Author Event Ally Carter

I am very lucky. The St Louis County Library works hard to bring author events to the public and I have had the pleasure of hearing several speak about their newly released books.

Last night I got to see Ally Carter, who drew a large crowd of middle and high school levels girls.  Some of which came dress as a Gallagher Girls. How cute is that!

Carter spent her time fielding questions some of which were very well thought out.  Here are some of the answers I got down as I listened.

Least favorite book: Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy. This was the hardest book to write and left her in a fetal position at time and eating lots of chocolate.

Her Favorite book read: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Book Cover: Each model is a different person. The original couldn't continue because parents made her stop in order to get he grades up.

Are the Characters in her book real? No, Sorry girls, Zach does not exist in fact there are no guys like Zach, so you need to lower your expectation.

Has anything in your books ever happen to you? I once got a bloody nose from opening a can of Pringles, but most of the stuff is made up.

Have you ever gotten any ideas while sleeping? Writing is a nap friendly job and I love taking naps. The idea and name of Blackthorn came to me after waking up from a nap. 

Did you have any English teachers who encouraged you in school? My mother was an English teacher, and she was the head of the English department at my high school. So yeah. Also my school had a fabulous librarian, Mrs Bennett. 

Do you do a lot of research for the book? Most of it made up, but I do use the International Spy Museum to get help with some of the specific details. 

Who are your favorite characters?  I like them all, otherwise, I would get rid of them. I have that power! 

How did you get the idea for Heist Society?  I was listening to a book on tape and when I heard the line, " I felt like a cat burglar in my own house"  I knew I wanted to write about a thief named Kat. I began asking questions about who she was and how she felt about being a thief.

Will there be a sequel to Heist Society? Yes, and the book has been optioned as a movie but with an older cast than the one in the book. 

While I have yet to read any of the Gallagher Girls series (something I plan on correcting soon since I bought all four last night), I did enjoy Heist Society. After hearing Carter talk about her books and her writing,  I am anxious to see what the Gallagher Girls has to offer too.