[5] In 2007, Cross's novel Derby Girl, about a teenage girl from a small town who takes up roller derby, was published by Henry Holt and Co. Cross herself was involved in the early days of the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls league, Cross skated under the pseudonym "Maggie Mayhem" in the Los Angeles Derby Dolls team.
[6] She originally did not want to write about her roller derby experiences, but her friends convinced to turn the idea into a fictional story.
[3] Although she was primarily a screenwriter, a friend of hers introduced her to her book agent, Steve Malk, who loved the idea.
It was picked up immediately after she showed them a script – under the new title Whip It – and Barrymore decided to direct it herself.
[8] She also adapted (with Heather Hach) Heidi Murkoff's book What to Expect When You're Expecting into a multi-narrative romantic comedy film, and is writing a screenplay called "Live Nude Girls", about the unionization of the Lusty Lady strip club in San Francisco during the 1990s.