Mini Blog: a fun new game. Hopefully.
Hi everyone!
Still working on Heist. Still going sort of crazy. Still hoping everyone is going to like GG3.
And in that spirit, I've decided to take a hint from Rick Riordan and start posting mini excerpts from the new book.
What does that mean? Well, simply put, between now and June 9th I will sporatically be posting bits and pieces of the next Gallagher Girls book, DON'T JUDGE A GIRL BY HER COVER.
Please note that this doesn't mean I can post an entire chapter... yet. When that changes, I promise I will post something ASAP. (In the meantime, though, I'm afraid commenting and asking for it won't be able to hurry up the process.)
These are just snips. Clips. Glances.
AND THEY MAY BE MISLEADING...
The only thing I can promise is that they do occur somewhere in the new book.
I'm not saying where. I'm not saying when. I'm not saying how.
To find that out, well, you have to wait.
--Ally
For such a sunny day it was dark under the bleachers; for such a screaming crowd the noise seemed very far away.
Thank you, BHS!
Hi Gang!
I have to get upstairs and get to rewriting pronto, but I wanted to take a second to thank everyone at Bentonville High School for the amazing day yesterday!
Especially Mrs. Cantey and Mrs. Fletcher for going to all the trouble of bringing me in. And to Mr. Davis for opening up his creative writing class and letting me jabber on for a half hour.
And, most of all, to all of the students who got up in front of that huge auditorium and read from THEIR work. Wow. I totally could not have done that when I was in high school. In fact, when I was in high school no one even knew that I wanted to be a writer. So you guys are off to an amazing start.
Again, I had a blast in Bentonville yesterday. So thank you!
And now I must get back to work. (Because a girl can't castle if her to-do list is too long.)
-Ally
Mini blog: castleness
Hi gang,
Much, much rewriting to do today, so I'll make this brief.
Have you ever noticed how much cooler the term "in the castle" makes pretty much everything? Well, I have.
For example, today at Target I found some awesome St. Patrick's Day socks and immediately I thought "I must get them to wear in the castle!"
And then I went to buy a bigger memory card for my digital camera because "I don't want to have to spend time downloading pictures while I'm hanging out in the castle".
And the next stop was the grocery store where I stared longingly at the cake mix aisle and thought, "When we're in the castle, we should totally make cupcakes."
That's it. That's all. Just try to incorporate more castleness into you everyday life and I can promise you won't regret it.
-Ally
Mini blog, Oscar style
I heart Hugh Jackman. He isn't my fictional boyfriend, of course, because he has a very non-fictional wife. But I heart him just the same.
For my money, Anne Hathaway deserves best dressed.
That adorable actress from Benjamin Button deserves "had the best time on the red carpet"
Angelina Jolie deserves "wore the entire GDP of a small nation on her earlobes"
Rob Pattinson deserves "most likely to bite someone"
The blond actress from Mean Girls and Momma Mia deserves "Person who most made me miss Veronica Mars"
Marissa Tomei deserves "For the love of all things holy, will someone please FEED her!"
George Clooney deserves "Fictional boyfriend who had better give his fictional girlfriend a little notice next time"
Ally Carter deserves "Writer who really, really needs to get back to work."
-Ally
Mini Blog: the Oscars
I should be working. Seriously, I should. But of course I'm watching the Oscars instead.
Because I'm irresponsible like that.
-Ally
I know envy is a bad thing...
I know we're not supposed to envy.
I know that's where evil begins.
But come on! Alan Gratz is at the Project Runway finale fashion show in New York this week.
And when I say "Alan is at fashion week" I don't say it like I say "George Clooney called last night and invited me to the Oscars".
I mean ALAN GRATZ IS AT FASHION WEEK!!
You can read all about it here.
Sigh.
All I can say, Alan my friend, is that you had better make it work!
-Ally
A (fictional) conversation with George Clooney
Lately many of you have been wondering what is up with me and my (fictional) boyfriend, George Clooney. Well, to tell you the truth I was kind of wondering myself.
I hadn't talked to George in a while. (One of the things that makes him an EXCELLENT fictional boyfriend is he isn't terribly needy.)
But then tonight the phone rang.
And the following conversation took place:
Phone rings.
Me: Hello?
GC: Can I have a cupcake?
Me: (swoon) I'm out of the ones with sprinkles.
GC: I can be flexible.
Me: So what's up?
GC: Wanna go to the Oscars?
Me: They're Sunday.
GC: I know.
Me: George, darling, I know you're the Sexiest Man Alive and all--
GC: Ex-sexiest man alive. Hugh Jackman is the reigning title-holder. And speaking of Hugh Jackman... Oscars. You. Me. Let's go.
Me: --but don't you think three days is a little short notice to give a girl when asking her TO THE OSCARS?
GC: Come on. It'll be fun.
Me: Yes. It will be a blast for all the supermodels who have had TIME to have dresses MADE and their hair cut--
GC: I could cut your hair.
Me: --and who have NOT been eating cupcakes and trying to finish the Heist book for the past two weeks.
GC: Okay. So you don't want to go to the Oscars. That's fine.
Me: Did I say I didn't want to go to the Oscars?
GC: I'm confused.
Me: That makes two of us.
GC: By the way, I heard you're not going to be on Dancing with the Stars. Again.
Me: I don't even want to talk about that. I'm still very upset about it.
GC: (laughing) Well, you know where there will be stars...the Oscars.
Me: But no dancing.
GC: Oh, there could be dancing...
Me: I'm still mad at you.
GC: But do I still get my cupcake?
Me: If I'm going to find a dress to wear to the Oscars by Sunday you'd better take ALL of the cupcakes.
-Ally
Today's To-Do list
1. thank blog readers for their awesome comments about the DON'T JUDGE A GIRL BY HER COVER synopsis.
2. remind everyone that the book will be in stores on June 9th!
3. make the new, untitled heist book as awesome as possible.
4. worry that the new, untitled heist book is suffering from a severe lack of awesome.
5. make cupcakes
6. wonder what the cupcake to awesome ratio is for the universe.
7. tell readers that Melissa Walker (author of the Violet on the Runway series) has an interview up on her website with the girl who was the cover model for CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY. (Please note that she was not the girl on Love You Kill You or on the upcoming GG3 cover--I don't know why.)
8. Assure readers that the GG3 cover will be ready soon and, when it is, you'll share it ASAP!
9. Speaking of covers, go over to Rick Riordan's blog and read his hilarious "interview" with Blackjack about the amazing new cover for PERCY JACKSON AND THE LAST OLYMPIAN!
(I have it on very good authority that the digital image doesn't even begin to do justice to what the real cover will look like in person!)
10. Email editor and assure her that if they have too many copies of The Last Olympian lying around, cluttering up their offices I would gladly take one or more off of their hands!
11. Discuss the untitled heist book with editor and make plans to improve its awesome exponentially.
12. Eat cupcakes.
-Ally
Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover: the synopsis
Hi gang!
I know that I've said before that I don't like any spoilers when I sit down to read a new book in a series that I love, so that's why I am usually hesitant to post anything about upcoming Gallagher Girl books here.
However, I know that not everyone feels that way, and that's perfectly fine. Usually, I can justify not posting because I know that the back cover copy is going to be available on the back of the books themselves and also on the usual online book review and sales websites.
But the strangest thing has happened with the DON'T JUDGE A GIRL BY HER COVER synopsis that's making its way around the internet: it's the wrong synopsis!
I've spoken about it with my wonderful agent and editor, and we're taking steps to get the correct synopsis up in all the places where it's needed, but that process could take a very long time, so in the meantime I'm going to go ahead and post the official back cover copy here for anyone who is interested.
If you aren't interested...
Stop reading...
Now.
By Ally Carter
in stores June 9, 2009
As her junior year begins, Cammie can't shake the memory of what happened in Boston, and even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn't feel like the safe haven it once did. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every one of the mansion's corners as Cammie and her friends struggle to answer the questions, Who is after Macey? And how can they keep her safe?
Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey's private security team on the campaign trail. The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raise, and Cammie gets closer and closer to the shocking truth...
Thank you, Sarah Mlynowski!
Well, our second official "Ally Chat" is over, and I want to thank everyone for taking part and asking such smart, professional, and courteous questions. I just got off the phone with Sarah, and I must say she was VERY impressed!
You looked really great today, everyone, so you should feel very, very proud of yourselves!
I have a list of authors/books in mind for future chats, so stay tuned for information. I hope to have something set up within the next month or so.
In the meantime, happy reading!
-Ally