So you guys know how I'm friends with Jennifer Lynn Barnes (who has a GREAT new book called Raised By Wolves out in June, btw).

Anyhow...

What you probably don't know is that sometimes authors need slapped.  Hard.  I mean, let's face it, we're a fairly dramatic and creative bunch, so there's never any real shortage of things that might drive us to worry.

Or panic.

Or go running into the street screaming I'LLNEVERWRITEAGAIN I'LLNEVERWRITEAGAIN I'LLNEVERWRITEAGAIN.

Not that I've ever done that.  But I've wanted to.  And that's when it's nice to have someone you can count on to slap you.  Hard.

Jen is my slap person, and I'm hers.  The problem is that Jen lives in Connecticut most of the year and I am in Oklahoma.  Hence the need for...

Slap Proxy.

You see, if Jen needs slapped all I have to do is call Jen's roommate, Neha, and say "Initiate slap proxy."  And then, oh yeah, Neha slaps her.  (Not that we've ever had to do this, mind you, but Neha assures me she is not only willing to fulfill this obligation but also looking forward to it.)

When I start freaking out Jen can call my assistant Heidi or my sister, both of whom would probably equally enjoy the opportunity to smack me around.

So there you have it, gang.  If you want to be a successful writer you need a great book, a reputable agent, an excellent work ethic.  And someone to slap you.

And when that fails, someone to slap you on someone else's behalf.

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Ally

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ps...I highly recommend everyone go read Jen's version of events here.

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Hi everybody!

I hope you're all having a great weekend!

As we inch closer and closer to the release of ONLY THE GOOD SPY YOUNG I can't help but think that it's time to have another countdown widget contest!

You know...like we did for Heist and GG3?

Here are the rules.  Please follow them exactly.  And good luck!

-Ally

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1. To enter just design a countdown widget–how and where you do that is totally up to you.

2. You will need to email the code to allycartercontest (at sign) gmail.com on or before Sunday, May 2nd.

3. Put GG4 Countdown in the subject line of the email, please.

4.  DO NOT use that email address for non-contest emails (please note that abuse of this email--for things like mass mailings, forwarded emails, etc.--may result in disqualification from future contests.)

5. The winner will receive a $50 gift card to the bookstore of his or her choice!

6.  Due to legal restrictions, this contest is open to US and Canadian residents only.  (I'm sorry international Gallagher Girls!  I will try to work with the publishers who issue the books in your countries to do something international soon.)

Good luck!

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ps...if you're not sure what a widget is, search this blog or just go to the links above to read about past challenges.  If you're not sure how to make a widget, I hope that you'll accept the challenge of learning something new--to me, that's really half the fun.

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Hey everyone!   And welcome back to Answer Day, part 2!  Let's get right to it, shall we?

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charlie says: is GG4 going to be over winter break and the rest of Cammie's junior year?

Yes!

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Megan says: How much does it generally cost to write a book?

In terms of out-of-pocket expenses it’s practically free.  Paper.  Pens.  Access to a computer.  All stuff that most people can get their hands on with little effort.  The real cost is in time.  It can take thousands of hours and even more heartache.

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Raine says: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would love to visit Australia (I know there are a lot of Gallagher Girls down there!) and hope to do that sometime in my life.  I’m also toying with the idea of a trip to Scandinavia.  And Greece.  And Brazil.  And…  Well, you get the picture.

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Taylor says: Would you ever do a “spin-off” Gallagher girls series? (like talk about when Joe Solomon, Rachel, Aunt Abby and Cammie’s Dad were new spies?)

I don't have any plans to do that at this time, but I would never say never.

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Many people asked: You never said who won the election in GG3!

Actually…I did.  It’s in there if you read closely.

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Megan says:  Do you make up the plot for your books as you go, or did you always see things coming?

I do a little of both.  Big picture things I know in advance, details not so much.  For example, I knew that LYKY would end with Cammie’s final exam.  The fact that someone was going to drive a forklift through a wall during the exam was as much a surprise to me as it hopefully was for you.

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Beth says: What’s your favorite part of the book-writing process?

The writing process is full of highs and lows and they come at all phases, but the part that is the most consistently fun is probably the beginning—right when you have a shiny, new idea that hasn’t broken your heart or kept you up nights or made you pull your hair out yet.

That’s actually something that’s hard about writing because the new ideas are always coming, and it’s always tempting to abandon the books that aren’t pure fun anymore for the shiny new toys.  It’s tempting, but you really only get ahead in this business by finishing books and that means resisting the temptation to abandon ship with the going gets tough.

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Erin, the redhead says:  What’s the biggest misconception about being an author?

Oooh, tough one.  Honestly, there seem to be quite a few misconceptions out there.  Here are just a few: 1. That all writers are rich.  2. Conversely, that all writers are poor.  3.  That getting published is the hard part (actually, staying published is infinitely more difficult). 4. That it’s glamorous.  5. That it’s easy.

But the more I think about it, I’d have to say the single-biggest misconception is that people believe authors have way, way, way, way more power/control than we actually have.

With the notable exception of maybe three authors in the world (JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, and maybe James Patterson) we don’t control where we go on tour, or what the covers of our books look like, and we absolutely, positively do not have the power to “make” our books into movies.

Don’t get me wrong, most of us wish we had the kind of power to control those things…

But we don’t.

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Andye says:  As a mom of a young teen, I really appreciate that your books aren’t loaded with “questionable” language and sexual content. Is this a conscious effort on your part?

Not really—that’s just the way I write, I guess.  (Even my “adult” books are cleaner than many YAs.)  There are times when I’m conscious of the fact that many younger teens and tweens read my books, but that’s more about trying to write things in a way that is friendly to younger or reluctant readers.

Ps…I am always very happy to hear that mothers and grandmothers and daughters are reading together!

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Alyssa says: If you were on Dancing with the Stars who would you want to be partnered with?

Max or Tony.  (Max, cause, dude, he’s HOT.  Tony because he seems to be the nicest.)

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Ari says: Favorite guilty pleasure?

TV.  And sweets—all kinds of sweets.

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anisa says: Why does Macey trust and open up to Cammie the most? Even before the incident in GG3 occurred she always seemed closer to Cammie.

I think that’s probably somewhat an illusion.  Because we’re in Cammie’s point of view, we see Macey with the group and we see Macey with just Cammie, but we never get to see just Macey and Bex hanging out together or just Macey and Liz.

So while Cammie and Macey are really bonding, I don’t think they’re necessarily any more bonded than Macey and Bex and Liz.

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BlueBelt says: If you could change one thing about your writing techniques and/or style what would it be?

I would be better.  And faster.  Both.

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Kimberley S says: If Zach realizes how good of a spy Cammie really is, why does he worry about her or not want her in dangerous situations?

Um….why would a boy worry about girl?  Why oh why could that be?  Hmmm.

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Jess says:  What are some perks for being an author?

Oh, there are some awesome perks!  You get to be your own boss (for the most part).  You can work in your pajamas, and you don’t have to wash your hair or put on makeup if you don’t feel like it.  You get paid to make stuff up, and you can live pretty much anywhere in the world.

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Callie says: What other jobs would you like to pursue?

I’m really interested in all types of writing.  I’d love to write a television pilot one day.  Maybe another screenplay.  Even songs appeal to me (I really love making up silly songs with my five and three-year-old nieces.)

From a non-writing standpoint I’ve always dreamed of having my own farm/ranch.  That’s definitely on the horizon somewhere if I play my cards right.

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Amanda says: Are you planning to start any new series besides Heist Society and GG?

I’m sure I will someday.  In fact, I have two different ideas for non-GG/Heist books that I would love to write in the very near future.  The problem is time.  Unfortunately, time is always a limiting factor.

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Synecdoche says: Is being a Young Adult author different from being an adult fiction author? Is there a difference in your writing methods between Young Adult and Adult fiction?

My first instinct was no—good stories are good stories.  But the more I think about this question, the more certain I am the answer is yes.  The world of children’s (and teen) publishing is inherently different from adult publishing in many ways.  State reading lists, the influence of librarians and “gatekeepers” and the overwhelming power of word-of-mouth are some of the practical business differences.  From the aspect of the writing, I think the biggest difference is good pacing.  In adult books it’s probably preferred.  In YA books, it’s pretty much mandatory.

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Well, that's it, everybody!  If your question wasn't answered, I'm sorry.  I really did all I could.  If you haven't already, look around allycarter.com and click on the Frequently Asked Questions tag here on the blog to see if your question is answered there.  (Hint: many, many, many of them are.)

Have a great week and keep on reading!

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Ally

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Wow.  Just...wow.  I knew I'd get a lot of good questions, but I didn't expect quite that many quite that fast.

Thanks, everyone, for playing along.

Now, as you might imagine, I won't be able to answer every one,  but I'm going to do my best to answer the questions that..

A. haven't already been asked and answered many times (like how many books will there be, why can't I come to a certain city on tour, etc.).

and B.  aren't major spoilers for future books (like what happened to Cammie's dad, who betrays Cammie in book 4, etc.)

So, with that being said, let's start with some of the questions that seemed to be especially popular!

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What does (insert character name) look like?  How do you decide what a character looks like?

This is something that people ask and worry about all the time, but I have to say it’s something about which I never really think.

Whether I’m reading or writing I feel the same way.  It just doesn’t matter to me if Hale’s hair is light or dark or his eyes are blue or brown.  Sometimes strong character features occur to me (like how Liz is blond or Kat’s a brunette or how Cammie’s eyes change color) but beyond the things I specifically mention I don’t really know.  If it matters to you then feel free to make one up and use that in your imagination.  You have my blessing.

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I live in a country other than the United States or Canada—when will your books be available here?

According to the most recent list I have, the Gallagher Girls books (or, at least LYKY) have been sold to the following publishers in the following territories:

UK Rights: Hachette UK                                                  

Brazilian Portuguese Rights: Editora RCP

Australian Rights: Hachette ANZ

Turkish Rights: Tudem Publishers

Russian Rights: AST Publishers

Japanese Rights: Rironsha Ltd

Polish Rights: Wydawnictwo Amber

Complex Chinese Rights: Meowbus Publishing

Hungarian Rights: Kelly Kiado

Thai Rights: Nokhook Publishing

Italian Rights: De Agostini

Indonesian Rights: PT Gramedia

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Heist Society will be coming (or is already available) from the following publishers:

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UK Rights: Hachette UK

Australian Rights: Hachette ANZ

German Rights: Fischer Verlag

Japanese Rights: Rironsha

Indonesian Rights: PT Gramedia

A few important things to note:  foreign publishers buy rights to books—not to series.  So just because they’ve published LYKY, for example, doesn’t mean they will have to publish Cross My Heart.

If you want to know when—or if—a book will be on shelves where you live, I suggest you visit the websites for the local publisher or bookstores because, honestly, I really don’t know when a foreign edition is available until I get a copy in the mail (and that is sometimes months or years after the books hit shelves.)

I should also point out that these lists are a few weeks old and they really do change all the time, (for example, right now I have contracts sitting on my desk for Heist Society to be published in France) so if you don’t see your country don’t despair—there may be a deal in the works.

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Why do foreign covers usually look different from US covers?

There are many reasons, the biggest of which is that different covers appeal to different markets.  That’s why Coke bottles in the US look different than the Coke bottles I saw in Italy.  When it comes to foreign book covers, most authors trust foreign publishers to know what will work best on their shelves.  (And, by the way, authors don’t really get a say in covers anyway—even the US ones.)

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Why do books almost always come out later overseas than in the US?

For books that must be translated, that obviously takes a lot of time.  But even for foreign English language editions (like UK and Australia), we’re still talking about different publishers with different lists and business models and ideas for when the books will best perform.  That’s always their call to make.

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Do you have any good books to recommend?

Since the first of the year I have read two totally amazing books: Hunger Games and White Cat by Holly Black (available May 4th.)

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Will you be posting mini excerpts, deleted scenes, sample chapters, etc. from GG4?

There are already a few mini excerpts here and on Twitter.  And, yes, as we get closer to publication I'm sure there will be more.

Deleted scenes is a tougher call, since it's important that the scene not spoil anything about the book (and at this point, I doubt there any that won't.)  So, no probably no deleted scenes right now.  Or maybe ever.

Sample chapters?  Maybe.  (But I REALLY don't want to spoil ANYTHING in the book!)

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Okay, gang, I think that's enough for today.  Stay tuned because this weekend sometime I hope to tackle some of the more interesting individual questions!

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Thanks again!

Ally

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Hey everybody!

I think it's time to try something I've been wanting to try for a while now--QUESTION DAY!

If you guys write questions in the comments I'll try to answer them on Friday.

(please note that I will only be answering questions that aren't already covered on allycarter.com and in other obvious locations.)

So let the questions begin!

-Ally

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Edited to add:  thanks everyone for all the great questions!  I'm going to go ahead and disable the comments section now while I choose which ones to answer and work on the answer post.

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Hi everyone,

I'm sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news, but I just learned that Only the Good Spy Young will now be released on June 29, 2010 instead of June 15th.

This is largely my fault as this book took many more drafts to write than I had initially thought.  In the end, though, I'm happy with the book--very happy--and I hope you will be too.

I also hope that you'll agree that it's better to have a book you love that's slightly late than a book that comes out two weeks earlier and contains many things you'll regret for years to come.

Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding,

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Ally

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ps...the official back cover copy is finally here:

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When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when she faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide.  When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers—or even her own heart.

In this fourth installment of the New York Times best-selling series, the Gallagher Girls must hack, spy, steal, and lie their way to the truth as they go searching for answers, recognizing that the key to Cammie’s future may lie deep in the past....

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So as you know, I just got back from Italy and the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

Here are the pictures that prove it:

Hanging out in Venice with Natasha, my agent Kristin Nelson, and super author Sarah Rees Brennan.

Venice is an incredible city that is really unlike any other place in the world.

And, of course, while we were there we had to take a (very short and probably over-priced) gondola ride.

But it was fun seeing the back alleys of Venice (that are, by the way, water.)

And then it was on to Bologna!

I spent most of my time at the fair in and around the Literary Agents' Center where my agent and I had meetings with the various editors who publish the Gallagher Girls and Heist Society around the world.

Luckily, there was still a lot of time for walking the beautiful (and covered!) sidewalks of Bologna.

One of the absolute highlights of the trip was visiting the Kinder College outside of town for one of the most amazing school visits ever!

And not just because the school was in an old monastery and this was the view out the windows!

Finally, my last official stop was the first ever Bolibri book event that was designed to--for the first time ever--allow the people of Bologna to get a taste of this world-famous book festival.

So I guess the moral of the story is that I had a great time on my first trip to Italy.

I sincerely hope it won't be my last!

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--Ally

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Do you guys remember the movie Gattaca?  Anyone?  Anyone?

If not, here's a rundown for you: it's set in a future where people can genetically engineer their children to be perfect, but our main character (Ethan Hawk) wasn't engineered in such a way.  He was just like the rest of us (and even had a bad heart if memory serves.)

Anyway...Ethan and his little brother used to have swimming races out into the ocean and Ethan--the non-engineered boy with the bad heart--would win.

How could the boy with the "bad" body win?

Why did this happen?

Well, here's your answer:

It's really all about the swim back, isn't it?

And, believe it or not, this is something that I think about all the time when writing--especially when writing series because there's always a little part of me that worries that I'll use up all the good stuff in book 1 or 2 or 3 or whatever book I'm working on.

Wait, I should horde it, save it, stretch it out, I tell myself. What if another good idea never comes along--I should make this one laaaaaaast.

But that's wrong. Absolutely, totally, and completely wrong.

Because A. if you drag stuff out for too long no one will want to read the next book because the current book was so boring. And B. because that's not how you get better, dig deeper. Swim farther. No good comes from saving things for the swim back.

One of my favorite new shows of this TV season has been The Vampire Diaries because while lesser shows might (and do) milk storylines until they're far past their prime, the Vampire Diaries is constantly moving, jabbing, shaking so that just when I start to think I know where they're going they pull the rug out from under us and take the show in an entirely new direction.

There have been at least three different story arcs that I expected to lead up to the big season finale and all of them have gone poof--not one of them was saved or stretched or dragged along.

They haven't saved anything for the swim back.

And for that I kinda love them.

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--Ally

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HIGH:  Meeting my wondeful foreign publishers.

LOW:  Realizing just how big the foreign market is and how--if a person wanted to--they could literally work themselves to death trying to please every reader in every market.

HIGH:  Hanging out with fab writers like Sarah Rees Brennan, Holly Black, Cassie Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Kristin Cashore.

LOW:  Saying goodbye to fab writers like Sarah Rees Brennan, Holly Black, Cassie Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Kristin Cashore.

HIGH:  So much FOOD!

LOW:  Diet.

HIGH:  Talking about books, writing, writers, and publishing with some of the savviest minds in the business.

LOW:  Realizing just how much about this crazy business is just...crazy.

HIGH:  Seeing Italy.

LOW:  Leaving Italy.

HIGH:  Awesome school visit set up by my wonderful Italian publisher.

LOW:  Realizing that the reason there are no hot men left in America is because all the hot American men are teaching at schools in Italy!  (Seriously, even my agent's husband agreed.)

HIGH:  Shopping.

LOW:  Well, I'm not gonna lie, losing my luggage twice wasn't all that fun.

HIGH:  Coming home is always a good feeling (even without your luggage.)

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-Ally

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Hi everybody!

It was wonderful spending last week in ITALY for the Bologna Children's Book Fair.   It's one of the largest events in the world for children's publishing, and I had a blast.

WHAT IT IS:  The Bologna Children's Book Fair is where publishers and agents from around the world converge on beautiful Bologna Italy to discuss the books that they represent and publish in hopes of selling/buying the rights to publish more books in foreign territories.

HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN HAPPENING:  for more than 40 years.

WHY I WENT:  my wonderful agent, Kristin Nelson, suggested that this would be a great opportunity to meet some of my foreign publishers, and boy was she right!

It's one thing to know that the books are on shelves in Poland, Japan, Brazil, Italy, etc.  It's another thing to meet the wonderful people who made that possible and talk to them about the series and the future.

WHAT I DID:  Well, the work part was a lot of fun--the meeting with foreign publishers and talking about current and future books and hearing what they have planned for the series.  But it was also fun just to walk around the fair and look at the booths from publishers all over the world.

You could see what covers were big in Japan and what genres were very popular in South America.  You could see some foreign covers and immediately recognize the image as being "hey, that's Twilight...in Portuguese" or "wow, I would have never recognized that as being written by Meg Cabot."

Plus, it was an excellent way to realize just how global the publishing industry is and how foreign markets can really be significant in an author's career.

WHERE I WENT:  Now, of course, the official purpose of the trip was the fair, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to take full advantage of my first trip to Italy!

I flew in a couple of days early and took a train up to Venice with Kristin (my agent) where we met Kristin's client (and general, all-around awesome person) Sarah Rees Brennan and her lovely friend Natasha.  Kristin had arranged for a guide for half the day, and that was something I'd highly recommend to anyone who travels to Venice in the future because Venice is lovely and cool but also crowded and VERY confusing, so a private guide was more like having a friend who lived there show you the city.

While walking around we ran into Cassie Clare and her fiance and they joined us for lunch.  Then we went on a gondola ride, walked around a bit more, and Kristin and I finally made our way back to the train station and on to Bologna.

I had Sunday free, so on a lark I jumped on another train and went to Florence.

People I trust tell me that Florence is one of the greatest cities in the world.  I had a great time, but I wish I'd been better prepared because you really need to reserve tickets to the museums days or weeks in advance (and since I didn't know I was going until that morning, that wasn't possible).

Still, it was great to just walk around and shop at the booming street markets, eat gelato (Florence is supposed to have the best in all of Italy) and just see the city.

I also had some time to wander the streets of Bologna.

And eat.

Trust me, the real reason to visit Bologna is the eating.

WOULD I GO BACK:  To Italy?  In a heartbeat.  To the fair?  Absolutely.  I don't think it will become an annual trip for me, but in a few years I'm sure I'll feel the itch again.  Plus, hopefully by then I'll have lots of new books to talk about, so I would definitely hope that this was not my last Bologna!

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I have lots of pictures and lots more stories to tell, but sadly the airline lost my luggage...again (both coming and going this time--this is why I NEVER check a bag on tour!) and my camera cord is in my suitcase, so that might just have to wait for the time being.

In short, I guess I'm really glad I went.

But I'm also really glad to be home.

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Take care, everybody!

-Ally

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