Ally Condie is the author of the New York Times best-seller “Matched.” “Crossed,” the second book in the Matched trilogy comes out on Nov. 1. Below is a complete transcript of Ally’s interview with Cracking the Cover.
In “Crossed” we’re introduced to Ky’s voice. What made you decide to tell things from his perspective as well as Cassia’s?
I always knew the second book would be set in the Outer Provinces, and I knew Ky would be the perfect guide for that terrain. It’s his place, where he truly belongs. Even more importantly, I also knew that this book was Ky’s story. Just as Cassia had an evolution in Matched and emerged a very different person, Ky experiences a true journey in Crossed.
Cassia really comes into her own in “Crossed.” As she’s grown, has her voice come as easily as before?
I think it’s come even more easily now that she’s changed. Before, she was a bit naive and innocent, and now her eyes are open, which is fun to write.
What about Ky? We learn so much more about him, yet he still remains a mystery in many ways. Was it hard to keep a balance?
It wasn’t, really, because that was just the way Ky had to be. He certainly made himself vulnerable in new ways by falling in love with Cassia in Matched and with everything else that happens in Crossed. She’s the first person to whom he’s told so much of his story.
Are you finished with the third book yet? Any hints at a title?
If by finished you mean all done with fine tuning, copyediting, etc., then no. But the story is all down on paper. And I’m afraid we don’t have a title yet.
“Crossed” takes place in a landscape much different from the one introduced in “Matched.” How did that develop?
I’ve always said that the minute I typed the words “Outer Provinces” I knew what they looked like: southern Utah, where I grew up hiking and exploring the different canyons, streams, etc. So this landscape was in some ways very easy to write because it’s the landscape of my childhood. But, in other ways, it was a little bit tricky, because I wanted so much to get it right.
How long did it take to write “Crossed”? Has the process gotten any smoother?
I started writing Crossed back in November of 2009 and it was completely and totally finished (copyediting, etc.), in May of 2011. That’s about the usual time it takes for me to write a book–a year to a year and a half. The process has gotten smoother in that I know my writing process quite well by now–Crossed is my seventh published novel–but every book is its own journey to write, and so in some ways I’m learning every time.
What were the challenges working on it? The highlights?
Oddly enough, the challenges–getting the characters’ stories to come together the right way, making sure people could picture the setting, making it the book I hoped it would be–were also the highlights, eventually. This story mattered so much to me that it made it difficult to feel like I could ever get it right, but very rewarding when my editor and I finally said, “Yes. This is it.”
Has the trilogy played out the way you initially planned? Do you have an outline?
There have been a few surprises, but the overall arc is what I imagined from the beginning. I don’t have a formal outline, but I have hundreds of pages of notes that I took while writing the first two books to use while writing the third.
Have any of the plot twists taken you by surprise?
Everything involving the character Indie (who is a new character in Crossed) always surprises me. She’s so fun to write.
Words of the past play a large role in the trilogy (at least the first two books). Why is that?
Words of the past often inform the future. For example, we as a culture discover ourselves in plays by Shakespeare over and over again. I think the idea of finding words that have had historical meaning and then giving them your own meaning is something that is intrinsic to our experience as readers and human beings.
If you could only “save” a certain number of texts from our time, what would they be?
I’d save books by Wallace Stegner, and Anne Tyler, and Agatha Christie, and of course Dylan Thomas. 🙂 I’d also save a lot of picture books to read to my kids.
How has your writing style evolved?
think I have a better sense of pacing and story now. And I’m willing to take more risks.
Have you thought beyond the Matched trilogy? Any other ideas in the works?
Yes and yes! But nothing I can really talk about yet. I’m still pretty firmly entrenched in the Matched world for now. 🙂
People love your books because of the story, but there are also a lot of teens (and parents) who appreciate their so-called “cleanliness.” Do you feel any pressure or expectations on that front?
I love that people appreciate that. I don’t feel much pressure because this is just how I write and how I’ve always written. I’ve never had anyone in the publishing industry to make things less or more clean–which is awesome.
Has the success of the Matched trilogy, brought new readers to your previous books?
Not that I’ve noticed! The sales of the earlier books seem to be pretty much the same.
How has your life changed since hitting “superstardom”? How has the success affected your family?
Well, that’s nice of you to say, but I’m no superstar. My family is used to my writing (I’ve been doing it since 2003, when my first son was born), and I’m used to fitting my writing around naptime and bedtime and getting up early time. The biggest difference since Matched was published has been the travel. I never traveled for my other books! But we try to keep things manageable. I’ve turned down some foreign trips that would have been amazing because the time away was too much with such little kids. And my parents, who are saints, always drive up from Cedar City when I’m out of town so that my kids get to have extra grandparent time. I certainly couldn’t do it without their support. And my publisher is so understanding. I’m very lucky.