Alice Blog

The Alice books

Question:

The other night I got a phone call from my youngest sister; she is 12 going on 13. I am 27. She had called to let me know she had finished “Mockingjay” and announced to me she was going to start reading the “Pretty Little Liars” series, as it is popular with her friends at the moment.

In my mind, my first reaction was “no, no, no.” I did not feel they were appropriate for her age, but it got me thinking. When I was her age there was a book series of a girl and her friends, a girl who was very dear to me and helped me through sticky situations with my own friends at that time.

While trying to keep our conversation straight, I was wracking my mind to remember my “friends” name, was it Amanda? No, that couldn’t be right! Being pregnant, it being late, I couldn’t believe I could not remember. I went back to picturing my grade school/middle school library, I could see the section on the wall but still nothing came to mind. I tried everything I could think of on Google, “books for girls 12-14”, “popular girls books in the 90’s”, nothing!

After checking my fanfiction.net page, I went to the books section and thought, “maybe just maybe, it’ll be listed on here. I know I’ll know it when I see it.” Starting with the numbers and moving into the A’s, I finally spotted it. “The Alice Books”, yes Alice my dear, dear friend Alice, how could I have forgotten her name, had 1997 really been that long ago? So I sent Olivia an email, I am hoping she can develop as special of a friendship with Alice as I had not so long ago.

I keyed in your name and found the Alice website, and it makes me so happy to read some of the letters girls have written to you. Also the way you have written back to them, how amazing. I wanted to say thank you so much! All of my memories of her came flooding back to me, and I cannot wait to get out of work and go find Alice again. I am also hoping that one day my own little girl will enjoy her company as much as I did, and I cannot wait to see what Alice has been up to in my absence.

Thanks again so much!

Phyllis replied:

I’m so glad you reconnected with the Alice books again. It’s wonderful that you have recommended the series to your younger sister. Thanks so much for letting me know.

Posted on: June 15, 2012

Why is Race a Big Deal?

Question:

Your books are so great!

I was wondering about, not exactly wondering but was surprised, that whenever a character is not caucasian, it is a really big deal.

Like when Lester stars talking about Tracy, he says she is African-American, everyone stoops chewing. Why? Why does it matter?

Or Gwen’s race is mentioned almost every time she is there- this is not true of anyone who is white, but it seems if the character is not Caucasian, their kin coler is always being talked about. Or for another example, when Alice goes to Camp Overlook, the first thing mentioned is the color of everyones kin, I do understand that that was part of the plot, them all being a bit racist, but it didn’t seem necessary to list everyones skin color first off.

I really don’t mean to be critical, and I love, love, love, your books, it was just something that confused me.

Thanks for writing!

Phyllis replied:

You make an excellent point. The reason is that I’m mentioning it for readers new to the series. And I tell them because sometimes writers are criticized for not having multi-racial characters in their books. Also, in case a producer is reading the book with an eye to making it into a movie, I would like them to know how I view each character, even though they often change things around. It’s important to me that Liz has fair skin and very dark hair, that Alice has a few freckles and burns easily, etc. So it seems equally important that they know that Gwen is African-American.

Posted on: June 15, 2012

Alice On Board

Question:

I don’t know if you’ll even read this, but I feel almost obligated to write you. I have been a fan of the Alice series for years; I started reading the Alice books when I was in the fourth grade, and I still look forward to each new book every May. As amazing and wonderful as Alice is, something even more amazing and wonderful happened not even a month ago when “Alice on Board” came out. This book is, of course, about Alice’s Summer after her senior year of high school, and it just so happened to come out the Tuesday before my own high school graduation. Alice and I have finally met at the same age, and this got to me in a way that I didn’t think possible… I loved the book and I found it to be the most inspiring one yet, but what really got to me was this passage, “Was it always this hard, I wondered – this breaking away? Always so painful to move from one place to the next? Always so exciting and wonderful and… yes, so scary to make a pact with life that no matter what it might throw your way, you would deal?” This passage expresses exactly what I’m feeling and going through in my life right now, and it was incredible to hear Alice saying it. Thank you for being such an amazing writer and inspiration, and thank you for making Alice feel like me and one of my best friends all at the same time. I love her, and I can’t wait to read her final chapter next May.

Phyllis replied:

I’m so glad you found that helpful! Thanks so much for writing to me. My publisher has decided that the very last book in the series, “Always Alice,” will come out in the fall of 2013 rather than spring, as they want to give it a nice send-off. And because it is a much longer book than all the other Alice books, I am still adding to it and tweaking it. I hope you will like it just as much.

Posted on: June 15, 2012

Rex Naylor, November 15, 1920 – May 12, 2012

Question:

I am a longtime fan of both you and Alice, and I was terribly sorry to hear about Rex. I can only begin to imagine the love you two had for each other after 52 years of marriage. I know there’s not much I can say, but I wanted you to know that I was thinking about you and offering my condolences.

Phyllis replied:

That is so kind of you. To my readers, my husband died on May 12 of Alzheimer’s disease, which he had for many years. But he was still the kind, patient man he’d always been up to the day he died, even though his memory was fading and he needed 24 hour care. He was always the first person to read an Alice manuscript, and used to enjoy the dialogue between Alice and Lester so much. He was a wonderful proofreader as well as a speller, and that’s just one of the many ways I will miss him. Our two sons and their families will be here for the memorial service on June 23, and we will celebrate his many years as a husband, father, and speech pathologist. My editor has given me two extra months to finish the revisions on the final Alice book, but I know my readers will understand if the book is a little late in coming out next year.

Posted on: June 6, 2012

How to Tell Him

Question:

Your Alice books are amazing! I feel so much like that the things she goes through, such as having your first crush or moving to an entirely different state, has happened to me and like it was just as stressful for her as it was for me. If I had the chance to meet you or Alice, I would have had a hard time deciding! I live in Brooklyn and if you lived in New York I would be searching the streets of New York to find you! One question though? I have a crush on this boy. We’ve been good friends since 2nd Grade. I told him back then that I liked him and he liked me back, but we grew apart in 3rd and decided to just be good friends instead. But how in the whole wide world am I supposed to tell him I like him again?

Phyllis replied:

I don’t know. How old are you now? Remember my old advice–show, don’t tell. Ask him out with a group of friends so it won’t feel like a “date.” And pay extra attention to him. Flirty teasing helps. He’ll get the drift.

Posted on: June 5, 2012

Does Alice Lose Her Virginity?

Question:

Does Alice Ever Lose her viginity & who does she lose it with.

Phyllis replied:

Well, since the final book takes her from 18 to 60, you’d sort of expect this to happen, wouldn’t you? But if you think I’m going to spoil the suspense and tell you who the guy is, you don’t know me very well!

Posted on: June 5, 2012

No Kiss or Boyfriend Yet

Question:

Hi I am a Alice reader I love all of her books and I have many questions!! When I read the first book at my school I was so pleased that the librarian ordered the other books for me… I have always thought of Alice as my role model, because she’s my age and she’s always inspired me! I haven’t had a first boyfriend or a first kiss yet and I learned from the alive books that everything isn’t about having a boyfriend or not! But I am surely going to wait for that moment!!

Phyllis replied:

That’s sort of a nice place to be…it’s all yet to come, but chances are, if you’re an avid Alice reader–you won’t be expecting the moon, and will be ready for lots of humorous things to happen along with the romance.

Posted on: June 5, 2012

Anticipate Each New Book

Question:

Hi Phyllis! I’m not really sure where to start. I started to read the Alice series about two years ago and I fell in love with them. I’m not really sure what it was, but I think that it’s because I can relate to the series so well. As a sixteen year old girl, I can say that most of the books about teen romance and drama are so over dramatized. Sure, they’re fun to read, but so unrealisic! The thing that suprises me the most about your books is that there isn’t a huge plot that keeps continuing on. They’re simple and realistic and I think that’s the reason why I anticipate a new book from the day I stop reading the last one to the day my public library receives the next book.

Phyllis replied:

I know the books are sort of hard to categorize, but they are simply following the life of a girl from age 8 to age 60. What happens often surprises me as well as the reader. I just try to write as realistically as I can, and imagine what would happen next in the life of this particular girl.

Posted on: June 5, 2012

Why did you do it?

Question: I started reading the Alice series when I was in fourth grade and I love them!!I just read Intensely Alice and I was wondering why did you have to kill —– off? Why couldn’t you have killed off Jill or Karen because if they died I wouldn’t have spent the last three chapters crying hysterically. LOL I guess it just shows how good of an author you truly are:)

Question:

I knew for a long time that one of Alice’s friends would die, and for many reasons, I chose this person. I won’t go into all the reasons because they are complex–they involve past plot and future plot and all sorts of stuff that writers have to consider when they take a major step in a series.

Posted on: June 5, 2012

So Realistic

Question:

I’m not sure where to begin. I first read “Alice on Her Way” when I was thirteen, I’m sixteen now, and I instantly fell in love. Every spring since I look forward to another book! Like everyone else says, your books are just so realistic! There isn’t even a huge plot line like so many other books, but I think every teenage girl can relate to high school Alice in one way or another. It’s nice to sit down and enjoy a book that’s not over dramatized like most books about teenage girls nowadays. I feel as if I’m reading one of my friend’s diary. Alice has experienced things I have yet to experience and it kind of gives me insight on what those things might be like. I also think it’s ridiculous that people disagree with the content in your books (people can I have there opinions though, I guess)! That’s reality! Even so, I love that you keep writing how you do although some people disagree. Sure, it can be… Explicit… At sometimes, but a majority of teenage girls will experience that. I’d like to express my thanks for REALISTICALLY preparing me for certain events and never changing your writing style and I can promise you that there have been occasions where I look back on your books. I also appreciate how you take time to respond to most of your fans with such a busy schedule. I can honestly say that I’ll be very upset not see a new Alice book on my library’s shelf in the Spring of 2014. So how did you come about writing the Alice series and did you think the series would become so massive? Also, do you think you’ll write more young adult books?

Phyllis replied:

I intend to keep writing YA books as long as possible, along with books for younger people too, and an occasional novel for adults, or a picture book, we’ll see. When I wrote the first Alice book, I didn’t even know it would become a series, but I’m glad that it did, because I’ve enjoyed it very much, as Alice is the daughter I never had.

Posted on: June 5, 2012