Even without the comments turned on, my psychic connections were all abuzz after yesterday's post.

Some of you LOVE the idea of Cory Monteith (Finn from Glee) playing Josh in the movie.

Some of you HATE the idea.

Some of you can maybe see it...maybe.

And that's all totally okay. In fact, I've got good news! You can all get your choices right now--this very second--in the movie in your head!

You see, I got my start writing really bad movie screenplays and to this day, when the writing is good, I'm just transcribing what I see and hear.

The good news is that when you're reading, you can do the same thing!

You see, even though it would be incredibly fun and cool to think about a real-live movie being made about your favorite books, that doesn't have to stop you from casting it yourself--every time you start to read.

So, besides Josh, who are the current actors in the LYKY movie in my mind?

Well...Cammie changes a lot which is what a chameleon is supposed to do, I suppose. But ever since I watched THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES and Seasons 1 & 2 of The Tudors (which, btw, is NOT suitable for younger teens!!!) I have really been struck by Sarah Bolser who was great in both of those things.

Sarah Bolser, currently playing Cammie in the movie in Ally's head

And even though none of the Gallagher Girls are redheads, I absolutely love Molly C. Quinn (from the TV show Castle) these days.

Molly C. Quinn, a redheaded Cammie? Or Liz?

And I've been a huge fan of AnnaSophia Robb for a long time, so she's always somewhere in the mix.

AnnaSophia Robb, Gallagher Girl

All of the cast is constantly changing and that's part of the fun of the movie in your head--you can play around with all kinds of combinations. You can even cast yourself!

Someday there may be a real movie based on the Gallagher Girl books--I don't know. But I do know that that day is a long, long way away. I also know that this is a fun thing to think about, but I think it's a bad thing to obsess about.

Especially when a great movie is available inside your very own mind any time you want to see it.

-Ally

DISCLAIMER: It's now time for me to remind everyone that I have absolutely NO say in the casting of the movie (which, by the way, they aren't even doing yet). I have no news about casting and am not endorsing any actor or actress.

If you would like to be notified in the event of casting news or tryouts please subscribe to my newsletter and keep an eye on this blog.

It's been a while since I've answered from Frequently Asked Questions, so here goes:

1. Do you read all of the blog comments?
--Yes. Every single one.

2. Why don't you reply to blog comments?
--I do sometimes but only very rarely. This is mainly because of time and also because 90% of the questions that are asked in comments are already answered elsewhere on the website (how many books will there be? When will the new book be out? What is the Kat/Heist book? etc). The answers to these questions are available once you look. I'm a big proponent of looking.

Probably 5% don't have answers yet and possibly never will. (Where are you going on tour? Who will Cammie end up with? When will the movie be out?)

Three percent are questions that are too personal in nature to answer in such a public forum.

One percent I try to answer and then probably don't get around to it.

And that leaves the 1% I do answer, I guess.

3. Will there be any more contests soon?
--Um...probably not. I might do something to reveal the title of the heist/kat book, but I've learned my lesson about prizes. It will be a long time until I do another contest with prizes.

4. Why can't you make DON'T JUDGE A GIRL BY HER COVER come out sooner?!?!?!?!?
--Even though my part in bringing you GG3 has been over for a few months now, it takes A LOT of people to make a book happen and many of those people still have to do their jobs.

Like the people who print the books. And the people who deliver the books to stores. And the people who work at the stores to make room for and shelve new books. Those wonderful people are on deck now and it's in everybody's best interest if we give them room (and time) to work.

5. What are you reading right now?
DULL BOY by the lovely and adorable debut author Sarah Cross.

6. Are you sure you can't come to my city on tour?
--I would honestly love to, but again, that's really out of my hands. My publisher is working on the tour details right now and hopefully within the next couple of weeks I will have dates, places, etc. to share.

7. Do you really have an intern? How can I get that job?
--Yes, for the next week or so I will have an intern who will be working with me part-time. His name is Denny and he is a senior at a local high school. Denny wants to be a writer when he grows up so he's helping me out for the internship requirement at his school. Hopefully Denny himself will weigh in on the subject in the near future.

8. I want to be a writer, how do I do it?
--You start by reading a lot and writing a lot. Oh, and you can go read the extensive list of "for writers" things available on the blog (under the "Tips for Writers" label) and on the website (under FOR WRITERS in the Ally section).

9. Can I send you my book to autograph? Or can you send me autographed bookplates?
--I'm afraid I'm not really set up to accommodate those requests at this time. I'm sorry.

10. Is George Clooney still your fictional boyfriend?
--Yes! Of course he is! (Why? What have you heard?)

11. Any movie news?
--Nope.

12. Why don't some blog comments ever show up on the site?
--Not all blog comments get approved. This can happen for a wide variety of reasons.

Sometimes we get comments that are inappropriate or offensive, so those get rejected. Other comments might contain spoilers for future books (if someone has read an ARC of GG3 for example) and those get rejected because...well...not everyone has read GG3.

Blog comments that contain personal information (like your name, your email, your MySpace, etc) aren't approved because I don't think that's wise or safe in this day and age.

Sometimes I hit the wrong button. (And, sadly, this has happened on more than one occasion.)

But probably the most frequent reason that comments get rejected is because they contain incorrect information. For example, if someone submits a comment that says "I'm so excited Brad Pitt is going to play Mr. Solomon in the movie!" well, then that's just a rumor waiting to happen. Because 1. as I've said many times they aren't casting people for the movie at this time. And 2. They certainly haven't cast Brad Pitt. (Not for a lack of praying and daydreaming on my part.)

Sure, I could approve the Brad Pitt comment and then take the time to comment directly after that person and share the facts, but this has two downsides as well:

1. usually the incorrect comment originated because someone misread or misunderstood something, so there is no guarantee that my correction would be read and understood either, leaving the rumor out there to swell.

And 2. honestly this happens so frequently that I would spend far more time writing blog comments than I spend writing books.

And I think you guys are more partial to the books.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Ally

I'm SOOOOO going to regret blogging about this!

Seriously. I am.

I can already tell because I've started this post about a dozen times. And then stopped. And yet here I am...starting it again.

So before I go on, please let me remind everyone that I am not involved in the movie process for the I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU movie.

I repeat: I am not involved in the movie process.

I don't get to pick the story elements.

I don't get to (or have to, depending on how you look at it) write the script.

I don't have any say in what actors or actresses are cast.

I can't pass along your names or headshots or email addresses to the people who are in charge of casting.

I don't have any information on where they will be having open casting calls.

I probably will not be getting any information on when they will be having open casting calls.

Are you guys seeing a trend here?

But still...it's fun to dream and fantasize, right?

And ever since I saw the first preview for Juno I can't help thinking...

Oh. My. Gosh. THAT's CAMMIE!!!!

That's a picture of Golden Globe nominee, Ellen Page, at the Juno Premiere.

And I just can't stop thinking she'd make the perfect chameleon.

Now, remember, say it with me:
ALLY HAS NO SAY IN THE MOVIE-MAKING PROCESS.
ALLY HAS NO SAY IN THE MOVIE-MAKING PROCESS.
ALLY HAS NO SAY IN THE MOVIE-MAKING PROCESS.

-Ally

ps...And not to be snippy, but the first person who comments with a "when will the tryouts be?" comment... (after I've said about a billion times that I don't know) ...well, I may scream.

And do you want that? Really?

It seems I've been getting a lot of reader emails lately (and someday soon I will hopefully have time to reply to each and every one!)

In the meantime, though, I thought I'd take a stab at answering the most frequently asked questions here.

So here goes!

#1: Will there be another Gallagher Girls book after CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY? What will it be called and when will it be out?

Yes! There will be another book! I'm afraid that right now I can't really tell you what the title will be or when it will be in stores. I'm working on it, though, and I REALLY like it! And I promise that I'm going to do my best to make it as good as possible, but that's all I can really promise right now.

#2: Will Zach and Cammie get together in GG3?

Come on...do you REALLY think I'm going to give that away?

#3: Will Cammie ever find out what happened to her dad?

Ditto.

#4: I'm an actress and I think that I would be perfect to be in your movie, so can you please tell me where the movie tryouts are going to be?

I'm afraid that I really don't have any information on the movie tryouts. As far as I know they are not currently casting any of the parts and--if and when they do start casting--I won't be involved in the process at all. I wish I had more information to share, but please believe me when I say I don't.

#5: I heard you were writing a new book called Kat, but does this mean you won't be writing any more Gallagher Girl books?

Actually, I hope to be doing both! Kat will be the main character in a new series that I will be writing in addition to the Gallagher Girls series.

#6: When will Kat and GG3 be out?

I'm afraid I don't know exactly, but as soon as I find out I'll let you know.

#7: I have a great idea for a book. Can you help me sell it?

Congratulations! Really great ideas are rare, so cherish the ones you get. The first thing you need to do is write the book. Don't talk about writing instead of writing the book. Don't join a bunch of writers groups where everyone complains about how hard it is to get published instead of writing the book. Don't read a bunch of books on how to get published instead of writing the book. Are you noticing a trend yet? Can you tell that I'm a firm believer that a book can't be sold/published until you've WRITTEN the book? So get to writing!

#8: Have you read the TWILIGHT books? And do you know Stephenie Meyer?

Yes! And, sadly, no.

#9: Can you give me a hint about GG3????? PLEASE? I'm DYING for a hint?????

Oh....um....I know what the story is and what Cammie's goal will be and lots of really cool stuff about GG3, but I'm really hesitant to say too much too soon. After all, you guys have got a looooong wait ahead of you, I'm afraid. I will say that GG3 will pick up during summer vacation after GG2 and it will take the girls through the fall semester of their Junior year.

And that's it. Lips. Officially. Zipped.

#10: I know you said that you can't tell me anything about the movie tryouts, but if you know something about the movie tryouts, can you please tell me?

Sorry. I honestly don't have anything to tell.

#11: Will Zach be in any future books at all?

No comment. I will say that Cammie sort of already asked Zach that question and he already sort of answered it.

#12: How many books about the Gallagher Girls are there going to be?

I've gone back and forth about whether or not to say this here, but I'm going to go ahead and put it out there...

My plan right now is to write a total of six books about the Gallagher Girls. Of course, plans change, and I have to go where the story takes me, and the last thing I want to do is stretch out--or rush--a plot just because I'm committed to a six book series. But my PLAN right now is to do a book a semester for Cammie's sophomore, junior, and senior years of spy school.

That could change, of course, but right now that's my intention.

Okay, gang, that's all I've got for tonight. I'm afraid things have been really, really busy lately (and they won't slow down until February), but in the meantime thanks again to all of you for being so utterly awesome.

have a great week!

Ally

I have a question if u could have any actress play one of your characters who would it be, like Cammie's mom? If YOU, and only you, had your choice to pick who played Cammie in the movie, who would you pick. The same for Bex, Liz, and Macey?

The answer to this question varies a lot all the time. For Mr. Solomon, right now I'm loving the idea of Kyle Chandler who is great in Friday Night Lights, but seeing him as the bomb squad guy on Grey's Anatomy really sealed the deal for me. He WAS Mr. Solomon in that.

I have oodles of actresses who I can see in the role of Rachel. All the time I was writing, I admit, I had a mental picture of Famke Janssen and/or Rachel Weisz in my head for Cammie's mom.

But now I can'’t stop thinking about Julia Roberts!!! Or Uma Thurman. Oh my gosh! Lauren Graham!!!! I'm obsessed. Ooh! Catherine Zeta-Jones!

And Josh...well I have to go back to my Friday Night Lights addiction for Zach Gilford, aka Matt the adorable. He does cute vulnerable so well I can't help but think he'd be the perfect Josh.

For the main girls (Cammie, Bex, Liz, and Macey) I'm really the worst possible person since by the time I've heard of a teen actress she's probably already too old for the role.

The only possible exception would be that I've always really, really liked Haden Panettiere (who was in a really great made-for-TV-movie called "If You Believe" about a NY book editor who finds a rough manuscript--and love--over the holiday season and this movie totally made me want to be a writer even more than I already did, so it might be kinda fitting if she were to get the role.)

Haden is pretty, though. Really, really pretty. And I kinda think she'd have a hard time being "invisible." But Hollywood makeup artists can do anything, right?

How do you figure out the names for your characters? Like when did you decide Cammie should be called Cammie.

I knew the main girl was going to be "the chameleon" and I'm such a sucker for alleteration that I picked the first "C" name I thought of--Cammie--and it was perfect from the get-go. It absolutely stuck.

As for Bex, I heard the name as a nickname for Rebecca once and it stuck with me. Like Cammie, Bex was always Bex. I really like that she has this classic and beautiful name (because she is a classically beautiful girl) and yet she chooses to go by something edgier. That's Bex in a nutshell.

Liz, I admit, was named after my sister's neighbor. She too is very, very tiny. And sweet.

Macey....um. No idea where that one came from either. Macey McHenry was always just Macey McHenry.

I don't make this stuff up, folks. I just write it down.

Do you outline your stories before you write them? If you do, what sort of outline do you use?

Not really. I've tried everything under the sun--outlines, detailed synopses,, you name it. But the problem for me is that everything tends to sound good in theory. I won't know if it's working or not until I get there.

I do, however, still storyboard. Storyboarding is a screenwriting concept where you write scenes on cards (or in my case big Post-It notes) and line them up in order that they'd happen in the movie. I do this for everything I write. I've never stuck with one 100% though. Still, it's good to get ideas down and stick them on the wall before you forget them.

Okay, if you could go back and change something about LYKY, is there anything that comes to mind, and if so what (and why)?

I'd probably rewrite every page if someone would give me the chance--not because it's bad or I don't like it but because ALL writers never stop writing. When I do readings at events I never read it the way it is on the page--I always change the wording. I'll probably ALWAYS change the wording. It's my cross to bear.

Lately I've been seeing a lot of people online who don't like the ending of LYKY, and I have to say that despite that I would never, ever, ever change the ending. That is the CORRECT ending. Anything else would have been made up and it's my job to write the truest fiction possible.

That is the only way that book could end, for me. I know a lot of you would like the "riding off into the sunset" moment where everything is perfect.

But seriously? Where's the fun in that?

Okay. So I've gone back and forth on this. A lot.

Should I post it? Should I keep my trap shut? Should I say something? Should I keep quiet?

But it's reached the point, gang, that I feel like I really have to say something about the I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU movie tryout situation...IF there is going to be a tryout. And that's a HUGE if. And that's kind of the point.

See, there are a lot of things I've learned about the movie process.

1. writers don't have any say. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. For all I know they're filming in Canada right now. Which...they aren't. But they could be because I'm that out of the loop. I signed contracts saying that Disney (now Walden Media) has film rights to the book and that was the end of my involvement. Period.

2. in the case of the LYKY movie, there are producers attached to the project, and there are writers working on a screenplay. But no actors or directors will be involved until AFTER the script is finished.

3. for a movie like this I would be very, very surprised if they have an open casting call of any kind. I know we've all heard stories about how movie producers went all over England for kids to try out for Harry Potter but--let's face it folks--this isn't Harry Potter.

4. I did have lunch with one of the film producers several weeks ago and we did talk about actors/actresses for the main roles. They're all very talented people who are currently involved in the industry. NONE OF THEM HAVE BEEN OFFERED A ROLE YET--please understand this. It was just kind of like Christmas--we were making wish lists.

5. At no point during the lunch did the producer mention having casting calls or auditions. Now, this doesn't mean it WON'T happen, and that's why I hate to say anything that might trample on anyone's dreams. But I do think that it's good to keep things as realistic and as in-perspective as possible.

6. the movie may very well never get made. Sure, all signs are good right now, but do you guys have any idea how hard it is to get a film made? How many hoops you have to clear? How many stars have to align perfectly? This whole thing could fall apart tomorrow, so don't say I didn't warn you.

I'm not saying don't follow your dreams, and I'll never say don't dream big. But when I look at Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Brittany Spears I just pray that these are not your role models and that your desire to be in the LYKY movie isn't stemming from a desire to be them.

I remember hearing a quote once about how it used to be that people were famous for being special and now people are special for being famous.

You know what I think? I think it would be great if, instead of trying to be a Gallagher Girl in the movies, we all tried a little harder to be like the Gallagher Girls in real life.

Learn a language; study hard; be fiercely loyal friends...

And you'll all be stars in my book.

-Ally