Difference between revisions of "Ally Condie: Mormon Author"

Latest revision as of 14:40, 19 June 2024

Ally Braithwaite Condie is the bestselling author of the Matched trilogy, which has won numerous awards. She co-wrote the middle-grade series Darkdeep. She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Matched, the first in the dystopian young adult fictional series, appeared in 2010, followed by Crossed in 2011 and Reached in 2012. Matched stayed on the New York Times Bestseller list over a year and the series is an international bestseller. The Walt Disney Company optioned the film rights for the series.

Condie also authored standalones Freshman for President in 2008, Atlantia in 2014, and The Only Girl in Town in 2023. She also writes Latter-day Saint young adult fiction: the Yearbook Trilogy (Yearbook, First Day, and Reunion, 2006–2008) and Being Sixteen (2010). Her first mystery, Summerlost (2016), was nominated for an Edgar Award in the Best Juvenile category. It also was an ALA Notable Books for Children nominee and won a Goodreads Choice Award. Her YA novel The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe was published in 2019. She also contributed to Enthralled in 2011.

She co-wrote the Darkdeep trilogy (The Darkdeep, The Beast, and The Torchbearers) with Brendan Reichs.

Condie grew up in Cedar City, Utah. She earned a degree in English teaching at Brigham Young University and an MFA degree in creative writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is a former English teacher and has four children. She is the founder of the nonprofit WriteOut Foundation, which runs a writing camp for teens that allows them to work with published authors as well as enjoy the outdoors and other activities.

Her 12th book, released in 2024, is a murder mystery for adults. "The mystery book seed first planted, Condie said, when her middle grade book Summerlost was named one of five finalists for the Edgar Award in 2017. The Edgar Awards are special awards in the mystery genre, named after poet Edgar Allan Poe, from the Mystery Writers Association."[1]

In 2019, she went through a divorce. The idea for the murder mystery took root on a trip she went on by herself, and she found herself very lonely. "In the novel, character Ellery Wainwright was meant to spend her 20th wedding anniversary with her husband at a resort in Big Sur, which Condie visited in 2017. Wainwright instead travels solo, and at the resort, comes across a wedding. But then the groom disappears, and Wainwright discovers his body. Another guest dies, too. Wainwright dedicates herself to finding out who the murder is."[2]

“This comes through in the book,” Condie said. “. . . the character is not me, but definitely there’s some inspiration.”[3]

Condie wanted to change her pen name to her maiden name, Braithwaite, but publishers insisted on keeping her published name, Ally Condie.

In June 2024, the actor, director, producer, and book enthusiast Reese Witherspoon shared a video with her 30 million followers on Instagram. The video featured Witherspoon reading the first few lines of Condie's book The Unwedding. The book was Witherspoon’s book club pick for June.

Witherspoon is one of the literary world’s top influencers. She started recommending books when she joined Instagram in the 2010s. Then in 2017, she made an official account for her book club as part of her new company, called Hello Sunshine. Witherspoon has been astronomically boosting the book sales of many authors ever since.

Condie said sales of “The Unwedding” jumped significantly after Witherspoon’s announcement, and that same week, Kirkus Reviews — one of the foremost trusted voices in publishing — posted a glowing write-up of “The Unwedding,” describing it as “a gorgeous murder mystery that explores what it means to be human — the pain and the love.”[4]

Website

Ally Condie's Twitter