Hey everybody,
In the aftermath of the complete and total technology failure for the Heist Society chat, I opened up the comments section of this post to questions and then went through and added my replies.
It’s not quite as immediate or cool as the live chat would have been, I know, but hopefully it’s better than nothing.
To see the questions and my answers, just click on the “comments” link at the top of this post.
I’m sorry but due to time limitations, I will not be able to reply to any more questions, so I’m going to go ahead and disable new comments for this post at this time.
Thanks!
Ally
PS: Be warned–the comments section of this post DOES contain spoilers for Heist Society! Enter at your own risk!
lila says
May 31, 2010 at 8:09 pmhi ally i was just wondering are hales parents thieves or just rich?
Jill says
April 4, 2012 at 12:44 pmThey are both!
johanna says
May 20, 2012 at 11:42 pmTheir just rich, hale became a thief after he caught Kat trying to steal his Monet and they teemed up.
J says
October 14, 2013 at 1:34 pmRich
Audrey says
May 31, 2010 at 8:11 pmHi!!!!! I LOVE all your books! i just wanted to know if you where going to do a crossover with the Gallagher Girls???
louise says
November 1, 2013 at 5:51 pmthere is one already
Cam says
March 23, 2018 at 2:07 amWhich one?
SFogleman says
June 1, 2010 at 4:11 pmThe first book is under option at Warner Brothers. They’re working on a screenplay right now, and the signs are pretty good, but it takes a lot of money, time, people, and luck to make a movie happen, so the answer to your question is, at best, “Maybe”.
As to the second part of your question, I don’t know. I see this series being far more open-ended than, say, the Gallagher Girls books. I might end up writing 20 heist books. I may write 2. There’s just no way to say for sure right now.
Rachel says
May 31, 2010 at 8:18 pmWhy didn’t hale kiss kat?!? there were so many times when I was like, right now he’s gunna do it, sight now, and then he didn’t!! Why?!?
Ella Grace =D says
December 8, 2012 at 5:45 pmI know, i thought so to, but he never did.. it made me so sad 🙁 But Ally does write amazing “Love Stories” even though thats not the main point.. XD
Heidi says
May 31, 2010 at 8:26 pmWhy did you put Uncle Eddie in New York, U.S., when the rest of the story takes place in Europe?
p.s. Sorry the chat didn’t work out!
Firefox says
May 31, 2010 at 8:29 pmwhat did it mean that the bagshaws were blacklisted?
Firefox says
May 31, 2010 at 8:32 pmHow did Kat’s mother die?
Will Taccone come after Kat?
MMLT says
May 31, 2010 at 8:50 pmThere are a lot of similarities between Kat and Cammie example , they are both only children, one of there parents is not in the life (dead/missing ), They are both average on the outside but can both do extraordinary things . Is there a reason that they have so much in common?
Anonymous says
May 31, 2010 at 8:56 pmIs Nick going to come back into any of the books?
Anonymous says
November 23, 2012 at 1:50 amI sure hope so!
Kate says
May 31, 2010 at 9:01 pmHey,
Are we ever going to hear the story about how Kat and Hale met?
Angela says
January 22, 2013 at 9:59 amWe already kind of know. Hale caught Kat when she tried to steal his Monet. That introduced Hale to the Family, which brought them together pretty often.
Anonymous says
May 31, 2010 at 9:20 pmmy question is: Does Hale have a name and you just decided to make him more michevious by hiding it or was he always Hale?
and are you going to reveal his real name in the next book or any other?
Anonymous says
May 31, 2010 at 9:27 pmthis isn’t a question more like a comment but i love when you write in 3rd person Ally for some reason i like it better (not that this influences my obsession with the gg books b/c those rock!:))
Andi says
May 31, 2010 at 9:39 pmHey Ally, I loved the book Heist Society, and i was just curious if you planned on making it a series or not.
<3 AnDi
Reina says
May 31, 2010 at 10:08 pmHey Ally! Okay, so Heist Society is written from third person. I’m always curious about an author’s choice of point of view. I’m curious as to why you thought that this story would be told best from third instead of first person.
And secondly, I know that you’ve mentioned the tone of the book is more mature than the tone of Gallagher Girls. Was this something that you knew would happen when you went to write the novel, or did it just come out this way? Did you consciously decide to create a more mature YA book, or were the plot and characters of this book simply more mature?
Laura says
May 31, 2010 at 11:02 pmIs there going to be a movie? And how many books will be in this series?
Anonymous says
May 31, 2010 at 11:31 pmWere any of the paintings you wrote about real paintings?
Daisy says
May 31, 2010 at 11:43 pmIt’s ok Ally. It’s not your fault. Anyway. thanks for your time and here are some of my question.
1. Can you tell us what Heist Society 2 will be about?
2. Will new characters be introduce in the second book?
I had more questions, but I forgot and I don’t want to give to many. Thanks again. And better luck next time!
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:29 amThey are not thieves in the way that Bobby or Uncle Eddie are thieves. They aren’t even white collar criminals.
But they aren’t exactly good people either (and Hale knows it.)
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:31 amNo plans for a crossover at this time and, honestly, I don’t think I could/would ever do a full novel that way. There are far too many questions that would come up (what POV, who is the hero/heroine, etc.)
But that being said, I would never rule out something much, much shorter just for fun.
(But please don’t ask for it. Asking for it will only make me firm in my resolve never to want to do it much like my mother telling me I’d regret not practicing piano made me never want to play piano.)
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:32 amKat is scary.
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:36 amI don’t know really. It just never occurred to me to have Uncle Eddie living anyplace else.
New York is a city where anyone can blend in. It’s one of the original hubs for immigrants in this country and Uncle Eddie is, at his core, an immigrant (he was born and raised in Russia/Eastern Europe). It’s a great city for thieves (I’d assume) because you can disappear. And, I think, I was largely influenced by the great detective books by Rex Stout featuring an older, brilliant, and totally cranky genius named Nero Wolfe and he lived in a grand old brownstone.
I wanted Uncle Eddie to be my homage to Nero Wolfe.
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:37 amThe saying “honor among thieves” is a very real one for a real reason. The (limited) research I did on these types of families revealed that they have their own strict moral codes. When the Bagshaws (before the book started) conned a group of nuns they broke those codes. Therefore, they were tossed out of “polite” thief society. Only someone like Uncle Eddie could absolve them of their sin.
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:39 amKat’s mother didn’t die a mysterious death, so I haven’t dwelled on it that much. In fact, Kat hasn’t dwelled on it. She remembers her mother in flashes and fragments of memory, and that works for her.
As for Taccone, I don’t know exactly when or where but Kat and I both know in our guts he’ll be back for her. Sometime.
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:42 amKat and Cammie do share a lot of traits. Some of them come from me. Some of them come from standard practices in YA literature (having parents who have passed away is far more prevalent among teen heroes and heroines than it is among teens, I’m pretty sure).
I worried about them being too similiar from time to time, but I realized at some point that their similarites are really surface things. At their cores, they’re very different and those differences stem from one simple fact: Kat would love to leave her family business. Cammie is willing to give up almost anything to get into hers.
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:43 amI never know until it happens, but I would never count on never seeing anyone again. Kat’s world, after all, is a very small one.
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:44 amI have no plans at this time to write a separate story, if that’s what you mean. But that could happen.
As to weaving more details into a future book, I will if the book calls for it, but only then.
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:46 amI don’t know why I decided to have Hale’s first name a big secret. I think it started with the idea of a character who just goes by his last name. Then I liked the idea of initials because that’s something very closely associated with extreme wealth. I think the bit about Kat not knowing just came out as I was writing. It wasn’t a conscious decision (which is how I knew it was a good one).
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:47 amThank you!
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:48 amThank you, and yes. At least I think so.
I’m working on book 2 right now. I have no idea how many books there will be, but I love these characters and would like to work with them for many years.
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:50 amI talked about POV above, so here I’ll focus on tone if that’s okay.
In answer to your question, not really. It just came out that way and that, I think, goes back to Kat’s character.
In Love You Kill You Cammie is 15, but she’s been sheltered and protected and is really a very young 15. Kat is 15 in Heist Society, but she’s a very weary and jaded 15. That had more to do with it than anything else, I believe.
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:55 amAwesome question!
The paintings that I mention and deal with specifically in the book are all made up for the purposes of the novel. The artists, on the other hand, are all very real.
I knew very little about art going into this, so that was one thing I did try to research and cross-reference. This was primarily because the Nazis had very strict rules about art and artists. Some of today’s masters were treasured and soldiers were ordered to collect those works. Some were considered scandalous and those paintings were supposed to be burned in the streets. I wanted to be certain that the artists I chose matched the fate of the paintings I depicted here.
One of the more symbolic things in the book (that some of you may or may not have noticed) is that the five paintings that were at the Henly actually corresponded to each of the members of Kat’s original crew.
Dancer Waiting in the Wings = Gabrielle
The Philosopher = Simon
Two Boys Running Through Haystacks = Angus and Hamish
The Prodigal Son = Hale
And, of course, Girl Praying to Saint Nicholas = Kat
Izzie says
May 27, 2012 at 11:08 pmThat’s awesome about the paintings, I loved heist society because I can relate to Kat a lot and because it was just really well written.
Aubrey says
February 14, 2014 at 2:56 amThat is so cool, I didn’t notice that!!!!
Anjali says
February 16, 2014 at 4:11 amAmazing how much authors think through things… Kudos Ally!
Ally Carter says
June 1, 2010 at 4:56 amIt’s too soon to say much about Heist 2 (it changes drastically every day at this point), but I can say that new characters are a must for me when it comes to sequels.
If you keep writing the same characters, after all, it’s far too easy to keep writing the same book.
MysteryGirl says
February 17, 2012 at 7:21 pmHi ally,
Absolutely lovers the book! Can’t wait for the second one to come out and I hope ur gonna write mNy many more!
Anyways my question is that what happens to the fifth painting? Because in the ending of my book kat drives off in the limo with hale and then it finishes and it never says what happens to the fifth painting??
Also does kats father come out of prison?
Thanks xoxoxo
NoName says
April 3, 2012 at 1:45 amUmmm… My question is … Is there going to be someone in book 3 just like in book 1 && 2 to make hale jealous like nick did or more like is nick, or both nick and someone else going to be hitting on kat or this time someone hitting on hale right in front of her just.like nick hit on kat or both someone or two ppl hitting on kat and one girl hitting on hale well ?
my point is are ppl. Hoing to be seperating them !?!
Oh and this is just train of thought is someone well .. I mean gabriellle going to make kat prety as in kat has a low -low self-of-stem , as in get her to do heels instead of flats and well all in all appreciate herself ?
Jenna says
April 3, 2012 at 10:50 pmAlly,
You are an inspiration to me and I hope to be an author someday. I would love to meet you sometime if at all remotely possible. I love your books and was hoping to know when Heist Society three was coming out? I am dying to know what happens!!!
Thanks a ton!:)
Jenn
Vicky says
April 6, 2012 at 12:53 pmIs there going to be a third book coming out?!
Anastasia says
April 18, 2012 at 6:04 pmWhen is the 3rd book going to come out? I am dying to read it.
HANNABEAR says
April 26, 2012 at 12:27 pmWhat was Hale’s real name? Did the book ever say it?
HANNABEAR says
April 26, 2012 at 12:32 pmIf you could decide Hale’s first name what would you want to make it?
HANNABEAR says
April 26, 2012 at 12:35 pmIf you could name Hale like first name what would it be?
laiba says
April 28, 2012 at 9:28 pmis there going to be a third heist society book?!?!?!
laiba says
May 28, 2012 at 9:47 amWhat does the W.W stand for????????
I’m dying to know!!!!!!
laiba says
May 28, 2012 at 9:52 amIs there any possible way that you could end up writing more than 6 gallagher girl book?????
……cuz i don’t think i will be able to live with only six.
lauren says
June 16, 2012 at 12:38 pmHey ally,
I am doing a presentation on you for the olympics as we are learning about inspiration in school. I have chosen to complete a presentation on you as you inspire me and i have read all of you books. One thing i wanted to ask was, what inspired you to start writing ?
Hope you get back to me.
Emily says
July 12, 2012 at 3:18 pmHow old are hamish and angus?
Ive read both the hs books and carnt figure it out :/ xx
laiba says
July 12, 2012 at 3:36 pmIs it possible that with enough amount of begging you might reconsider writhing perhaps a 7th GG novel?
elisa says
July 14, 2012 at 4:44 pmCiao….Mi chiamo Elisa e mi piacerebbe molto se tu facessi un libro che contenesse entrambe le protagoniste dei tuoi libri,cioè: Kat (heist socety) e Cammie (spy girls),anche gli altri personaggi.Sarebbe davvero bello!!!Vorrei sapere quando uscirà heist socety in italia….perchè non ho trovato niente in proposito….sei la mia scrittrice preferita!!! ciao…
P.S.scusa se non ho scritto in inglese….spero che riesca a tradurlo,,,
Kelly Pratt says
September 29, 2012 at 7:54 pmHi Ally! Love your books. Why wont hale tell his name to Kat?
Becky says
October 14, 2012 at 1:08 pmIs the painting in the book a real painting, and if it is, what is the name of it again?
heist says
December 12, 2012 at 12:39 pmIn heist society 3 will you tell us what happened to Kat’s mom. And also will hale and kat get together and then get separated.