Matched Source

'Matched' by Ally Condie - Opinion

‘Matched’ by Ally Condie – Opinion – Hellertown-Lower Saucon, PA …

Condie is a strong writer but some of her stylistic choices can be frustrating. See More

Matched - Ally Condie | Book Trailer - YouTube

Matched – Ally Condie | Book Trailer – YouTube

Ally Condie | Divergent Fandom

Ally Condie | Divergent Fandom

Ally Condie Talks Personal Idols: Michael Phelps

personal idols: michael phelps | by Ally Condie

The best photo I got of Michael in Pasadena…wish I hadn’t forgotten the good camera.

Book Review: The Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie - YouTube

Book Review: The Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie – YouTube

Live Chat With Ally Condie April 10, 2013

Wednesday April 10, 2013

Preeti:

Hi everyone! Ally will be on in just a few minutes. I just want to take this time to thank you all for coming and to let you know that we will get to as many questions as we can tonight. Don’t worry if you don’t see your question pop up right away, I promise that we have them here to pass on to Ally.

Please remember that if you are asking a question about CROSSED or REACHED to include SPOILER at the beginning of your question to warn our viewers.

6:58

Ally Condie: 

Hi everyone! I’m here now.

7:02

Preeti:

Excellent! Welcome, Ally!

7:02

Comment From Guest

Hi Ally is there any future plans for a movie Matched?

7:02

Ally Condie: 

There are movie plans for MATCHED. Disney purchased the rights back in 2010, and the Mulroneys (the husband/wife team behind the second Sherlock Holmes movie) are writing the screenplay. Beyond that, who knows! I’ll be sure to update on twitter, etc., if I hear more.

7:03

Comment From Jason

What advice would you give to students who are interested in pursuing writing as a career?

7:03

Ally Condie: 

For students interested in pursuing writing as a career, I would say to treat it like a job (the best job in the world, but still a job)! For me, before publication, that meant spending several hours a day writing, reading great books, and going to writing workshops. It was hard (I had a full-time job and a baby) but I was willing to give up a lot of sleep. For me, at least, I wasn’t ready to be a writer until I’d spent a lot of time learning to write.

7:05

Comment From Janice.

Ok, so are all your books out now? Or are they still pending?

7:05

Ally Condie: 

All of the books in the Matched Trilogy (MATCHED, CROSSED, REACHED) have been released in the US. I’m working on a new book now (as yet untitled) and hopefully many others after that. But they won’t be part of the Matched Trilogy.

7:06

Comment From Gena

Hi Ally, Do you have any suggestions for teaching Matched in the classroom? I am hoping to get it added to the curriculum and would love some advice regarding topics or themes that you feel are essential to cover, aside from the whole dystopian-esque topics.

7:06

Ally Condie: 

Hi Gena! As a former teacher, I think/hope it would be pretty easy to bring MATCHED into a classroom, since it has so many ties to the canon (Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and, of course, poems by Dylan Thomas and Alfred Tennyson). There are also some great resources over at the official site for the series (www.matched-book.com) that would be good springboards for lesson plans. I especially like this one–it would be fun for students:

http://www.matched-book.com/party.html

And there are discussion questions as well for the books that I think are great.

7:09

Comment From tayler

what advice would you give for a teenager cassias age if the world ever became like the society in matched?

7:09

Ally Condie: 

Hi Tayler! To be honest, it’s a little scary to give advice to someone who would have to live in Cassia’s world because I really, really hope we don’t end up there! I think I’d tell her/him, as cheesy as this sounds, to follow their heart. It’s like Ky says when he tells Cassia the story of Sisyphus–the only thing you can really control are your own thoughts and inner life, but there is a lot of power in that.

7:11

Comment From Maggie

If you were in Cassia’s place, would you have picked Xander or Ky? and Which character, of any of them, did you like writing about best?

7:12

Ally Condie: 

Hi Maggie! I actually put half of my favorite things about my husband in Ky and half in Xander, so it would be impossible for me to choose. I think Cassia makes the right choice for her at the end of the series. I loved writing from all three main character’s points of view, and I also really enjoyed writing about Indie. Every time she was on the page, something interesting (well, to me, at least!) happened.

7:13

Comment From Dawn

Hi Ally, what YA books are you excited about now?

7:14

Ally Condie: 

Hello, Dawn! That is a great question! I am excited about so much in YA right now. One of my favorite authors is Ann Dee Ellis, who wrote a fantastic book called EVERYTHING IS FINE that I devoured in one sitting. I’m also really looking forward to new work by Diana Peterfreund and Anna Jarzab.

7:15

Comment From Kayla

will your new books be like the trilogy? or a completely diff genre

7:15

Ally Condie: 

Hi Kayla! The new books will be something different. You can find out about them in more detail at my website–I just wrote a blog post with a little summary about the story.

7:16

Comment From Emily

Out of the trilogy Matched which one is your personal favorite?

7:18

Ally Condie: 

That’s a great question, Emily. I like all three of them for different reasons–MATCHED was a lot of fun to write because I had no idea it would ever be published, CROSSED was the book where they became who they had to be for REACHED–and REACHED was the book where all three characters finally had their say. I guess if I had to pick one right now I’d say REACHED, but my answer could change tomorrow!

7:20

Comment From Guest

How did you come up with your characters? Where there people who inspired you?

7:21

Ally Condie: 

There are definitely people who inspired me in creating the characters, but they are also not really based on specific people. For example, I had really awesome grandparents who believed in me, and so Grandfather in the story is sort of a conglomeration of my four grandparents, plus his own person, too. Bram exists because I have a little brother who I love very much, but my own little brother isn’t very much like Bram. Most of the characters are that way. Indie, for example, isn’t based on anyone I know, but I borrowed her name from a cute girl in my son’s preschool class.

7:23

Comment From Alex

Hello, Ally! I’m a big fan of the Matched trilogy and actually got my English teacher into it! How did you choose which poem out of all in the world to use as the fuel that builds Cassia’s fire to seek change?

7:23

Ally Condie: 

Hi Alex! Thanks for getting your English teacher interested in the books. To be honest, it was really easy for me to choose which poem to use for Cassia’s revolution. I’ve always LOVED “Do Not Go Gentle” by Dylan Thomas, and I also think it’s a poem that just about everyone responds to instantly. Some poetry can be tricky to understand, but this one is beautifully written AND instantly powerful.

7:25

Comment From Julie

Ally, if you could spend the day with one of the Characters you created who would it be?

7:25

Ally Condie: 

Hello Julie! If I could spend the day with any of the characters, it would probably be Cassia. Even though I love the two boys as well, she’s the heroine of the series and it would be cool to “meet” her.

7:27

Comment From Charissa

Other than your books, what is your favorite novel or series?

7:27

Ally Condie: 

Hi Charissa! My favorite novel of all time is CROSSING TO SAFETY by Wallace Stegner. And my favorite series would probably be the ANNE OF GREEN GABLES series. I read that SO many times when I was a kid. I was obsessed with it! In fact, that series was the first time I read the poem “Crossing the Bar” by Tennyson, which ended up playing an important part in the Matched series. My eight-year-old self would be so surprised to know that!

7:28

Comment From Micah

What did the Society want to know when the characters had to wear the discs when sleeping? Did they control their dreams?

7:29

Ally Condie: 

Hi Micah! The Society wanted to know how their citizens’ bodies/brains were functioning while they slept (we have a lot of this technology now). They also implied that they could “see” what people were dreaming, but we’re never entirely sure whether that was true or not…

7:30

Comment From Margaux- Book Lover

Do you think the dystopian society you talk about in your books relate to society today?

7:30

Ally Condie: 

Hello, Margaux! I think the dystopian society does relate a little to our society today–we are losing the ability to write by hand, for example (I know people can still write, but cursive is no longer being taught in many schools, etc.). I think we are also losing out on a lot of great reading/poetry because we don’t take the time to search it out.

7:31

Comment From Allicia

Ally Huge fan. I bought your books and they spread through our home like wildfire, then we passed them on to the school with the same result! I’m constantly defending books like Matched Trilogy and the Hunger Games when parents tell me they are too violent or too scary. What do you tell people when you are asked about the “appropriateness” of a book?

7:32

Ally Condie: 

Hi Alicia! Thanks for passing the books around! Whenever people ask me if one of my books is appropriate for their child, I usually say, “I don’t know your child, so I really can’t tell you, but I can tell you that my series has implied violence, a controlling government, and a girl who’s in love with a boy.” I think the definition of “appropriate” is different for each reader, so it’s a really tricky one to address.

7:34

Comment From Guest

If you were in the Society and you had a Match Banquet coming up, what color dress would you choose?

7:35

Ally Condie: 

If I got to choose the dress for my Match Banquet, it would definitely be blue. That’s always been my favorite color.

7:36

Comment From Myah

Hello Ally! I absolutely love Matched and I’m reading Crossed right now. I was choosen to find out background information and I am struggling to find information that my classmates are interested in. I am interested in when your birthday is, and where you where born, if possible. Thank you!

7:36

Ally Condie: 

Hi Myah! I actually don’t give out personal information on the internet like birthdates, etc. I’m sorry! There’s just too much craziness in the world (even though I’m sure you are lovely, once info is out there it can’t be taken back!) But I can tell you that I’m 34 years old. I hope that helps!

7:37

Comment From Hannah

I own the 1st and 2nd, but I have only read the first one. Where did you find the inspiration for having 100 hundred songs, 100 poems and so on. Also why would they not want their society turn learn how to write

7:38

Ally Condie: 

Hello, Hanna! I got the idea for the Hundred Songs, etc., because we as a society are always making lists like that (the 100 Best Movies, for example). I thought about how scary it would be if all we ever referred to were those lists. And about the handwriting–I thought the Society wouldn’t want them to learn how to write because writing is private. On the other hand, everything we send electronically (even now!) can be viewed/hacked by hundreds of other people and isn’t private at all.

7:39

Comment From Dana

Love the series, Ally! How long did it take you to write the first book? Was it easier to write the second two?

7:40

Ally Condie: 

Hi Dana! It took me about 9 months to draft the first book (but then there were still months of revisions afterwards). It wasn’t easier to write the second two–I’d say it was much harder, in fact, because I added Ky and Xander’s voices, and because I had to make sure everything tied together!!

7:41

Comment From Heather

If you had to choose one scene from the trilogy live out in real life, what would you choose?

7:42

Ally Condie: 

Hello, Heather! If I had to choose one scene to live out, I’d live out Ky and Cassia’s reunion in the canyon.

7:43

Comment From Katie

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind?

7:43

Ally Condie: 

Hi Katie! I don’t listen to music while I write (but I do often turn on my white-noise headphones). I listen to music BEFORE I write to get me in the mood. I have official playlists for each book in the trilogy over on my website. Those are the songs I’d listen to before I wrote.

7:44

Comment From Kaitlin

If Matched was made into a movie, who would you want most to play the role of Cassia?

7:44

Ally Condie: 

Fun question, Kaitlin! I honestly have no idea who I’d want to play Cassia. A lot of readers have suggested Nina Dobrev, and I think she is a great actress and would be beautiful in the part–but again, I’m pretty clueless.

7:45

Preeti:

Just 15 more minutes, everyone! Get those questions in!

7:45

Comment From CharissaAbigail

I love your series!!! As a young aspiring music artist, I was wondering, do you write your own poetry? If so,have you ever tried writing lyrics, music, or both?

7:45

Ally Condie: 

Hi Charissa. I do write my own poetry (I wrote some of the poetry in the series). I don’t write music or lyrics, but my husband is great at doing both!

7:46

Comment From Patrick

SPOILER Hi Ally ! Did you ever consider putting Ky and Indie together which would have cleared the path for Xander and Cassia? At one point Ky wasn’t sure if Cassia was alive and Indie had feelings for him. I think he also had feelings for her except there was Cassia. I thought the book might have been taking us for a huge mix up of Ky and Indie falling for each other, Xander and Cassia ending up together and all of them finding each other after the fact. That would have been a mental mess for all of them to work through.

7:46

Ally Condie: 

Hi Patrick! SPOILER: I knew that Indie would fall in love with Ky, and that he would care a LOT about Indie, but I knew that as long as Cassia was alive, Ky would never end up with Indie.

7:47

Comment From Jane

How do you say Cassia? I know people that say it different ways, what is the correct way?

7:47

Ally Condie: 

Hi Jane. I always tell readers that they can say Cassia’s name however they want! I use the classic Greek pronunciation, Cash-a.

7:48

Comment From Hope

The compact was such a prized secret of Cassias. Have you ever been given a family heirloom that meant that much to you? What and from whom?

7:48

Ally Condie: 

Hope, you have such a pretty name! I do have a family heirloom that I love. My grandfather brought my grandmother a bracelet from Italy when he was serving in WWII. And she gave it to me. I’ve always felt so special that she would trust me with such a gift.

7:49

Comment From Maya

Have you ever thought of making a second series about Xanders point of veiw?

7:49

Ally Condie: 

Hi Maya! I haven’t thought of that, actually. I think I’m happy with where we’ve left everyone. But I did really love writing from Xander’s POV in REACHED.

7:50

Comment From Suzanna

Is there a reason why you chose her name to be Cassia? And how do you go about choosing other characters’ names?

7:50

Ally Condie: 

Hi Suzanna! I actually wrote a whole blog post over on my site about Cassia’s name (and the boys’ names too). But the short answer is that I wanted a beautiful, classical, unusual name that was also a botanical name. Cassia fit all the requirements.

7:52

Comment From Charissa

Do you often get writer’s block? And when you do, do you have a special method to get out of it?

7:52

Ally Condie: 

Hi Charissa! I do get writer’s block almost every day. My tricks are to work on another project for a few minutes and then come back, take a short walk, go for a run, or, in dire circumstances, give it a break for a few days and see if I can’t come up with something.

7:53

Comment From Abbey

Hi Ally! Will you be going on tour any time soon?

7:53

Ally Condie: 

Hi Abbey! I just finished up my tour for REACHED in November, so I won’t be going out on tour again soon. I have four little kids at home who need me. But hopefully I’ll go out on tour again in the fall for the paperback release of REACHED. We’ll have to see what my publisher decides!

7:54

Comment From Olivia

If you were Cassia’s parent could you have supported her choices? Why or why not?

7:54

Ally Condie: 

Hi Olivia. I think I would have been able to support Cassia’s choices because I do believe people should get to choose their own path. But of course, I’m sure it would stress me out that her path is kind of a dangerous one!

7:55

Preeti:

5 more minutes, we’ll get to just a few more questions!

7:55

Comment From Stella

When did you start writing? I’m been writing since third grade. Any Tips?

7:55

Ally Condie: 

Hi Stella! I’ve been writing since I was really little–I’d dictate stories to my babysitter when I was four and then as soon as I could write, I started putting my own stories down on paper. My best tips are to read a lot and write–even if it’s just a little!–every day.

7:56

Comment From erin

I really just want you to know you are by far my most favorite author. You really are an inspiration for me and my writing. I would really like to know what your favorite part was when writing your trilogy?

7:56

Ally Condie: 

Erin, that is so sweet of you! Thank you! I actually really loved writing the last chapter in REACHED. It was a really bittersweet, wonderful experience.

7:56

Comment From Elena

I love that Cassia and Indie are such strong women, do you have any women who inspired you?

7:57

Ally Condie: 

Elena, what a great question! Yes, I do. My own mom is an artist (I recently posted about her on my blog) and a very strong woman. And so was my grandma, who took care of me every day when I was little. I was so lucky/blessed to have them in my life.

7:58

Comment From Ileana

How did you come up with a character like Ky? So rebellious

7:58

Ally Condie: 

I liked the idea of Ky being someone who knew what things looked like on the outside of the Society, and I liked the idea of him being artistic and interesting. I’m drawn to guys who are arty.

7:59

Comment From Ginny

Did you get to choose the design of the books? They’re so cool!!

7:59

Ally Condie: 

Ginny, I didn’t get to choose the design of the books–the publisher has a designer who did all of that–but I LOVE them. She did a fantastic job!!

8:00

Comment From Janie

Did you ever have a problem with who Cassia would choose

8:01

Ally Condie: 

Hi Janie! I did wonder who Cassia would choose. I wasn’t certain until I started REACHED who she would end up with. But after writing the first chapter of REACHED, I knew.

8:01

Preeti:

And that’s it, everyone. Thanks for all your amazing questions and thank you so much for joining us tonight, Ally! And if anyone came in late, don’t worry, a full transcript and recap of the chat will be available tomorrow!

8:03

Ally Condie: 

So many thanks to all of you for such great questions, and a huge thank-you to Preeti for organizing this! It has been awesome! I’m over on twitter (allycondie) if some of you didn’t get your questions answered. I can try to catch some of them there later. Happy reading to everyone!

8:04

Casting Suggestions for 'Matched' Movie is Fun For Ally Condie Too

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ally Condie was asked about movie deets:

 We know the Matched movie is in development at Disney. Any news?

I’m excited about it being with Disney because they were the first to love it. I did talk to the screenwriters, Kieran and Michele Mulroney, the husband-and-wife team that wrote Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The parts they were talking about were the parts I cared about most, so that was fun. But I don’t know any more than anybody else at this point.

Any casting wishes?

I’m 34, so I’m mostly thinking about whose dad Nathan Fillion could play. [Laughs] A lot of fans have been sending pictures of actors. I just saw Logan Lerman in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. A lot of fans have mentioned him, and I was kind of dying because he’s the cutest thing ever — he would be a great Ky. Also, Nina Dobrev from The Vampire Diaries.

  Were these guys any of the actors you were thinking of for this movie? I’m wondering if Logan would be tall enough for the version of Ky I’ve drawn in my mind. Also? Ouch on Xander. What? Poor Team Xander’s….

Ally Condie's 'REACHED' Lands on USA TODAY's Best-Seller List

How very exciting for the third and final book in the ‘Matched’ Trilogy, ‘REACHED’ has landed itself on the USA TODAY Best-Seller List. Ally Condie  shared her inspiration for the story and the excitement for movie optioned by Disney. Guess what else the article revealed? Ally is currently working on another novel, but she’s “not sure where it’s headed”.

Holy Happiness people! MORE Ally Condie stuff. Happy Day!!

Reached, the third book in Condie’s Matched trilogy, published by Penguin, landed at No. 6 on USA TODAY’s Best-selling Books list last Thursday, her best debut and showing on the list.

Exclusive REACHED Trailer on EW

Have you seen the new trailer yet? It is crushing…..

  REACHED TRAILER HERE

Ally Condie Tells All (Ok, All She CAN) About REACHED in Video Interview

Thanks so much for cute Girls in the Stacks! GREAT interview!

Can you hardly wait to get your hands on this book November 13??? Having read it….I CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO EITHER!!! It is seriously the best of the three and a thrilling conclusion. Where are you picking up your copy? Why not Pre-Order REACHED Now??

Penguin's 'Matched Party Event Kit' For Fans

Wow! What an amazing Kit! Penguin is amazing to put this together for all of us….download and enjoy all the great ideas, trivia and games!!

PARTY EVENT KIT

Welcome! Inside this kit you will find activities and other suggestions to make your Matched theme party a success:

– Try out our super-easy MATCHED cake pops recipe!

– Create your own Reached inspired flowers using the most valuable resource in the Society: paper.

– Test your Matched/Crossed knowledge with trivia!

– Play the Sorting Game to find out if your future lies in sorting, medicine or archiving.

The kit also includes facts about the MATCHED series, poetry writing tips, FAQs, and calendars.

'Matched' Author Ally Condie Interview at Design Mom

Great Ally Condie interview was posted over at Design Mom. If you are an aspiring writer, there’s a lot of great information! I loved reading and getting to know more about Ally the person. She is so extremely amazing, put together, and real. Her kids are so lucky to have her as a mom!!

  Q: Describe your work space, or where you work best. Where do you find inspiration? How do you ward off writer’s block and work worries?

A: I recently moved into my first “true” office — a room that is an office only, and not a corner of another room. It’s been lovely, but I wrote those first eight books in a shared space and that worked well too. I do need to have my own desk, and I prefer to write on a “regular” computer, not a laptop. For some reason, laptops wreak havoc on my wrists. I like to have earphones in to block the noise (usually I’m not listening to music, just silence).

I can and have written just about anywhere including planes, hotel hallways, etc., but most of my work happens at my desk. My office is kid friendly; there are little things for them to play with (like Muji city blocks that are in constant disarray), and a table where they can work and do projects while I answer email or put out small fires. We spend a lot of time together in this room and I love it! However, I do most of my “serious” work (i.e., writing and revising) when they are in bed.

I find inspiration in work. Those fun, wonderful moments when the writing just comes remind me of running races. If you put in the work, something good can happen and you have that moment when it all comes together. And, of course, inspiration also comes just from living. For me, being a creative person means that I have to do both: I have to make time for the work, but I also have to live my life outside of the work.

Q: What’s been the best response to your work so far?

A: As a former public school teacher, I love it anytime a middle or high school age student comes up to me and tells me that they liked my book. And sometimes I get notes from kids who say, “I didn’t think I was a reader until I read your book.” That makes it all worthwhile.

Plenty For 'MATCHED' Fans on Facebook While Waiting For 'REACHED'

    Did you know our site is on Facebook? Receive our updates in one place at our ‘Matched Source Page’

Read 'Matched' Sampler and Get Hooked! #GetMatched

Matched sampler

  Do you know anyone who hasn’t read Ally Condie’s ‘MATCHED’? Share this sampler to get them introduced. Enjoy!

Do You Know Who Hasn't Been Matched? Let's #GetMatched!

Remember that first time you read MATCHED? *bigsigh* It’s the best! I’ve included this video to share with anyone you know who hasn’t read it, or to include on your own blog! Take it away…share like crazy Then, come play along with our #GetMatched Game!

I have some darling buttons to give away, so I’ve decided we should play a game! Let’s #GetMatched!!

1. Follow us on Twitter @MatchedSource and tweet me the hashtag #getmatched….too easy? I thought so.

So let’s make it INTERESTING. Get your Twitter friends to play along!

2. Have your Twitter friends send your Twitter address (@[you]) in their #getmatched hashtag to me.

That way WE ALL #GETMATCHED!! (can you hear the music??? )

3. The fan with the most mentions to me on Twitter wins! FUN!!

Ally Condie's MATCHED and CROSSED Read-a-Thon Countdown to REACHED

I’m participating in the Matched & Crossed read-along! The last book in the series, Reached, comes out November 13th, and I want to make sure I’m totally ready for it. Luckily there’s a big read-along happening just for that purpose!

This is a great chance to get caught up on the first two books, and win some awesome prizes! You can even enter to win just by signing up! Check out the host blogs (Squeaky Books and The Non Reluctant Reader) to find out more!