Shi Cheng, China, photo by Chinese National Geography. Can you believe this place is real?

So I have some big news! I’ve signed on again with Dutton/Julie Strauss-Gabel for two more books! I cannot tell you how happy I am about this. Working with Julie (and the rest of the team at Dutton/Penguin) has been the ideal experience for me. Julie is one of the smartest, kindest, most interesting people I know and it’s an absolute honor to have her as my publisher. She shapes my books and makes them better, every time, by asking wonderful questions and guiding me to where the story really needs to be. The team at Penguin has done incredible things for the Matched trilogy every single step of the way, from cover art to marketing to school and library outreach. I am thrilled to be publishing two new books with them. And, of course, my agent (Jodi Reamer) who negotiated the deal, is just tremendous. She is so savvy and smart and I am truly blessed to be able to work with her and Julie.

The first of the two books won’t be out until Fall 2014, so there is a little while left to wait, but I am having SO MUCH FUN writing this book. Here’s a bit from the press release (edited a little because I am the biggest spoiler-phobe in the world):

Ally Condie, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Matched trilogy, to publish two new novels with Penguin Young Readers Group

New York, NY – March 11, 2013 – Ally Condie, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Matched trilogy, will publish two new novels with Dutton Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, it was announced today. The first book, scheduled for publication in fall 2014, tells the story of Rio, who has waited her whole life for the opportunity to leave her safe, underwater city of Atlantia for life on the surface. But when her life takes an unexpected twist and Rio must remain below, she is left with increasingly dangerous questions about the complex political and religious system constructed to govern the fragile divide between land and sea.

Ally Condie is the author of the critically-acclaimed, New York Times bestselling Matched trilogy. Matched has been called “the hottest YA title to hit bookstores since The Hunger Games” (Entertainment Weekly), and a “superb dystopian” (The Wall Street Journal) featuring “impressive writing that’s bound to captivate young minds” (The Los Angeles Times). Crossed, the second book in the Matched trilogy was released in paperback March 12, 2013.

We don’t have a title yet (I refer to it right now as the “Rio Book”). But I will be sure to keep you posted as more information becomes available. One of the things I’m really excited about regarding this book is that it’s a story about sisters. (Don’t worry, there is also romance!) I love reading stories about families and relationships and so I hope I can do that justice in this book. And I hope you readers will like it too.

Tour and travel often mean a lot of sort of generic moments–hotel rooms, car rides, airplane rides–but also those moments you’ll remember forever. I was thinking of a few of my favorites from trips over the years and found some pictures to go with them:

It was in this beautiful square (Romer Square, and I am sorry I cannot figure out how to get the umlauts over the “o”) in Frankfurt, Germany, that I received word that I had my first ever starred review, from Publisher’s Weekly, for MATCHED. I was with my agent and the two of us had just walked down the tree-lined streets and into this square on a perfect fall day and I thought, “I can’t believe any of this is happening to me.”

On a pre-publicity tour in Boston in the fall of 2010, I had the morning free and went out to walk on Boston Commons. I wandered around and saw the Make Way for Ducklings statue and all the beautiful old houses. I’ve been to Boston before, but there is something about exploring a city when you are completely by yourself that is memorable.

This year in Miami, I got to go to Books and Books. I love all the independent bookstores on my travels. Anne Holman of The King’s English (my local indie) has always said, “Have you been to Books and Books yet?” And now I have. This was the lovely Becky, who is the children’s book buyer there and who hosted a great event.

Don’t you just want to stand and stare at those gorgeous shelves forever (again, Books and Books).

This is a picture I have at a school in Illinois, but all the school visits are true highlights for me. That moment of walking into a school, seeing the students–it makes me miss the classroom and, at the same time, I’m so happy to be back in some small way.

This is a picture of me with my cousin, Andrea, following an event in Bethesda, MD. Andrea came to the event and then, because the schedule was crazy, rode to the airport with me and ate terrible food while we waited for my flight just so we could have a little time together. What a great cousin. Moments like this–when friends and family come and support–are awesome. There is something about looking out and seeing a familiar face that just makes my heart glad. Another moment this picture reminds me of–after the event, someone asked if I was Andrea’s mother. (Andrea is seven years younger than I am.) Also awesome. It’s nice to know I’m aging well.

I know I’m lucky to have a chance to do this. For my first five books, I never went on tour or had a launch party or anything like that. And I still loved the writing, of course. But to be able to keep writing and to also have the opportunity to see new places and meet readers and talk with other people who love books–it’s something I don’t take for granted. So, as always, many thanks to all of you for making it possible.

photo by me, taken in Zion 2012

I was going through photos on my phone when I found this one that I took of my mom’s pastels. She had them all set up on a plateau in Zion and she was waiting for the light to be just right so that she could capture the sunset on the water and the rocks. I love this picture. Even though she isn’t in it, it’s so her. The way she’d found a perfect, solitary place. The sunglasses sitting on top of all of the pastels. The fact that she has a giant case of pastels that she can and does carry anywhere, to be ready when the light strikes.

It’s a romantic picture, and in my mother’s case, a true one–the artist, waiting for the light, tools at the ready, prepared for a flurry of creativity at the perfect moment.

I’ve also seen her do the work that leads up to that moment. I’ve seen her with chalky fingers, standing silently at a distance from her work, just looking. I’ve seen her blocking in the underpinnings of her painting before she starts, and I’ve seen her begin again when something didn’t work out the way she had planned. I’ve seen her making a certain face while she works, the one where you know she’s concentrating. I’ve seen her spend hours and days and weeks getting it right.

I’ve also seen her do the work in other ways. I’ve seen her cooking dinner and grading dozens of papers for her students and nursing a baby and putting kids to bed and then going to sleep herself, without having had a chance to make anything of her own that day. I’ve seen her teach other people how to draw. I’ve seen her sit down and spend an hour drawing pictures for my children, animals and people and fire engines, when she could be making something all her own. When I travel, she drives up from my hometown (which is three hours away from where I live now), puts her own work on hold, and takes care of my children. They adore her. So do I.

I’m extremely lucky to have grown up with her example–someone who loves to create, and knows how to work. I know that seeing her do both made me hope that I could do the same, in some small measure.

Thank you, Mom.

image from www.gimmesomeoven.com

Some news for you:

*The CROSSED paperback will be released on March 12. Yahoo!

*I am speaking and signing as part of the BREATHLESS READS tour this Saturday, February 16th at 4:00 p.m.at the Orem Barnes and Noble. More info on the Events page.

*I am also going to be signing at Braun Books in Cedar City on Friday, March 1, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Yahoo! This darling store had a REACHED launch party even though I couldn’t be there. How wonderful is that?

*If you are wondering about new book news, or movie news, I am hoping to have info for you soon. But right now, my hands (and tongue!) are tied.

*Love to you this Valentine-y week!

(c) Brook Andreoli

My friend Brook took the above picture, and she used the “mud bird” scene in REACHED as the inspiration. I’ll keep this quite spoiler-free, but basically it’s a scene where a girl makes a bird out of some materials (one of those materials is mud, and one is glass). It’s a scene about creation and making something out of what you have.

I’m working on a new mud bird right now. Several of them, actually, and boy, are my hands dirty. And I am certainly getting lots of little cuts as I work with what I have and try to repurpose new things. I’m not just talking about writing projects (though I do have some of those!). Creation can be exhilarating. It can also be painful.

At the end of the year, Sara Zarr, an author I admire tremendously both personally and professionally, interviewed me on her THIS CREATIVE LIFE podcast. You can find links and more info about the interview here at Sara’s blog. Sara is very thoughtful about her writing, her religion, and her living, and it was a privilege to be interviewed by her. I think our conversation (and having read her blog/listened to her podcasts throughout the year) put me in an especially reflective frame of mind as I contemplated my creative life, and my life in general, at the end of 2012.

2012 saw the conclusion of the MATCHED trilogy, a set of three mud birds I’d been working on for four years. It was a project whose scope and heft sometimes felt tremendous and weighty and sometimes felt giddy and free. I think most creative projects–for me, at least–have moments of utter soaring and ease and other times where you just need to sit down and get the work done. I’ve written enough books (8) that I know this is part of my process. 2012 also saw the arrival of our daughter (oh, we are so glad to have her!). And, of course, our family (like people everywhere!) continued to deal with new and ongoing challenges and blessings.

So. In 2013 there are some other things I need to create too, in addition to birds of the book variety. Some are too personal/abstract to share on a public site, but much of it has to do with helping my little family fly.

What mud birds are you making in 2013?

I’ve been so excited to put this up–the official playlist for REACHED!

I love making playlists for the books, and it’s one of my favorite ways to interact with readers—it’s fun to hear their responses to the songs on the list! When I was writing “Reached,” these are the songs I listened to most. I tried to arrange them a little in the order of the story—which songs seem to fit the beginning, middle, end, etc., but they all work for the whole story. If you’ve seen the playlists for “Matched” and “Crossed,” you’ll notice some constants—I can’t seem to do without Bruce Springsteen, Regina Spektor, Brandon Flowers/The Killers!

1. “Save the World” by Swedish House Mafia. I picture Xander walking down the street to this song at the beginning of “Reached,” and I love the mood it sets.

2. “Glittering Clouds (Locusts)” by Imogen Heap. The perfect plague song for “Reached.”

3. “Red” by Natalie Walker. In the series, there are three mysterious tablets—one green, one blue, one red—and each book focuses on one of those colors. As you can tell by the cover, red is the emphasized color in this book.

4. “Birds of Prey” by Christina Aguilera. A fan tipped me off to this song and how perfect it is for the series earlier this year, and I’ve been grateful ever since.

5. “All the Rowboats” by Regina Spektor. Love this song, its allusions to museums and art, the way it fits the story…especially a certain scene involving Xander in the middle of the book.

6. “Half-Light II” by Arcade Fire. I can picture both Ky and Xander singing this song as they look back on the way things used to be.

7. “Death to My Hometown” by Bruce Springsteen. This is a very Ky song, and there’s a certain scene in the middle of the book that it fits perfectly. (Sorry I can’t be more specific—I don’t want to spoil anything!)

8. “9 Crimes” by Damien Rice. The perfect prisoner’s dilemma song for “Reached.” I feel like this song has parts of Cassia, Ky, and Xander in it. One of my all-time favorite songs.

9. “The Water is Wide” by Steven Sharp Nelson. A beautiful instrumental version of a lovely folk song, and a song I picture playing during a scene in the book that involves an ocean.

10. “Be Still” by The Killers. This song was released after “Reached” was already finished, but I had to add it to the playlist because it’s beautiful, it works on many levels for the story and there is one line especially that made me think of each of the three main characters, and of Xander in particular—”Don’t break character/you’ve got a lot of heart.”

11. “You Picked Me” by A Fine Frenzy. This song could be either for Ky or Xander near the end of “Reached.” 

12. “Land of Hope and Dreams” by Bruce Springsteen. I love the line about the “brother” and being a good companion for the ride. This song, with its epic-sounding feel, is great for the end of a series. Substitute the word “ship” for “train” and it’s pretty much an exact fit.

13. “Stay Young, Go Dancing” by Death Cab for Cutie. No one does songs with catchy beats and bittersweet lyrics like these guys. This is exactly the feel I want for the ending scenes of “Reached.”

(This post first appeared here at MTV.com’s Hollywood Crush blog, but I wanted to post it on my site too so that it’s always available to readers.)

Many thanks to everyone who came out for the tour–in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Omaha, Houston, Miami, Washington, D.C./Bethesda, and Raleigh. It was such a pleasure to have a chance to meet so many readers, and I LOVED visiting schools and having a chance to speak with students, teachers, and librarians. Also, a huge thank-you to the independent booksellers who hosted the events. There are so many good people in this world and it was a privilege to have a chance to interact with all these dedicated educators, kids, and others who care about and work for literacy.

I got home just in time to help my family put up the Christmas tree and it reminded me that the holidays are indeed in full swing! It also made me realize that I should mention the event this Saturday, December 8th, at the Orem Public Library in Orem, Utah. It’s a holiday extravaganza, and so many fun authors/illustrators will be there–Jessica Day George, Chris Crowe, Brandon Mull, Lisa Mangum, Nathan Hale, Dean Hughes, and Rick Walton. There will be an author panel from 11-12 and then a signing from 12-2. This is where I like to get all my shopping done–signed books for everyone. The Orem Public Library is fantastic and I love, love, love working with Eliot and Marilee (and many others!) who put together these events. This is my last public event on the calendar for the next few months, and I would love to see any of you there who can make it!

Thinking about all the holiday books I want to buy made me want to continue the tradition (see previous posts here and here) of listing the books I’m giving this year. If you are related to me or are my friend, STOP READING NOW!

For my oldest son:

THE ARCADE CATASTROPHE by Brandon Mull (Book 2 in the Candy Shop War series). My son freely admits that the best part about my being an author is that it means that, since I know Brandon, sometimes my son gets to see Brandon too.

For my middle son:

NO, DAVID by David Shannon. We lost our copy of this book earlier in the year, and the poor kid has been pining for it ever since.

For my youngest son:

SKY COLOR by Peter Reynolds. My youngest boy loves to draw, cut, paint, make collages…I think he will love this book.

For my daughter:

SWEET MOON BABY by Karen Henry Clark. The illustrations are lovely, and I always want my daughter to grow up knowing how beloved she is, and how glad we are that she “sailed” all the way around the world to be our baby. She is fun and feisty and, as lovely as it is to have the series finished, the greatest even of this year was her homecoming in February.

For my friends (books I either have given during the year or plan to give during the holidays):

FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS by Diana Peterfreund. I’ve posted about this book before, but it bears repeating–this book is a lot of fun. It’s a dystopian retelling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION, and it’s extremely well-written, AND you could give it to anyone from age 9-90. It’s fast-paced and cultured and clean and gorgeous.

 

IN A GLASS GRIMMLY by Adam Gidwitz. I’m giving this to friends with kids who will love a gory, glorious read-aloud. And, frankly, I should give this to  some adults too, because it’s hysterically funny. In addition to the impeccable pacing and excellent humor, the writing is also extraordinarily beautiful, with passages that you’ll want to underline. Yes, it’s hilarious, but there is also so much heart.

PAPER TOWNS by John Green. Yes, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and LOOKING FOR ALASKA are both dominating the NYT list right now (as they should be–both wonderful books). But I have always found PAPER TOWNS particularly haunting, and there’s a particular passage near the end that I love so much it ranks up there with the opening line of Stegner’s CROSSING TO SAFETY as a beautifully written description of what it means to be human.

And… drumroll please…

NO LIMITS by Michael Phelps. You knew this one was coming! I love this because even though I am not a swimmer, I find it fascinating to read the account of how one person could work so hard for YEARS. It is such a pleasure to watch someone do something so well, but it’s also inspiring to see how hard you have to work to get there. When I feel like I don’t want to write, I remind myself that AT LEAST I DON’T HAVE TO GET UP BEFORE DAWN AND SWIM FOR HOURS WITH WEIGHTS ATTACHED TO MY FEET.

Other books I’ve  loved over the past year that I’ve just had to give to someone else: SUMMER AND BIRD by Katherine Catmull, EDENBROOKE by Julianne Donaldson, CHIME by Franny Billingsley, and many, many books by Brandon Mull. I’m sure there are others too but I am out of time (as indicated by the screaming of the children in the next room).

Happy holidays to all of you–what books are you hoping to get and planning to give?

I’m out on the road this week traveling, but I want to point you in the direction of some fun REACHED links that have been popping up on the internet:

*MTV.com put the official playlist for REACHED up on their blog. I’ll post it again on this site later, but for now, MTV.com is the only place you can get it.

*Amazon named REACHED as one of its Best Books of 2012 for Kids and Teens. (!!!!!!)

*Entertainment Weekly gave REACHED a great review! Check it out (and the print edition also had an interview with me). SO EXCITING!

*USA Today wrote an article about the series here!

*John Green mentioned REACHED on his twitter and his tumblr. I may or may not have had to take a screen capture of both. (I can’t figure out how to link to the exact tweet, but if you scroll down far enough, it’s there.) I admire John’s work very much (and also him as a person–so many of us say we want to change the world and help kids, but he actually does it).

Seventeen Magazine selected REACHED as their book club pick!

And so did JustJaredJr.com! Teenage me is thrilled about both of these things (and so is thirtysomething me).

*Penguin Teen did a special author spotlight  here. (I love Penguin Teen.)

Again, many thanks to all of you for all your support here on the blog, on twitter, facebook, email, and in real life. It means a lot to me. (Also–if you are leaving a comment on the blog and wondering why it isn’t showing, that’s because when we went to the new site design a few months ago, it changed comments so that now I have to approve them–which helps with the spam. And…sometimes I get behind. But I always catch up eventually! )

Finally, for those of you who are doing NaNoWriMo, keep it up!! You can do it! You’re almost there, and you are awesome.

I’m in Houston tonight, then on to Miami/Coral Gables, Washington, D.C./Bethesda, and Raleigh, N.C. Hope to see some of you out there! (More tour info here.)

Tour stop at Anderson’s in Chicago/Naperville. Photo credit: Cayt O’Neal.

I want to thank all of you wonderful readers for your supportive emails, comments, tweets, etc., this past week. They are always great, but this week they’ve been especially supportive, and I am so grateful. Being in the public eye is not an easy thing for me and you make it easier/less scary. You make it possible. I know it is a big investment of time to read a book/series, and I appreciate it more than I can say that you would be willing to give your time to these books and characters.

And for those of you taking the time to post reviews on your blogs, or on Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, etc.–that’s an additional amount of time taken, and I am VERY grateful for that too.

Also, word-of-mouth cannot be overestimated–when you take the time to tell someone about a book you love (whether it’s mine or not!) that does the reading community and us as a culture a great deal of good. You’re letting people know that books and stories are worth their time.

THANK YOU.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and please know how grateful I am for each of you. It has been wonderful to have a chance to see some of you on tour last week, and I’m very excited to come to Houston, Miami, Bethesda/D.C., and Raleigh next week!

Love, Ally

(c) Brook Andreoli

I wrote a post when MATCHED came out and another when CROSSED was released, talking about how I felt, and how none of this could have happened without the help of other people. My agent and editor, my publicist, the marketing team, the cover designer, librarians, bloggers, my family…everyone had a part in this book and it belongs to them too.

And, as I said a couple of years ago, it belongs to you now. In so many interviews lately I’ve been asked if I felt sad. Each time, I said no, not yet. Because the series doesn’t feel over until you, the readers, have it and have the story. I love this picture (taken, as always, by the incomparable Brook Andreoli) because you’re not entirely certain where the book is on the path–is it the beginning? the end? Both?

This series is truly yours now. And in some ways I don’t ever think I will feel sad that it’s “over”–though I will certainly miss these characters!–because it’s been one of the greatest blessings of my life to have readers who care. Part of the acknowledgments of the book are “to you, the reader, for taking this journey with Cassia, Ky, and Xander, and with me.”

I will be forever grateful.