REACHED Gets a Paperback Release on November 19
The third and final book in Ally Condie’s MATCHED trilogy will soon be available in paperback!
REACHED will be released in paperback on November 19! You can pre-order your copy now via Amazon at a 40% discount!
To celebrate, Ally Condie will be making her first book tour stop in New Mexico!
Ally Condie and Kami Garcia Interview: MATCHED and UNBREAKABLE
Ally Condie and Kami Garcia took turns interviewing each other about their projects on Kindle Post recently!
Kami Garcia’s new book, UNBREAKABLE, was published October 1st and Ally was one of the first to enjoy it, but Kami is also a huge fan of the MATCHED trilogy, so she had some questions too.
The two cover the end of the MATCHED series and what it meant for Ally:
KG: I went through a mini-depression after finishing Reached, the last book in your Matched trilogy, and I know I’m not alone. It’s so hard to say good-bye to a series you love. What was it like to finish writing the series?
AC: It actually felt good to finish the series, like I had taken the characters to college or something and I knew they were ready and that it was time for me to let go. I think the characters are what I will miss most about that universe. I spent the better part of five years with Cassia, Ky, and Xander, and so it’s a little sad not to spend time in their world anymore.
Read the full interview here!
No Progress on “Matched” Movie Project
Ally Condie has taken to her personal Twitter to confirm that there has been no progress and no updates on the “Matched” movie project. Kimmy West’s Page to Premiere website was the first to report on Ally’s tweet. We reported, some time ago, that David Slade stepped down from the director’s chair and Jon Chu “stepped up” to replace him. Jon Chu, of course, was the director of movies that included Step Up: 2 and Step Up: 3D, both of which he worked with with Matched producer Adam Shankman. As of January of this year, he was in the negotiations to direct but nothing had been confirmed.
After the script, penned by husband and wife team Michelle and Kiernan Mulroney (who also penned the script for a Sherlock Holmes film), had been confirmed as complete back in January of this year, there has been no more movie news. Six months after the Jon Chu and script news, Ally Condie confirms that there has been no more news/updates on the project.
Guys, there is NO movie news. None. But I will tell you if there ever is, I swear. And I love that you care.
— Ally Condie (@allycondie) August 19, 2013
Do you think that this news about the lack of news is a bad sign for any hopes of an actual movie being produced? Hopefully the executives that give movies a “green light” to start production will be watching as our fellow fans at The Mortal Instruments fandom turn out big box office numbers for Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones movie. If movies like City of Bones and upcoming the Divergent film do well at the box office, “Matched” may have a better chance of transitioning from book to movie!
Matched wins California Young Reader Medal
Ally Condie announced via Twitter that Matched has won the California Young Reader Medal in the Young Adult category!
The Young Adult CYRM is based on nominations and votes from teens in Grades 9 through 12.
Matched beat out Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s Beautiful Creatures as well as Dana Reinhardt’s The Things a Brother Knows to win the prestigious award!
Thanks, Fangirlish!
MATCHED: Upcoming Ally Condie Events
Matched author Ally Condie has a couple of great events coming up!
First, she’ll be speaking and signing at the Boise Public Library in Boise, Idaho on August 15th! The event will begin at 2pm and is free to all visitors.
Ally will also be featured at YALL Fest 2013 in Charleston, South Carolina on November 9th! The event, held annually by fellow authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, is a celebration of Young Adult literature featuring 50 top authors, 25 of which are New York Times Bestsellers (including Ally!)
Most panels are free, however there is a $7 fee to attend the Keynote Speaker event and a $6 fee to see the infamous Author Smackdown challenge. You can buy those tickets here.
Ally Condie’s panels at YALLFEST will not be announced until late October.
Ally Condie Finished Draft of First Book Post-Matched
Ally Condie announced via her blog that she’s finished the draft of her first book post-Matched trilogy, tentatively titled Rio.
Here’s what she said about the writing process:
Right now we call it RIO but I’m quite sure that that title will change. This book has taken me a full year to draft, which is longer than it takes most people to draft a novel but right on target for me. I’m trying to apologize/angst less about this and just accept that this is how long a story seems to need to me to spend time in it, to get it down and get it right(isn)–there is so much editing and revision ahead, because I am also one of those writers who requires extensive revision.
Here’s the description of Rio from the original press release:
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 Signing at Comic-Con International
We already let you know that Ally Condie will be at San Diego Comic-Con International this year to discuss “the delicate balance between kissing and killing” for young female protagonists with other top notch female authors, but there’s more!
Ally will also be taking part in a signing at the conclusion of the panel from 12:30pm to 1:30pm!
If you’re attending SDCC, you can check out all of the details, as well as RSVP for the event, HERE!
Matched Trilogy makes Buzzfeed’s Top 15 List
Popular entertainment website Buzzfeed recently released its list of the 15 Books Series To Read If You Enjoyed “The Hunger Games” and Matched earned itself a cozy little spot at #3 on the list!
Why you should read it: In this perfect world, the government dictates what you eat, how much you exercise, and matches you to the most compatible mate. But when Cassia is accidentally matched with two people, she falls in love with the unexpected choice and learns about the dirty secrets of her society.
Fun fact: Condie got the idea for Matched when her husband asked, “What if someone wrote the perfect algorithm for lining people up, and the government used it to decide who you married, when you married, etc.?”
Ally Condie to attend Comic-Con International
Ally Condie will be attend San Diego Comic-Con International this year to discuss what it takes to create a young adult heroine who loves as fiercely as she fights!
Sherri Smith, who will be hosting the panel, posted all the information on her website:
When Grrls Fall in Love
Saturday, 7/20/13 11:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.
Room: 23ABC
From The Hunger Games’ Katniss to Divergent’s Tris, no one knows how to give a solid ass-kicking like a young adult novel heroine. But when these young ladies aren’t saving the world, overthrowing powerful regimes, or slaying everything from zombies to dragons, they still find time for romance. Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments), Ally Condie (Matched), Veronica Roth (Divergent), Holly Black (The Coldest Girl in Coldtown), Marissa Meyer (Scarlet), Lissa Price (Starters), and Veronica Wolff (The Watchers) discuss the delicate balance between killing and kissing, and what it takes to properly woo a YA heroine.
Let us know if you’ll be attending! Be sure to send us any photos or video if you do!
Matched Fandom 