  But of course I’m familiar with Anastasia, and Lois knows Alice, but most of our chats back and forth have to do with our personal lives, not our characters.  I’m delighted that you love both series so much, and thank you for the kind words about my husband’s death.

Helped me to come out

Question:

 I want to thank you so much for writing the Alice books! They are amazing, and I feel like the characters are so real, something other authors can’t achieve. I started reading them when I was in fifth grade (I’m sixteen now), and ever since that first chapter in The Agony of Alice, I’ve been hooked. I have always loved reading, but your books are different, so indescribably stupendous, that I’d have to create a new word to describe them. They’ve also helped me through a lot, especially Alice’s acceptance of all types of people. This helped me to realize that it’s okay to be different, and it’s made it easier to come out to friends and family as transgender. I’ve also started writing my first novel. Thank you SO much for the Alice books!

Phyllis replied:

I’m delighted to know that the books have been helpful to you.  They weren’t really written as self-help books–just books in which a girl and her friends faced all kinds of problems and decisions, and the reality of dealing with them–some wisely, some not so wisely.  But I would have loved these books as a young girl, helping me understand myself and people who were different in some way from myself.  Thank  you so much for writing to me.

What about pets?

Question:

I just wanted to say thank you very much for writing the Alice series. It’s the dream series any young girl could ask for 🙂 I started reading these in the fifth grade and instantly fell in love!!!
You write the books so realistically that sometimes its hard to imagine the books are fiction! 
I have two questions:
* Why did you want to include pets in the Alice series, such as Oatmeal and Annabelle?

* What inspired you to write a realistic fiction series for girls?

Anyways thanks again for writing the Alice Series! I plan to reread them again in order this time:)! ( last time I just grabbed which ever books were available at the library ! )
I appreciate your dedication to the books:)

Phyllis replied:

I just wanted to write about a motherless girl growing up without a role model, and suddenly it seemed to become a series.  The way the story came to me made it realistic, not over-the-top.  And because pets usually figure in someone’s life, at some point, however brief, it seemed natural to me that Alice would encounter a pet, and the changes this would make in her life.

Book Publishing

Question:

Hello! I just wanted to express my major gratitude to you for writing the Alice books. You have no idea what an impact they have had on my life growing up as a teenager. I really appreciate your dedication to the series and that it be as realistic as possible, no matter what that takes.
I was wondering if you could help me. I’ve wanted to be a writer basically all my life, and you have been a true inspiration to me. I just finished my rough draft for the first book that I have actually stuck with to the end. I know it’s a long long way from ever being any good, but I would like it to be published someday. I went to a class on self-publishing once, but otherwise I know nothing about how to publish a book or get it out there. And I obviously don’t have the funds to get a publisher or editor or agent or anything like that, being I’m only sixteen! I’m not sure what to do. Could you give me some advice on a way to get my book published? I would be so grateful for any help.

Phyllis replied:

Congratulations on sticking with a project to the end, even though it’s still a rough draft and will take many more rewrites before you should send it anywhere.  Each Alice book goes through about six drafts before the editor ever sees it.  I know almost nothing about publishing a book electronically, so you would have to get that information from someone else.  As for paying a vanity publisher to publish it for you, that costs a great deal of money, and there is no distribution or advertising, so I wouldn’t go that route.  After it has been revised many times until you are sure there is nothing more you can think of to make it better, you should get a copy of The Writer’s Market in the reference room of your library.  A new edition comes out every year, and you should look up publishers who will accept the type of story you have written, then make sure they will look at manuscripts that come in the mail, not through an agent.  Not too many publishers will.  The best way is to attend writers’ conferences where editors will be speaking, especially those who will read a certain number of manuscripts while they are there.  It will cost extra, but it’s worth it.  You may well get an editor who likes your writing and will work with you on it.  Best of luck!  Don’t lose your enthusiasm or your hope of being published!

Always Alice

Question:

Questions

Question:

Greetings from Germany

Question:

16 years old. When I started to read the
Alice books (my best friend had recommended them to me), Alice was a bit
younger than I was. But with every book she got older and was at my age
and then even older than me. Sadly, the series goes only up to the 14th
book in Germany so I had to stop reading them. But I got a lot better in
English and was able to read English books as well as German ones, so
last week I finally ordered I Like Him, He Likes Her, It’s Not Like I
Planned It This Way and Please Don’t Be True and after 5 days I’m
halfway through the second one 😀 I just can’t stop reading because,
actually, Alice is the character I can most identify with of all the
books I have read so far (and that’s a lot!). When I got the three books
I felt like I was meeting an old friend I hadn’t seen in a longer time
and I think if Alice was real, she’d be my best friend 🙂

Phyllis replied:

I’m glad you found those books, because they cover Alice’s years in high school, and the one containing her senior year will be out next year.  Each of the books within those large paperbacks was first published in hard cover, and the publisher waits for a while after’s it’s published before it’s included in one of those large 3-books-in-one.

Can’t Forget Those Days

Question

I wanted to write to you about the experience I had with the Alice series books.  I was a big daydreamer and lone wolf in high school.  When I went into my library phase, which is me sitting in the library day after day, spending time after school like that, I became very interested in the fiction books.  I noticed the Alice series, and started reading them one by one.  I never got to finish because the library didn’t have all of them, but I still can’t forget the incredible storytelling of this girl without a mother, and her brother Lester, and father, and Ms. Summers.  That was more than 10 years ago.  I’m a full fledged adult now, but I can’t forget how carefree were those days when I was just a little kid.I plan on rereading them, and hopefully, will get a chance to own them one day.  I just wanted to let you know that you left quite an impression on me, all these years still.

Who’s the cover girl?

Question:

Who's the red haired girl who's in the front of the book covers for
the alice series? She's in most covers starting from the prequels. I
would like to knw her name and say she's always fit the role. I always
pictured her when reading the books! I've started reading the series
in fifth grade but somehow lost track, now 19 n about to start college
I come across it again, I can't wait to pick up where I left off !

Phyllis replied:
The older red-haired girl is a model from an agency. I don't know her name. The small girl pictured on 
"Starting with Alice," is a different girl, chosen because she so closely resembles the older model. We 
are never told their names.