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 n Wednesday, March 23, 2005 I got the following email from my agent:
I realize that you are busy starting GIN [the sequel to Ally's "adult" book Cheating at Solitaire]. Just throwing out that Teen chick lit is a pretty hot area. If you wanted to put together a synop and the first 2 or 3 chapters of something, I might be able to sell it.
Maybe you've been kicking around some ideas. If so, run 'em by me.
And, no, I hadn't been kicking around any ideas, but I did what every writer does—I faked it.
I jotted down every wild idea that popped into my head for the next three or four hours, and then my agent wrote back with the message that would change my life..."Those aren't good enough."
So I went home, popped some popcorn and started thinking of more ideas. While I worked, I had the TV on in the background, with the sound on mute. Alias was on, and I glanced up to see a whole bunch of girls running through a series of dark hallways, and I thought to myself, hey, did she go to spy school?
Well, I turned the volume up to learn that, no, she didn't go to spy school, but then I thought SPY SCHOOL!!!! I had a setting, and then all that was left to do was ask my favorite question: what's the worst that could happen?
That's how I created Cammie Morgan, an elite spy-in-training who has the misfortune of falling for a regular boy.
My agent loved the idea, and I started to work. In about a month, the three sample chapters and outline had landed me a two-book deal with Hyperion Books for Children. A few weeks after that, Disney came calling with their offer to option the movie rights.
Everything was going great until I realized that I STILL HAD TO WRITE THE BOOK!!!
Let me tell you, if you think writing essays for class or taking tests is stressful, try writing an entire book over the course of a summer. I just thought I knew what stress felt like before then!
But now it's done, and it's exciting, and everyone seems to be really happy so far (which is a good thing because I'm totally not giving them back their money!)
Now, all I have left to do is write emails to my readers and do bookstore signings and...
Oh, gee, I forgot about the sequel!
Well, time to get to work (again!)
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