Party with Ally Condie

Please welcome Ally Condie to the party!

Ally's the author of MATCHED, which was selected as one of the coveted "Penguin Five" - one of the hottest new books in the fall lineup! (Reminder: a boxed set of the Penguin Five is one of the grand prizes to be given away on Thursday...) Ally is a former high school English teacher who lives with her husband and three sons outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves reading, running, eating, and listening to her husband play guitar.

Here's the blurb for MATCHED:

Society matched them, but love set them free.

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So what Xander's face appears on screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate…until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Ally's numbers:

Your compound number values are twenty-five and fifteen.

Fifteen is a fortunate number, especially as connected to the arts and sciences. Those who are influenced by this number often have the gift of gab, as well as gifts of art and music. They likely have a dramatic personality and strong personal magnetism, which makes others want to help them on their path.

Twenty-five is a number denoting strength gained through experience, and benefits obtained through observation of people and things. It is not deemed exactly "lucky", as its success is given through strife and trials in an earlier life. It is favorable when it appears in regard to the future.

The number four indicates someone who is practical, loyal, kind and fair. Fours value justice and hard work. The number four represents both emotional and physical strength, although fours seldom show their inside sensitivities to anyone, and at times their dreams are so grand, it seems as if they are unattainable.

And her reaction:

It was fun to get this reading...and it's rather accurate! The number fifteen probably applied the least. Though there are professional artists, scientists, and excellent musicians in my family, I am not one of them. I'm also not very talkative unless I know someone well. However, I LOVE art and music and I think I'm a great "appreciator" of both, if not a doer. ;) I think this does show up in my writing--music and art are often key elements in a story when I write, and I am a very visual person. Numbers twenty-five and four are both quite accurate-- I've been writing for a while now and I feel like I've gotten better through putting in the time and writing every day, and that hard work and observation are key to my writing process.

Today's daily giveaway is WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson.