Arturo Taccone laughed softly, but there was something odd about the sound. As if it too had been stolen from its rightful owner.

http://countdownpage.createyourcountdown.com/countdown.swf?filename=030e...

In honor of the big Heist Society tour that's coming up, I think today is an excellent day to share a Heist Society mini excerpt. What do you think?

It seemed to Katarina Bishop as if all the moments in her family's very long, very dubious past had been preparing her for that realization: "If they can be found, they can be stolen."

http://countdownpage.createyourcountdown.com/countdown.swf?filename=030e...

How happy does this make me?

Very, very happy!

After much thought and work and worry the brilliant and talented people at Disney-Hyperion have developed what I think might possibly be the most GORGEOUS book cover in history.

I loooooove it!

If you'll remember, a few weeks ago I posted this behind-the-scenes peek of the photoshoot.

That's the model, Olga, and a whole crew of stylists and photographers and hair and makeup people who were tasked with the tremendous job of capturing a single picture that summarizes the tone, theme, and feel of an entire novel.

And you know what? They totally nailed it!

In fact, I think this might just call for a Heist Society miniexcerpt!

Any other student might have flinched in that bright spotlight, but from the moment Katarina Bishop had set foot on the Colgan campus, she'd been something of an enigma. Some said she'd gained her last-minute slot because she was the daughter of an incredibly wealthy European buisnessman who had made a very generous donation. Some looked at her perfect posture and cool demeanor, rolled her first name across their tongues, and assumed that she was Russian royalty--one of the last of the Romonovs.

Some called her a hero; others called her a freak.

Everyone had heard a different story, but no one knew the truth...

Oh, and for the occasion I think I'll turn the comments back on for a little while!

I hope you like it as much as I do. AND I hope you'll enjoy getting to know Kat and her crew just as soon as February 9th rolls around! It was a fun, challenging, and incredibly rewarding book to write. Hopefully it will be as much joy to read.

Take care!
Ally

Big weekend here, trying to plow through the last act of GG4 to send to Editor Jen so I'm going to keep things mini.

Hope that's okay!

Hey everyone!

People have started asking to see the cover for Heist Society and why I don't have one posted. Well, the answer is simple: we're still working on it.

You see, my wonderful publisher, Disney-Hyperion, does the BEST covers! I love the Gallagher Girl covers, the Blue Bloods covers, the Percy Jackson covers... Pretty much every cover Hyperion does I LOVE, so it's no surprise that they want to send Kat and her crew of teenage hotties (I mean thieves) into the world with the best cover possible!

So they're still working.

And, believe me, they're getting really, really close. Right now they have a mock-up that I love, and they're in the process of choosing a model and doing a photo shoot and all that fun stuff.

So in just a few weeks we should have one. And as soon as we do you can bet I'll post it!

Have a great one!
Ally

Hi everyone,

Lately we've been getting a lot of questions but I don't have a lot of time, so I'm going to do the FAQ thing mini blog style. It's gonna be quick. It's gonna be simple.

Are you ready for quick, simple answers? If so, read on!

IS THERE GOING TO BE A LYKY MOVIE?
Maybe.

I READ ON THE INTERNET THAT THE LYKY MOVIE IS GOING TO BE OUT IN 2010. IS THAT TRUE?
The internet lies.

CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT THE LYKY MOVIE?
When I can, I will.

IS THERE GOING TO BE A FOURTH GALLAGHER GIRLS BOOK?
Yes. I'm writing it now. Look around this site and the blog for about a million posts about it to read more.

WILL YOU TELL US WHAT GG4 WILL BE ABOUT?
Not yet.

WHEN WILL GG4 BE OUT?
Don't know.

WHY WON'T YOU TELL US THE TITLE?
Haven't finalized it.

WHY WON'T YOU GIVE US A GG4 MINI EXCERPT?
Because I'm still writing.

HOW IS GG4 GOING?
Good days and bad days.

WILL YOU NAME A CHARACTER AFTER ME?
The only people I do that for are related to me and see me on holidays and harass me about it while I'm eating turkey and sometimes pie. Without pie the answer is probably no.

YOU SHOULD HAVE ____ HAPPEN IN GG4. THAT WOULD BE AWESOME.
Thanks for your interest in the series and the characters, but I'm afraid this is something I've really got to do myself.

YOU SHOULD TITLE THE BOOK ______. THAT WOULD BE AWESOME.
Sorry. See the above answer.

ARE YOU FEELING BETTER?
Why yes I am, thanks for asking!

DID YOU FINISH PAINTING?
Yes. And it looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOUR DECORATING PROJECT?
Well, I currently have trashbags over my windows, so I'm really hoping curtains.

WHAT'S THE BEST BOOK YOU'VE READ LATELY?
Best book for older teens is LIAR by Justine Larbalestier (not out yet). Best book for all ages is THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman.

ARE YOU GOING TO BE DOING ANY APPEARANCES IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
Yes! I'll be at the Decatur Book Festival in Decatur, GA (near Atlanta) over Labor Day Weekend. (*Find all the info you need by following these links.*)

ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE MORE CHATS IN THE FUTURE?
Hopefully.

ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE A NEW BOOK FOR THE ALLY BOOK CLUB?
Yes. In fact, I already have one in mind.

ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE MORE CONTESTS?
Maybe.

DO YOU HAVE A COVER FOR HEIST SOCIETY YET?
Not quite, but we're getting very close to having something AWESOME!

GG3 CAME OUT ON JUNE 9TH. AND HEIST SOCIETY WILL COME OUT ON FEBRUARY 9th? WHY ALWAYS THE 9th?
Coincidence.

ARE THERE BOYS IN HEIST SOCIETY.
Oooh, you betcha! In fact, there are only two girls in the whole book.

CAN WE HAVE ANOTHER HEIST SOCIETY MINI EXCERPT?
Sure.

Hey, I told you this was going to be super-mini!

-Ally

Hi everyone!

I hope you're all having a lovely August. I've been pretty busy working on the second draft of GG4. I can't say much, but I will share that I'm at the part of the rewriting process where I'm pulling everything apart and putting it all back together again sort of like a great big puzzle. Some bits I'll keep. Some bits I'll scrap. Some brand new things will have to be added.

It's a BIG job, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

I don't have a title or a release date yet, but there is one thing I do have...

The grass was damp against their stomachs as the three of them lay on the top of the hill, looking down on the villa below.

Have a great end of summer, everyone!

-Ally

Because you asked nicely (and--who am I kidding--I really can't wait for you guys to read it!) I am offering a Heist Society mini excerpt!

Enjoy!
Ally

If the stories were to be believed, Uncle Eddie had once won a million dollars in one weekend playing poker in Monte Carlo. Without cheating. For the first time in her life, Kat believed in the power of her uncle's poker face.