Ally Condie is the author of eight novels, including the Matched trilogy. “Reached,” the third book in the Matched series hits bookstores Nov. 13.
In “Reached” we get to hear Xander’s voice. Was it always your plan to share things from all three points of view (Cassia, Ky and Xander)?
Yes, it was. I knew after writing the first book that we needed to hear from Ky and Xander too if we wanted to have the complete story. It was fun and challenging to add Ky in “Crossed” and Xander in “Reached.”
“Reached” takes readers back to a cityscape. The Outer Provinces were inspired by southern Utah. Are the urban areas similarly based?
They aren’t tied to any cities specifically, but for Camas City I was inspired a little by the city of Idaho Falls, where there is a beautiful river that goes right through the town.
How long did it take you to finish “Reached”?
It’s hard to say, because in some ways I’ve been working on it since 2008, when I started “Matched.” But I turned my full attention to it after I finished “Crossed,” and that was about a year and a half before publication.
Was it harder to write than its predecessors?
No, not really. There were parts that were trickier–but overall they each had their own difficult moments and really fun, thrilling moments where the writing felt like it was happening almost on its own.
You never had a formal outline for the trilogy, but you had lots of notes. Did “Reached” end the way you thought it would or did it change during the writing process?
It did end the way I thought it would, but there are some lead-up scenes to that ending that changed quite a bit. To me, that’s part of the fun of the story–taking the journey along with the characters and being open to surprises. 🙂
Ky, Xander and Cassia really seem to grow individually over the course of the series and particularly in the final book. Are you surprised at how they developed/turned out?
I am in some ways and not in others. I was surprised by different parts of each of their stories. And I knew they were each strong in different ways, but sometimes the ways they had to be and were strong weren’t always expected or planned out, but then felt right once I knew the characters more fully as the series progressed.
Where did the idea for the Gallery come from?
I have a mom who is an artist, and she often has shows in galleries. I think that’s where the seed came from, and then also from street fairs and other places where people bring and share their art–I thought how strange it would be to live in a world where that wasn’t available. I think it makes life richer for all of us, and that seemed like something Cassia would realize and want to create.
The trilogy has been a large part of your life for a long time (I’m guessing close to 5 years, if not longer). Now that you’re done with it, what’s next?
I can’t say much, but I’m working on a new project and having a lot of fun (it’s another young adult novel). Also, our new daughter arrived this year, and so I am having a great time with her and with my other kids too.
Is it hard to leave the Matched world behind?
I think it will be more difficult a little farther down the road. Right now, even though I’m finished with the series, most readers still haven’t read the final novel, so it doesn’t feel over. I’m really looking forward to talking about the story with them–in fact, I can’t wait! But I do love these characters and their journey and so I’m sure at some point it will really hit me.
Do you still love writing as much as you did when you started?
Yes, definitely, and maybe even more! “Reached” is my eighth novel, and I can’t imagine my life without writing now. It’s something that has become more and more a part of me, and is integral to who I am and how I cope with and experience “real” life.
If you could go back in time to when you were first trying to get published, what advice would you give yourself?
If I could go back to 2004, when I submitted my first manuscript, I’d say, “It’s okay. This path isn’t going to go the way you imagined, and that is actually a really good thing.” Without getting too cheesy, I have to say that I feel really lucky and blessed that everything happened the way it did. My time with Deseret Book/Shadow Mountain helped shape me into the writer that I am now, and Dutton/Penguin has been supportive of this series beyond my wildest dreams. And, of course, most importantly, the readers have been amazing all along. Just one reader who truly loves your story can make the whole endeavor feel worthwhile.