I was reading about when Alice was choosing the dress for her senior-prom in Incredibly Alice, and I was wondering if you have a photo you saw that inspired the dress. 

Question:

I wish I could say that I did, or that I love designing dresses, or that it was always the dress I wanted to have.  To tell the truth, I’m more an auditory person than a visual one.  And I can remember instances in the past when I described a dress out of desperation, and the editors gently changed it a little for me–the color or style or fabric.  When I was in high school I made my own prom dresses, though, and I do remember those.  The first was a black velvet top with a black, green and plaid taffeta skirt; the second was a brilliant red cap -sleeved dress, and–thinking my boyfriend already knew the color when he asked–I jokingly told him it was purple.  My mother said she could still remember my face when he handed me an orchid corsage.  The third dress I made, that I liked the best, was a light blue cotton stapless, form-fitting at the bodice with a flared skirt.  I loved that dress.  Maybe I should have put Alice in one of those.

would you ever consider writing a sequel to your novel

Phyllis replied:

No, I don’t think I would.  There are just too many other books I want to write.

I have two questions to ask you (reading the Alice books in Please Don’t Be True kind of set them off!!)
1. It seems like Pam’s miscarriage wasn’t a big deal. I don’t get how they happen though. So she went to the bathroom and bled, and that was it? Isn’t the baby still inside her though? So confusing.
 

Phyllis replied:

Early in a pregnancy, the miscarriage may not be more than a lot of bleeding into the toilet, with perhaps clumps of blood or a little tissue, so that the woman knows this is more than just a “little bleeding,” and can well suspect a miscarriage.  Later on, when the baby is much larger, she would definitely expel something that appeared to be a fetus.  I’m not a doctor, remember, but in the first few months of pregnancy, the first few weeks in particular, there is not much to see, and the miscarriage would look like clumps of blood. 

Question # 2. About birth control, I am still paranoid that even on pills and using condoms (2 methods), I will still get pregnant. These TV shows and my mom telling me stories scare me. Am I overly paranoid? Should I not worry?  

Phyllis replied:

 It would be very, very unlikely for you to get pregnant using both kinds of birth control, I would imagine.  Nothing is 100%, of course, and the woman could forget she had skipped a day, and the condom could be defective.  If you are all this worried, however, I would think that intercourse would be rather miserable for you, and wonder, if you are unmarried, why you are taking this chance if you worry so much?  Mothers do tend to scare their daughters because they don’t want to see them become pregnant before they are ready to be mothers themselves.  But a big advantage of being married when you have sex is that your baby is likely to be welcomed if you become pregnant or, if an unplanned pregnancy, at least supported, we hope, by the husband.  Your fear of getting pregnant, however, is something you should be able to talk over with your boyfriend.

Phyllis replied:

I haven’t seen the cover yet myself, but the editor says it’s great!  I believe Alice is standing at the rail of a cruise ship.

HELP! I recently bought 3 books.. they each had 3 parts… I’m going on to Please don’t be true… were there previous books that i should have read? GAH! and is there a 3 part book for senior year?!

Phyllis replied:

I have left out the examples you gave of things you wished you hadn’t done, but they were mistakes that many other young women could have made, nothing at all so terribly wrong, because you didn’t have the experience of dealing with this sort of thing, and because you wanted to be polite.  You didn’t want to hurt his feelings.  I’ve heard of these situations many times before, and can remember some of my own when I was young.  We’re so trained to be polite to those who are older than we are, or are in a position of authority, or of whom we’ve been taught to respect, that we give them too much power by telling them too much about ourselves.  And then, when they use it against us, or as an excuse to get personal, we don’t know how to react. 

As long as you don’t feel are compromising your safety, and don’t expect that he would actually harm you, I would suggest that you stop your campaign of not talking to him.  Practice speaking to him very generally, as you might to any other employee.  If he says Good Morning, for example, you say, “Good morning, George.  Hi, Cindy, etc.”  What he wants from you is a reaction, preferably favorable and flirty, but if he can’t have that, then he will get some kind of thrill just knowing he’s upset you, or embarrassed you, and therefore it means you are thinking about HIM. 

Try to speak with him in a tone and a volume that can be heard by other people if he is trying to get personal.  “George, that is none of your business, and I don’t care for your personal questions.  Please stop it.”  If you have to, you can go to your boss, but you may be able to solve this on your own by making sure other people hear what is going on just by the volume of your voice.   If he confronts you when you are alone, you need to be absolutely up front with him.  Tell him firmly that he is a business associate, and that’s it.  Don’t be drawn into a discussion of why your attitude toward him has changed.  He surely knows he’s way beyond the usual boundaries.   If at any point you feel that you might be in danger, go immediately to your supervisor, if not the police, and explain what’s going on.  What it sounds like to me, however, is that he is accustomed to taking advantage of young women and gets his jollies out of trying to find out about your personal life.  It’s difficult reacting this way to someone you once confided in, but you don’t have to explain.  This man knows exactly what he’s done.  The best way to turn him off is not by being either friendly and apologetic or angry, but simply indifferent.

Hi! I’m am writing to you to tell you how much I love love love the alice books!!! They are the first books I have ever read where I really feel

This isn’t an alice question, but are you going to write another book or series about the Malloys and the Hatfords? I would definitely read about them being in high school or college. Or will there be a movie out?

Phyllis replied:

Oh, I’m sorry, but there are only those twelve books.  There are too many other kinds of books I want to write.  For those interested in this series, about some boys and girls in grade and middle school, start with “The Boys Start the War.”

Sorry for for being late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I know this goes against tradition, but in honor of your birthday and a new year, can you give a present to the readers and give us a hint or sneek peak about the upcoming Alice book??? Hopefully something to do with romance

Phyllis replied:

Okay.  Here’s a hint about “Alice On Board” which comes out in May or June:   Mitch.