FAQS

Six. United We Spy was the final book in the Gallagher Girls series.

Possibly someday, but there are no firm plans to do that at this time.

GG1: I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU
GG2: CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY
GG3: DON’T JUDGE A GIRL BY HER COVER
GG4: ONLY THE GOOD SPY YOUNG
GG5: OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF TIME
GG6: UNITED WE SPY

I was watching the TV show ALIAS one night and misunderstood what was happening in the episode. I thought it was about a girl at a spy school, but it wasn’t. It didn’t matter that I was wrong, though, because by that point I couldn’t stop wondering what I spy school would be like, and I knew I had to write that story.

Actually, it’s all different girls and I don’t know any of their names–sorry. My awesome publisher, Disney-Hyperion, has tried to get the same model for each shoot but so far that hasn’t been possible. For the GG3 cover they actually did some fancy stuff with Photoshop so that the girl’s face is the same from LYKY, but each book technically shows a different model.

There is no such thing as a universal international publication date, but we do our best to keep a list of all of the countries where we have sold publishing rights. Please check this list to see if a publisher in your country has purchased rights. Then you’ll need to check with a local bookstore or the local publisher to determine what the publication date might be. For more information on how international publishing works, please read this post.

The decision to make the uniforms a different color on each book doesn’t have anything to do with the books or the school. Actually, it’s a little trick that hopefully helps the “look” of the book walk the line between making people recognize it as a Gallagher Girls book but also keeps people from thinking that they’ve read that one before.

So, in other words, ideally people will think: hey, I know those books. But they will also say “my books are blue and green–this red one must be new!”

It’s a thin, thin line and a tough one to walk–that’s why it takes so long to get the GG covers right sometimes.

Sometimes books are misprinted, but don’t worry. If you get a misprinted book you simply have to return it to the store where you bought it. Most stores will happily exchange damaged merchandise for a new copy at no charge.

You are very observant. But sort of mistaken. Let me explain.

Cammie writes each book (or each book so far) during the school break that follows the semester in question.

So Cammie, the narrator, is telling the story of LYKY during winter break–in other words during late December or early January. So when she says “I’ll be sixteen next month” she’s talking about turning sixteen in late January or early February (to tell you the truth, I’ve never really narrowed it down.)

So she actually turned 16 during the course of CMH. Initially, there was a scene in there about her birthday, but it didn’t serve any purpose, so it got cut somewhere along the line.

The name Gallagher comes from Gallagher-Iba Arena at my alma mater, Oklahoma State University.

I first got bit by the writing bug when I was probably twelve or thirteen. At that time, all my friends and I were super into The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. When I found out that it was written by someone who lived near where I lived and who was about my same age (at the time it was written) I decided that that was something I could do.

I tend to write very fast (very bad) first drafts over the course of four to six weeks. I will then spend six to nine months revising.

Everywhere. All the time. Really, lack of ideas is never a problem for a writer. We see them in our morning cereal. Finding time to execute those ideas…that is a different story.

I get to do what I wanted to do when I was twelve years old. There aren’t a lot of people who can say that. Plus, I get to work in my pajamas.

Possibly. I actually don’t get to set my own tour schedules. My publishers do that. But I do love to travel, so I’d love to go to all the places! Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to write while on tour and the writing always has to take precedence.

Because I don’t make movies. I have, however, optioned the books to a number of very talented people. Hopefully someday one of them will be able to get the project(s) off the ground.

No. Absolutely never. That is a legal and creative nightmare, so I don’t go near it.

1. Read as much as you can.
2. Write as much as you can.
3. Read DEAR ALLY, HOW DO YOU WRITE A BOOK?

Maybe! The Gallagher Girls series is currently under options with Tonik Productions, owned by Nikki Silver and Tonya Lewis Lee.

Maybe! Stayed tuned for some exciting news!

Right now I really have no idea. All I feel certain of is that it probably won’t have a set series arc like the GG books (and, for example, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, etc.) where we are told one larger story over several smaller books. More likely it will be more episodic so each story will be more self-contained (like Nancy Drew, for example). This means it could hopefully go on for as long (or as short) as it works out.

I have absolutely no details at this time, but that is my most sincere hope. It may take a few years (I have to get Embassy Row off the ground), but I do anticipate doing a Heist 4 at some point in the future.

Book 1: Heist Society
Book 2: Uncommon Criminals
Book 3: Perfect Scoundrels

It’s probably best to read them in order, but you don’t necessarily have to. I really set out to write a series that could be read in any order with each installment standing on its own. I haven’t been entirely successful, but Heist is definitely more that way than 90% of the teen series being published today.

I tell the longer story under the “Story behind the story” tab at the Heist Society book page. The short story is that I was in my car, listening to an audiobook. There was a line in the book–something like “I felt like a cat burglar in my own house”, and I immediately knew I wanted to write a story about a girl named Kat who was a burglar.

I tell the full story here.

It was a title that just popped into my head pretty early on, but we (my editor, agent, writer friends) all kept thinking that maybe there was something better. Months and months we searched. We probably came up with dozens of titles—all of which felt wrong. It took a while to realize that was because Heist Society was right. Now I can’t imagine calling the book anything else.

That’s a hard one. I love them all in different ways. Kat is very independent and savvy about some things–not so much others. Her cousin, Gabrielle, is the only other main female character and she’s very upfront and honest in a wonderfully blunt and refreshing kind of way.

And then there are the boys… Sigh. So many boys.

Well, I’m neither spy nor thief nor, and assassins have never tried to kill me, but it’s impossible to write a character without having at least a tiny bit of yourself seep in.

Chances are they were covered in our Heist Society Q&A on the blog. Check out the archive now!

Embassy Row is about Grace, the granddaughter of a powerful ambassador, who must return to her grandfather’s home on Embassy Row where she uncovers an international conspiracy while solving the mystery of her mother’s death.

Embassy Row was always meant to be a three-book series. ALL FALL DOWN, SEE HOW THEY RUN, and TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP. 

Book 1: All Fall Down

Book 2: See How They Run

Book 3: Take the Key and Lock Her Up

Ally Ambassadors are readers who take part in fun challenges, get sneak peeks and early excerpts, and have a chance to win cool prizes.

To sign up to be an Ally Ambassador visit EmbassyRowBooks.com and click the “Ally Ambassador” tab.

I’m writing my first Middle Grade novel! It should be out in fall 2019. Stay tuned for details! Title, cover, and description coming soon!

I’ve learned that long-term happiness in this business means always having a few things that I’m working on just for fun. No deadline. No pressure. Luckily, most of those things have eventually been published or produced in some way. The Grift of the Magi, The Spies that Bind, and Not if I Save You First all started as Super Secret Projects.

And right now I have a few new ones going. Will anything come of them? Maybe. Maybe not. But I’m having a lot of fun, and that’s the most important thing!