Message from Phyllis

The “Alice bible” that we used to keep track of every little piece of Alice’s life is now available for you to see: whatever fact you ever wanted to know–her first kiss, Lester’s girlfriends, Ben’s assistant manager at the Melody Inn–you will find at http://www.alicemckinley.com if you click on “Just the Facts” on the masthead. We’re sorry it took so long to get it up there for you to see, but we wanted to make sure the most recent information was included.  And then I’ve been up to my ears clearing my desk of all that’s accumulated while we worked on this final book.  I have many of your emails yet to answer and post on this website, and will get to them a few at a time.  Thank you for patience, and most of all, thank you for your loyalty all these years and the wonderful emails and letters you have sent.  I treasure them all.

NEWS FROM PHYLLIS

Hello, Readers:

The marketing people at my publisher’s have decided that we need both a change of title and cover for the last and final Alice book.  At some point soon, “Always Alice” will disappear from Amazon.com and the Barnes & Noble websites–and probably many more–to be replaced by “Now I’ll Tell You Everything!”  We don’t know what the cover will be yet–we’re still thinking.  Same book, same story, same characters–but a different title and cover.  Confused?  Hang in there.  It will be worth the wait.

Notes from Phyllis

Hello, readers:

I’m trying to understand this new format for the Alice website, so hope this message gets to the right place.  I’m now able to post your emails to me almost as soon as you send them (providing I’m on the computer just then), so hopefully my answers will get posted on the fan mail page within a day or two.  I’m heading to New York tomorrow, but will be taking a draft of Alice in Charge along on the train.  I seem to be able to work in a public place as long as no one interrupts me. 

My two granddaughters in Minneapolis are getting ready for graduation, one from high school, one from middle school;  Sophia is looking forward to college, Tressa is looking forward to high school.  In my New Jersey family, Garrett will entering first grade next year, Beckett will be having his third birthday.   So there will be a lot of changes in both families, and change is the one thing in life we can be sure of. 

I’d love to hear what YOU are looking forward to the most this summer!

Happy Holidays, everybody!

We were supposed to have an ice storm today, but it’s only rain dripping from the icicle lights along our balcony railing.

We spent Thanksgiving with our younger son and his family in New Jersey.  Garrett is five, Beckett is two, and they roll around on the floor and wrestle like bear cubs.  The first morning we were there, our bedroom door opened just a crack and a small voice whispered, “Nana, will you play hide-and-seek with me?”  I did, in my pajamas.

We will spend Christmas with our older son and his family in Minnesota.  Sophia is a senior in high school, Tressa is in eighth grade.  We’ll be celebrating Sophia’s acceptance at Swarthmore next fall, and Tressa’s leaving middle school AT LAST!  When she went to high school orientation, her big sister gave her a tour.

I  hope that the holidays will be good ones for you.  I  hope to find time to work some more on the Alice book coming out in 2010, which I haven’t really titled yet.  Perhaps it will be “Alice in Charge.”   I hope to hear from you in the coming year!

Dear Readers

Here are some of the letters I’ve received recently, either by mail or through the FriendsofAlice@aol.com address. I’m not using your names, because we all know that sometimes people sign friends’ names to their own letters, and this can cause all kinds of trouble. If you don’t see your own letter here (or a part of it–I’ll rarely use the whole letter), just remember that I read them all, and love to hear from you!

To know the order in which to read the Alice books, please visit the Books in Order page. Before you write, be sure to read the Alice FAQ for answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Yours,

Phyllis