Ally Carter on The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold and the International Spy Museum
From lipstick cameras to secret safe houses, Ally Carter’s The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold delivers all the thrills, romance, and charm readers expect from her spy stories.
From lipstick cameras to secret safe houses, Ally Carter’s The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold delivers all the thrills, romance, and charm readers expect from her spy stories. A companion to The Blonde Identity (read our previous interview with her here), the novel follows Alex, a whip-smart and hilarious spy whose past and present collide in a dual-timeline adventure full of intrigue, gadgets, and love. In this Q&A, Ally shares how she built Alex’s story, the challenges of writing across timelines, and the inspirations behind her glamorous, high-stakes settings.
The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold is technically a sequel, but it works well as a standalone. What advice would you give new readers who are jumping in with this second book?
I have always considered it a companion novel—much like a sibling. Will there be a few jokes or references you might appreciate more if you’ve read The Blonde Identity? Yes. But Alex and King’s story was always meant to stand alone, and you can absolutely read it that way.
Since readers first met Alex in The Blonde Identity, did you already have her full story mapped out when writing book one—or did it evolve in surprising ways?
When I started The Blonde Identity, I wasn’t even certain that I wanted to write an Alex book. I’ve been burned by sequels in the past, so I hadn’t committed to anything when I started writing. But then Alex came zooming onto the page, and, instantly, I wanted to spend more time with her. As soon as the hero of book one mentioned Alex’s arch rival who “got out of the game five years ago” I knew I had to figure out who these two former spies were and tell their story.
Let’s talk more about Alex — she’s a spy, but a hilarious, fun, one who maybe sometimes doesn’t take spying seriously enough. Why did you decide to shape her this way, and why don’t you think spy school would dampen her optimism?
The most challenging part of this book was the dual timelines, but that challenge also presented interesting opportunities. I realized pretty early on that I didn’t just have to create my two main characters—I had to develop several different versions of them. The person Alex was in the past would probably be more naïve and optimistic than who she is in the present. We don’t just watch Alex and King meet and fall in love in this novel—we also get to watch them grow up. And that was a wonderful sandbox to play in.
We definitely share Alex’s fascination with old-school spy gadgets like lipstick cameras and cuff-link lockpicks. Can you tell us what the research for these was like? And anything you found that you didn’t manage to put in the book?
One of my favourite places is the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. I’ve had the opportunity to tour it a few times, and they have such a wonderful collection of covert memorabilia. I’ve even gotten to speak to staff and employees, and they’ve told me a few stories about things that they haven’t been able to share with the public (largely because they were too gross.) So, obviously, those things didn’t make it into the book either because I always have to walk a tonal tightrope, making the books thrilling and exciting and realistic, but also romantic and funny and a delightful escape. I’m always trying to strike the right balance.
The book is set in many places, from safe houses, to Las Vegas, to an Island for couples therapy, to Amalfi Coast. How did you pick these locations, and which one was the most fun to write about? And if you personally had to go into hiding, which of those locations would you pick?
Picking the locations for this book might have been my favourite part. Some of the locations came from my own experiences—either places I’ve been or would love to visit. But other places were just born out of necessity or imagination.
But if I could visit any of the places in the book, I think I’d have to go with the private island. Several years ago, I almost did a trip that would have stopped in the Madeira Islands. That trip didn’t work out, but ever since then, I’ve been dying to visit. The island in this book is much, much smaller, but that was where the initial idea came from, and I have some really gorgeous images bookmarked on my computer for inspiration.
The Blonde Who Came in From The Cold flips back and forth the timeline, and with that, the location. What was it like writing the story this way?
Hard. That’s what it was. And complicated. And challenging. And, in the end, incredibly rewarding. There are a lot of twists and turns, and every flashback serves a very valuable purpose. I never want to waste the reader’s time, so if something is in there, it matters. With a story told over dual timelines, that just takes that pressure and dials it up to eleven. I’m not sure I’ll ever tackle a challenge like that again, but I’m very glad I did it once and hope I pulled it off.
Now that we’ve followed both Zoe and Alex’s journeys, can we expect more from them as a duo? Maybe even a couples’ double date—say, back on that island?
There’s nothing planned at the moment, but I’ve learned to never say never. I’m extremely pleased with where I left both couples, and I’m extremely excited about the new projects—and characters—that I currently have in the works.
