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...
Hey everyone, I have a favor to ask. A cool favor, I think.
You see, the amazingly cool people from the Georgia Peach award committee have asked if there are any discussion questions for teachers/librarians/readers to use when talking about I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU.
And the short answer is no--we haven't written any official discussion questions. But the longer answer is, I bet my blog readers would come up with awesome discussion questions!!!
So here you go guys--this is your chance. What are the things that come to mind when reading Love You Kill You? What themes/elements were in the book that you found yourself thinking about after?
Note: these aren't really questions that readers have for me, but rather questions that readers might have for themselves.
I'll start with a question of my own: Cammie and Josh talk about free will--Cammie wonders whether to follow her mother and father into their professions just like Josh feels pressured to take over his family's business. Do you ever feel this way or do you believe you have total say over what your future will be like?
See. Questions like that. For yourselves.
So go ahead guys, the comment section is waiting for your awesome quetions. Amaze and awe me like you always do!
-Ally
ps...Here are some example questions, just to get you rolling...
First, I've got to give a big shout out to Jennifer Lynn Barnes who just sold a four-book series called Science, the Apocalypse and Me.
How happy does this make me? Very, very happy. Because Jen is incredibly sweet and smart and talented, of course. But also because Jen is a SCIENTIST. That's right. She has a LAB COAT. And personally I think that to write a book about science and the end of the world you should know as much about science as possible.
In fact, this is kind of a kick I've been on (and am likely to stay on.) Simply put, I think writers should be experts about their subject matter. Or as much of an expert as they can possibly be (which is why I read oodles of books on covert operations since it's probably too late for me to actually become a spy.)
Still, there are things on which I am an expert. And some day I hope to write about them. Because it annoys the heck out of me when other people get them wrong.
Like how last night I watched that new Holly Hunter show, Saving Grace. I was sort of looking forward to it, and it was pretty good, but I was shocked and amazed in the first few scenes to learn it was set in Oklahoma City! Has a major TV show ever been set in OKC? I highly doubt it.
Anyway, while a part of me was excited to see a shout-out to my home state, another part of me kind of hated it, because I knew that they were going to get things wrong. And it was going to bother me. Big time. In other words, I'm an expert about Oklahoma. They're not.
Like how all the characters/commentators/decorators act like there's only one university in the state which--let me tell you--is sooooooooo not the case. (There is only one school that's recently been severely repremanded by the NCAA, however, and ironically, that's the school they chose to feature.)
And how the "hot guy" was wearing a big black hat and all "cowboyed up" and for someone who can spot a REAL cowboy at fifty yards, it made it sort of annoying.
But the thing that really, truly got me was how the "richest cattleman in Oklahoma" was at an auction where he bought a Holstein cow for $1400. Well, first of all, if it were a regular auction they'd be bidding by the pound, not by the head which really mainly happens at seedstock auctions. And I can PROMISE you the "richest cattleman in Oklahoma" would NEVER pay fourteen hundred dollars for a Holstein cow!!! Unless, of course, he wasn't a cattleman--he was a dairyman--which is an entirely different thing! Or if the cow was a recipicent cow carrying another (better) cow's embryo. That could totally happen.
But I'm pretty sure he was just buying THAT cow, and thanks my good friend Brandon--hi Brandon!--I know enough about judging dairy cattle to tell you that one wouldn't be worth $1400 anyway.
To be fair, they got a lot of things right. I didn't notice the accents, which meant that they were good. And the settings were authentic (which makes me think they filmed a good portion of it in the area and I hope they keep that up). And Holly Hunter, as always, rocks. So I'll keep watching.
I just won't be taking any agricultural or fashion advice from them.
Just in case you're wondering, I've been reading. A lot. As in Friday evening I finished HP 4 and faced the decision whether to start book 5 or book 6 or just wait for seven.
And then I read them all.
That's right. I've been reading pretty much non-stop since Friday at five.
I cried and laughed and was terrified and outraged and pretty much the full range of human emotion, so I'm tired now and going to sleep. But I managed to stay spoiler-free, so I'm going to do my part to help others do the same.
I will not post spoilers here now. Maybe later. But in short, let me just say that I'm very, very sad to be leaving Hogwarts. I was truly happy there.
I'm going to be radio silent for the next few days--no blogging, emailing, or even going online (I hope).
Why? Well three words pretty much sum it up: Harry. Freaking. Potter.
I love these books. I know not everyone does, but I'm a big, big fan. In fact, I think I'm a special subset of fan: the fellow writer fan. We contain elements of traditional reader-fans with other, highly-specialized, aspects of fandom.
It's like how when you're watching the Olympics and some figure skater does something that looks sort of hard, but not really, but Peggy Flemming or someone freaks out about it because it's SO MUCH HARDER than it looks and the fact that that person made it look easy is super impressive. But what do I know about that? I hang onto the wall with dear life anytime I even think about ice skating.
So there. It's like that. But with writing.
In fact, you know that old question about how if you could have dinner with anyone living or dead who would it be? Well, to tell you the truth, I think I might pick JK Rowling, because both the writer and the fan in me REALLY want to pick her brain.
Like, who came first Scabbers the rat or Peter Pettigrew the traitor? At what point did she figure out what happened the night Harry's parents died? And did she make a conscious decision to always have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher or was that a happy accident that happened after Quirrell? And was Hagrid's history with the Chamber of Secrets and his expulsion always a part of his character or did that grow out of the plot of the second book? And at what point did she know the general plots for all four books? And...well...you get the idea.
But as exciting as all of this is, I am also a little bit sad because this is the last time I'll read a Harry Potter book for the first time. In fact, this is the last time anyone will ever have to wait for a new book. Think about it, when my nieces are ready to read them they can just sit down and read them--straight through. I don't know why, but that seems like a lesser experience--like maybe new generations of readers might take it all for granted.
So there--I'm sad. And I want to make the most of this last time.
I haven't finished re-reading books 5 and 6, unfortunately, so I don't know if I should wait and read them or if it would be best to jump right in.
Opinions? Thoughts?
The official blackout will kick in at 5:00 today!
-Ally
ps....to all of you going to parties tonight, be careful and have fun!
There's a crazy thing that happens when you become a published author: people start referring to you as a "bestseller." Even when you aren't.
It's incredibly weird, and it happens all the time. To me.
My local newspaper might say "Bestselling author Ally Carter is signing books at the library on..."
My friends and relatives say things like "Are you still coming to Christmas dinner now that you're a big, bestselling author..."
Random bloggers will say, "I just read this bestselling book..."
But I'm not a bestseller! (Well, unless you count individual store lists--not lists like the New York Times--which some people would argue is the only list.)
So there. I'm not a bestseller. And yet, when I was at Book Expo America a very important member of my publisher's sales team turned to me and said, "Now, Ally, how many weeks was your book on the Times list?"
He wasn't joking. He wasn't trying to embarrass me. This wasn't some passive aggressive attack like the girls in high school were so good at. No. A highly-ranking member of the sales staff honestly thought Love You Kill You had been a New York Times Bestseller!
Like I said...surreal.
And then when I explained that LYKY hadn't been on the Times list things got even stranger because he cocked his head and said, "Are you sure?"
Uh...yeah...let's just say it's not the kind of thing I'm likely forget.
So then the two of us got to talking about bestseller lists and how they're formed and what they mean and how there are many, many instances of non-bestselling books that, in the long run, sell MORE copies than books that can actually carry the "Bestseller" label.
You see, bestseller lists are based on the number of copies that are sold at certain stores during that specific week. Tess Gerritsen explains the whole thing here better than I ever could, but let me just say that there are oodles of factors.
How heavy the competition is in a given week plays a big part. (For example, do you really think any other book has a prayer of being the #1 teen title this week? I don't think so.) There are lots of books that would have been bestsellers in one week that wouldn't have stood a chance in another just because of the competition.
And the second really big factor that most people might not realize is that it's not about total books sold--it's about books sold that week. So "slow and steady" doesn't necessarily win the bestseller race. There are oodles of books that never had a huge week, but may have had a year's worth of really good weeks.
And thanks to all of you who have told your friends and talked about it on your blogs and chatted it up on airplanes, in elevators, and while lying by the pool, it looks like Love You Kill You might just be one of those.
SO THANK YOU! I'll take that over a bestseller list any day.
Have a great one, Ally (who is off to buy a mattress. For real this time. This process has gotten WAY out of hand!)
First, let me say publicly and for the record that movies and books are two DIFFERENT things. What works well in a book may not work in a movie. The film audience can't read a character's thoughts; we can't be "told" backstory (something that, in my opinion, books shouldn't do either even though lots of authors do it all the time.)
I remember seeing a quote by Stephen King when someone asked if it makes him mad when Hollywood ruins one of his books to which Mr. King responded, "what do you mean?" (pointing at books on shelf) "My books are right there."
So that's what I think about books-to-film in general. It doesn't bother me if they don't go page-by-page. They can't. I get it.
Now, the point at hand.
When I first read Order of the Phoenix it was my least-favorite HP book. I was frustrated with Harry--I wanted him to get over the brooding. I was annoyed with the Ministry of Magic--how could they deny that Voldemort was back? I was mad at Dumbledore--one sentence from him could have eliminated almost the entire book.
But then I re-read the book. And I heard a quote from JKR about how it had to be so long because it set up a lot of what was to come in books 6 and 7. And I read it again.
And now, when I take it piece-by-piece, scene-by-scene, Order of the Phoenix has some of my favorite moments/lines/images from the entire series to date. For example:
--I LOVE how JKR is able to start every book with an immediate conflict, and for my money the Dementors showing up in Harry's neighborhood is amazing.
--Mrs. Figg as a squib is just one more example of how, in this world, anyone can be important. I first fell for the series when I figured out that the main character of the third book was mentioned in a throw-away line of the first book. To learn Mrs. Figg was another example of this just left me in awe.
--Few images in the entire series captivated me as much as Harry's visit to the Ministry of Magic. It's vivid and exciting and shows the full magnitude of the world. I was (am) fascinated and amazed.
--One of the most brilliant things about the series is, in my opinion, the introduction of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher ever year. I love how that's always a new character, new conflict, new people who are qualified to teach Harry distinctly different things. It stands to reason therefore that we'd have teachers who were good (Lupin), teachers who appear good but are really bad (Moody, Quirrell), teachers who are hapless (Lockhart), and teachers who are bad.
But how can there be a BAD teacher? How would Dumbledore allow it? Well...enter Professor Umbridge. I hated her. And I was supposed to.
Voldemort is the bad guy--no doubt about it. But he's miles away. What risk does Harry face in that situation? Where is the day-to-day conflict? Well, in the form of Umbridge, of course. Brilliant, if you ask me.
--Perhaps my favorite line in the series is when all the members of the Order are fighting, and someone says that Harry isn't Mrs. Weasley's son, and she says, "He's as good as!". That made me cry.
--The scene with Neville's parents at St. Mungos had me bawling.
--Fred and George summoning their brooms and going out in a blaze of glory had me cheering.
--All the teachers silently rebelling against Umbridge had me giddy with joy.
--Death Eaters breaking out of Azkaban: scary.
--Hermione blackmailing Rita Skeeter: hilarious.
--The room of Requirement (also, realizing that Dumbledore had introduced the Come-And-Go room in Goblet of Fire): Delightful.
So all-in-all I found A LOT that I liked about Order of the Phoenix. In fact, I enjoyed the pieces more than the book as a whole. A sort of reverse synergy if you will.
When I heard reviews call the movie dark I was prepared. No, more than that--I was expecting it. I was not, however, expecting gloomy.
I wish I could sum up exactly how I feel, but I'm having a hard time. Despite the fact that there were things from the books I missed (SNEAK, Dobby, Lockhart, Harry's career-planning session, Percy, Mrs. Weasley's boggart), my hesitations weren't content-related and thus aren't that easy to explain.
No, my problem was with tone. And pacing. And just a general something that nagged at my gut.
Remember the scene with the Dursleys right after the Dementor attack? Where was the screaming? Harry's pleas to defend himself? The energy?
There was so much brooding and worrying and turmoil that the characters seemed to forget to get excited about anything.
There were good things, don't get me wrong.
I really loved the montage of Umbridge inspecting the teachers. I enjoyed the DA lessons. Umbridge was really well done.
The special effects in the Dept. of Mysteries were great. Great wizards battling in their prime was exciting. The look on Fudge's face when he saw Voldemort standing in the middle of the Ministry was worth the price of admission.
And words cannot explain how much I loved Harry's response to Umbridge yelling at him to tell the Centaurs that she wasn't bad: "Sorry, Professor, I must not tell lies." (SOOOOO good!)
But overall I thought, not that the film was too long or that there were too many scenes, but that not enough happened within those scenes.
Again, think back to what happened after the Dementor attack. Mrs. Figg appears and reveals that she's a part of Harry's world--the world he hates being separated from--but he doesn't beg for answers. Harry finally reaches the Dursley's kitchen, but he barely defends himself against their accusations. The scene seemed to take forever. There was no energy, and tension, and fight, which was sorely needed in a movie about a coming war.
A time or two it felt like I could almost hear a director telling the actors: "think, brood, be miserable, slow down." I could have used a little "speed up, get angry, fight!"
So that's what I think about the book. And the movie.
Things have to change sometimes. I get that. And this is a darker book and I have no problem with a darker movie. But there's a vast difference between dark and passive. And I think too much sitting and thinking and saying things reallllly slowly left this one slightly off the mark.
--Ally
ps...if you loved it, I'm really really glad. And I fully intend to see this movie again. Heck, I'll no doubt buy the DVD, and hopefully (like the other Potter films and this book) I'll enjoy it more next time.
I saw the movie. I'm still processing how I feel about it. I'll think about it, and try to articulate it and post more later...
Ally
ps...is this the lamest post ever? I highly suspect it might be.
pps...has anyone out there tried to buy a mattress lately? Do you know how complex the world of mattresses is? Do you have any idea how intimidating I'm finding the process of shopping for something that you literally have to LIE on to buy--all while pushy sales people stand there asking whether you like firm or soft mattresses as if there's no such thing as an in-between mattress (which, evidently, there isn't).
ppps...I'm begginning to seriously worry that I won't make it through all of the old Harry Potters again before I get the new Harry Potter.
pppps...is there anything crazier than 16 three-year-olds hopped up on pizza and cake and locked in a huge gymnastics center with oodles of bouncy padded things?
ppppps....thanks to everyone at BookPeople in Austin, TX for hosting an awesome book club chat on Saturday!
pppppps...has this post become any less lame? I sincerely hope so.
1...tonight I'm going to go see the new Harry Potter movie!!! Of course, always before my friends Mace and Vanessa and I have seen the movies opening night, but this year they totally threw us with the whole Wednesday debut thing. So we're splitting the difference and going on Thursday.
Can you tell I'm excited?
I'm really freaking excited!
2...Niece #1 is turning three tomorrow.
3...Saturday there's going to be a birthday party (and pizza and cake--which I probably won't be able to eat).
4...My good friend Jennifer Lynn Barnes is back in the states and I'm going to get to see her when I'm in town and we'll probably go to a bookstore and talk about covers, and authors, and all kinds of things you can only really talk about with other writers.
5...Have I mentioned I'm going to see the new Harry Potter movie tonight??~?~?~?~
People who know me--and even people who only know "blog me" (and...by the way...I think blog me is really darn close to flesh and blood me, just in case any of you were wondering, but I digress)--you all know that I don't cuss. Not really.
I'm frequently asked why my books are PG-rated--if it was a market-based decision or anything and the answer is no. I'm just a gosh, dang, darn kind of person.
Most of the time.
This afternoon, however, I remembered how in college, about once a semester, I would declare "cuss day" and on that day--that day alone--I would get all of my cussing out of my system (which is a tough thing to admit in a place that I know for a fact my mom, dad, and entire Sunday School class are bound to read).
But there you have it: cuss day.
It was liberating. It was soothing. It was something that sometimes just had to be done. (And, by the way, it's probably the only time I ever shocked ANYONE!)
But somehow I've gotten out of the habit. In fact, I haven't even thought of cuss days for many, many years. And then today happened.
6:45 a.m.: Get on bathroom scales.
"What the *##*@$*@! I GAINED a $*@*^@ing half pound! What the *#&#@^$?
7:30 a.m.: Try on hot pink blouse.
"Oh, *#*@! This *#*@ing shirt's got a *#*@&@ing stain on it!"
8:25 a.m.: Get stopped by train on the way to meeting.
"*!@#(%!"
8:35 a.m.: Train has now stopped moving and is covering the tracks--just sitting there.
"This *%^#@ing train is got to *#*@ the *#*@^#$*."
8:45 a.m.: Get to meeting and notice there are the really good donuts with the chocolate icing there!
"*@#*#. Scott bought donuts."
9:30: Donuts are still there--staring at me.
"I'd give my %*&*ing arm for one of those &*@(@ donuts!"
12:30: In car, driving home, looking at all the flood damage.
"Wow. That's a *%@$ of a lot of water."
2:20: Sneezing loudly.
"*$^%. I'm out of allergy medication."
5:10: Go shopping for a mattress for the guestroom.
"Seventeen hundred dollars for a &*$%#ing mattress!!?!?!"
6:30: Try to find something for supper that won't make me gain weight this week.
"&*#$&$*$&#*#&(*!!!!!"
7:00 Write this blog. Watch TV.
"I really should have these *$*%*#ing cuss days more often. I feel *#$*% *$$($ *$*$&## better."
I know you love books, and surveys, and probably (like me) you love Sarah Mlynowski (Bras and Broomsticks) and Lauren Myracle (TTFN), and E. Lockhart (Dramarama)...
So I know you'll love the fact that these three amazing writers have teamed up to write a book. That's right--singular! They've written a book together! (How cool is that? And FYI, I think that is very cool).
Now, maybe the coolest thing of all is that they've got three different titles and you--the readers--can go vote for the title you like best!
ps...after watching John Green's great videocast about the terror that is having neighbors who love explosives (and typically alcohol) I feel much more normal about jumping and screaming and generally behaving like this all the time during the week of the Fourth of July.
I've got great news, everyone! The great people over at Readergirlz is honoring I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU as one of their July recommended reads!
Well, the highways are closed. Our office internet lines are drowned. Part of town is evacuated and under a curfew and people (not me, thankfully) are sleeping on cots at the high school!
I know I'm a farmer's daughter and all, but I'm officially cussing the rain.
In good news, however, thanks to blog commentors and my own freaky weird memory I think I now remember all the verses to the Noah song!
The Lord told Noah there's gonna be a floody floody Lord told Noah there's gonna be a floody floody Get those animals Out of the muddy muddy Children of the Lord
The Lord told Noah to build him an arky arky Lord told Noah to build him an arky arky Build it out of Gopher barky barky Children of the Lord
The animals the animals they came in by twosies twosies The animals the animals they came in by twosies twosies Elephants and Kanga Roosies Roosies Children of the Lord
It rained and poured for forty daysies daysies Rained and poured for forty daysies daysies Almost drove those Animals crazies crazies Children of the Lord
The sun came out and dried up the landy landy Look, there's the sun. It dried up the landy landy Everything was Fine and dandy dandy Children of the Lord
So rise and shine and give God the glory glory Rise and shine and give God the glory glory Rise and shine and Give God the glory glory Children of the Lord.
Ally Carter is the author of the Gallagher Girls series. Right now she's hard at work on book three, the title of which is currently classified, and she could tell you more, but...well...you know...
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