Freshman For President

Election/Website

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:18:00 +0000

Two things today.

First, it's Election Day! (As if you didn't know.) I'm interested and intrigued to see the results not only of the presidential election, but of many others across the nation.

Second, since Freshman for President is a book about a presidential election, and the election is drawing to a close, I'm going to stop posting at this blog. I'll still be posting at my official website, so please visit me there.

Thanks!

The Whitney Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:32:00 +0000

I want to spread the news about the Whitney Awards. They are given to books--any books--either locally or nationally or internationally published--written by LDS authors. This year, I have two books that are eligible: Freshman for President and Reunion, so that's fun.

To nominate a book for a Whitney Award, go here. You can nominate as many books as you like!

There are a couple of great blogs with lists of the books that are eligible this year on their sidebars. Try this one or this one and then scroll down along the side. You may be surprised to see how many amazing authors are LDS!

Any book that gets 5 nominations then goes before the Whitney judges, who then narrow it down to a list of finalists which are then voted upon. They have lots of different categories (Best Novel of the Year, Youth Fiction, etc.). To find out more about the Whitneys, go to their official site here.

Last year, I was lucky enough to be a finalist for First Day in the Youth Fiction category. It was so much fun to go to the banquet and see so many LDS authors together. Shannon Hale was there, Jessica Day George was there, Brandon Mull was there, Brandon Sanderson, James Dashner, J. Scott Savage, and the list goes on. I have honestly never seen such a happy, supportive group of people. Everyone was rooting for everyone else and having a blast while doing so. So please support the Whitneys and your favorite authors, and go nominate some of your favorite books!

Radio Interview this Sunday, October 26

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:52:00 +0000

Hello again. I just finished taping my radio interview for KSL Radio's program Everyday Lives, Everyday Values. Doug Wright is the host of that show, and he is fantastic. He always asks the best questions and moves the interview along so well.

The interview will air at 9:00 a.m. MST on KSL Radio 1160. If you don't live in Utah, you can listen at www.ksl.com (click on the ListenLive icon). I'm not sure if you'll be able to access it after the initial broadcast.

I talk mostly about Reunion, my latest book, but I also make mention of Freshman for President and what I'm working on now. If you end up listening, thank you in advance, and I hope you enjoy the interview. :)

Listing

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:38:00 +0000

I'm having a hard time thinking of what to post about, so I thought that perhaps I would take some of my own advice and come up with a list. (I used to tell students this when they were stuck in their writing.) Sometimes listing things gets my mind working. So, here's a list composed of things I like about being on television, since who knows when/if that will ever happen again, and another one of things I do not like:

Things I Like About Being on Television

-the chance to wear grown-up clothes for a little while without baby spit-up, peanut butter, and/or boogies on them

-the cookies they have in the waiting room

-talking to television hosts, who are all really, really nice and smiley

-hearing from friends who I haven't seen in a long time who saw me on TV

-talking about my book and feeling like, "This is really happening! I published a book!"

-hearing my five-year-old telling his friends all about it (I love when my kids are proud of me)

Things I Do Not Like About Being on Television

-having to shop for aforementioned grown-up clothes with three little boys in tow

-really wanting to eat the cookies in the waiting room but knowing that I will get crumbs everywhere and chocolate on my front tooth just in time to go in front of the cameras

-realizing that friends who have not seen me for a long time will see me on TV and think "Good heavens, what happened to Ally?!?"

So, as you can see, many more good things than bad. I have a radio interview this week, which is always nice. I'm not sure when that one will broadcast (it's pre-taped), but I will update when I have the chance. And then I will write about something other than interviews. I'm not sure what, though. Ideas, anyone? Anyone?

Voting

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:35:00 +0000

When I was doing the program on KSL today, one of the things I mentioned was that taking your kids with you to vote is one of the best things you can do to get them interested in politics and in the voting process. I read an article about that in Parents magazine--how kids were really impacted by that one simple act.

Now, obviously this doesn't really apply to kids who are super young. No way am I dragging my three-year-old to the voting booth. He would hate it, and I would hate it. But older kids--now that could work, right? I remember thinking it was so cool when our school was a polling place and you could see all the adults coming to vote.

I also remember the first time I could vote. As it happened, the year I turned eighteen was an election year, and I felt so adult and competent as I walked in there and marked my ballot. (Now it's all computerized. Which makes me hope the computers aren't plotting to take over the world.) Anyway, I loved it. I've voted in every presidential election since. I like the almost festive atmosphere as you wait in line with other civic-minded souls. It makes me feel like a good citizen. It makes me feel lucky to live where and when I do.

I do love voting. I wonder if my five-year-old is old enough to bring along on November 4th?

(By the way, for those of you who asked, I was told that the clip would be made available at www.studio5.ksl.com in a day or so. ) :)

On Television

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:59:00 +0000

Can you believe that the election is less than a month away? I can't. It seems like we have been listening to these candidates forever, but on the other hand, it also seems like the day of decision is coming quickly. I'm definitely going to watch the presidential debate tonight. It's on at 7:00 p.m., MST. Don't forget!

Also, I have a television appearance coming up. It will be on KSL at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 14th. The show is called Studio 5. I'll be discussing Freshman for President. It should be fun!

School Visits and Book Signings

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:19:00 +0000

Just wanted to remind everyone about the book signings this weekend. The first one will be held on Friday, October 3, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Mountain West Bookstore in Cedar City, Utah. The address is 111 S. Main in Cedar City.

The second book signing will be on Saturday, October 4, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Deseret Bookstore in St. George, Utah. The address is 735 South Bluff Street in St. George.

And, on Friday and Monday, I'll be speaking to some English classes at Cedar High School. I could not be more excited about that! If anyone from Cedar High is reading this, hello! I can't wait to visit.

I am really looking forward to this whole trip. Southern Utah, here I come!

Recovering Charles

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:44:00 +0000

So, I have this friend Jason. He writes novels that end up on the New York Times Bestseller lists. How awesome is that? Awesome, I tell you. And now he has his latest book out, Recovering Charles. You can find it on Amazon or at Barnes and Noble's website or at bookstores everywhere. I was lucky enough to read this book a few months ago and it was wonderful. I love the ideas of redemption, second chances, and turning things around. I love the ways those ideas were presented in this very readable and entertaining book about a young man seeking out his father.

Check it out. You won't be sorry.

It's Tuesday...

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:36:00 +0000

...which means it's the Day that I Remember to Post. I remembered to post! I'm so proud.

A few cool things have happened to me this week. One, I found out that a teacher at a middle school in Texas is using Freshman for President in his classroom. I was over the moon about that. I always hoped that someone would someday want to use one of their books in the classroom. Back when I taught high school in Utah and in New York state, I loved choosing the books that I would get to teach. Usually, I had to choose from a finite set of books that the school already owned, but there were still so many good books to decide amongst. I still get nostalgic whenever I see a purple-covered To Kill A Mockingbird sitting on a shelf. How I loved teaching that book. Anyway, I know Freshman is no To Kill A Mockingbird, but it made my week to hear that Freshman was being used in a classroom.

Another cool thing is that I have some television interviews scheduled in October. Stay tuned for more information.

And one final cool thing. My baby seems to be sleeping four hours at a stretch at night--a huge improvement! I hope I didn't just jinx myself by saying that...

Happy Tuesday to all of you!

What to write, and book signings

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:50:00 +0000

Sometimes I struggle with what to write on this blog; since it is linked to one specific book, do I only write about topics relating to Freshman for President? Or should I write more generally about the writing process? Or should I write about politics? Ha, ha. I'm not even going to go there.

Some news, though. I found out that I will be doing a couple of signings in the Southern Utah area in October. Here are the dates and times, in case anyone is interested:

Book Signing

Friday, October 3rd

5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Mountain West Books

111 S. Main Street

Cedar City, Utah

Book Signing at the Deseret Book Ladies' Night Event

Saturday, October 4th

6:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m.

Deseret Book

St. George, Utah

I'll add more events if they come up. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Tuesday!

tour info coming soon

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:12:00 +0000

Soon, hopefully, we'll have some tour information scheduled. Originally, Shadow Mountain (my publisher) wanted me to visit about 24 schools (!) but I asked if we could scale it down a little since the baby is so new and it's hard to leave him for more than a few hours. They were very understanding and agreed that we could cut back a little. Still, we should be able to announce the modified tour information very soon. I'm so excited! I used to teach high school in Utah and New York (as you might know from reading my biography page), so the idea of being able to get back in the classroom is so exciting to me. I really can't wait.

I'm also going to try to post more often. My new goal is to post every Tuesday. I will do my best but feel free to chastise me if I fail. I respond well to outside pressure. :)

Thanks for reading!

silent auction

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:42:00 +0000

I have never met NieNie in real life, but I have enjoyed lurking on her blog ever since I noticed a link to it on designmom. NieNie (also known as Stephanie) and her husband have been in an accident and are fighting for their lives. They have four young children.

Gabrielle from designmom had the idea to host a silent auction on different blogs, offering up fun items for auction. I think most of the items are tending toward crafty and beautiful and handmade--well, I don't do any of that (how I wish I did!). But, I do write, so I thought the least I could do was have a silent auction on my blog and contribute one of my books, Freshman for President. To make it more fun, I'm also adding two other items to the bundle (all brand-new, of course):

*a very fun children's book about a duck who runs for president, titled (appropriately) Duck for President

*a classic political movie, All the President's Men

So, if you would like to bid on this bundle of political-themed joy (all three items are being sold together in a bundle, NOT individually), here's how to do it:

1. Leave a comment in the comments section with the amount of your bid. Only even dollar amounts (i.e., $10.00), please. We don't want to have bidding in penny increments!

2. Keep an eye on the auction. Whoever has the highest bid by Saturday night (August 30th) at midnight, MST, will win the auction.

3. Then, you will donate the amount of your bid to the PayPal account that has been set up in honor of Christian and Stephanie.

4. And then, you can send me an e-mail at allyATallysoncondieDOTcom and I will send you these three things in the mail right away.

If you would like to learn more about Stephanie and her husband and their recovery, Stephanie's sister keeps a blog with updates on their progress.

Thank you in advance for your generosity, and happy bidding!

The winner of the Farworld book contest is...

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:28:00 +0000

...TEARESE!

Tearese, will you please e-mail me your address so we can get you your book? My e-mail address is allyATallysoncondieDOTcom.

Congratulations! I'm so excited that you won.

The Best Excuse

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:22:00 +0000

I have been a terrible blogger lately, but I have a good excuse. We had a (darling) new baby a couple of weeks ago and he has taken up a lot of time, as new babies tend to do--which is fine with me! He's a very fun baby. Not that I'm biased.

Anyway, I will be blogging much more regularly in a few weeks as we start to do more promotion for Freshman for President. I'll also announce the winner of the Farworld contest at the end of the month. So don't give up on me!

Winner of the Freshman for President Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:09:00 +0000

The winner of the Freshman for President giveaway is...

TAYLOR C.!

Congrats to Taylor, who entered via e-mail. I'll send off your prize right away! And if you didn't win, try again...I'll be doing the drawing for the Farworld book at the end of the month.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and

HAPPY 4th of JULY

to everyone!

Farworld: Book Giveaway, Review, and Author Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:51:00 +0000

This new book (Farworld: Water Keep) is published by Shadow Mountain (also the publisher for Freshman for President). The author, J. Scott Savage, is doing a blog book tour and I was lucky enough to take part.

What does this mean for you? Well, you can win your own copy of this fabulous fantasy novel. Just leave a comment in the comments section of this post and I will draw from those at the end of July. You'll receive an advanced reader copy of the book, which basically means that you will get to have the book before almost anyone else, and before it's "officially" in print.

Keep reading for my review of the book and for an interview with the author. J. Scott Savage was very funny and fun in the interview, and his book is going to be a big hit. Enjoy!

Review:

As a writer, I sometimes fall into the trap of reading other books with the habit of noticing what other writers do well. This can seriously hinder my enjoyment of reading--when I read as a writer, not as a reader.

I was only a few pages into J. Scott Savage's new book Farworld: Water Keep when the reader took over. There was plenty to admire--elegant description, quick pacing, clever humor, and example after example of a creative and original brain at work. But the most important element--the story--captured me, and I didn't, couldn't dissect the book because I simply wanted to read.

Farworld: Water Keep, the first in the series, centers on two protagonists, Marcus and Kyja, who are absolutely endearing, entertaining, lovable, and real. Together, they have to save Farworld (a mythical world with parallels and connections to ours). Marcus, who is from Earth, and Kyja, who is from Farworld, spend the book jumping back and forth between the two worlds, a plot device that I found extremely effective. I loved watching the characters show each other around their respective worlds.

Neither Marcus nor Kyja really knows how they are supposed to save Farworld, but they are unafraid to try. They have allies in their quest--most notably, a skyte named Riph Raph and a wizard/magician named Master Therapass--but they are on their own for the most part. The cast of characters, including the villains, is rich, varied, and interesting. There are talking trees, mist steeds, giant beetles, and creatures called Elementals. Savage starts the pace quickly and moves from event to event without letting up. Savage knows his audience and his targeted age group--they are going to eat this book up the way Kyja enjoyed her first taste of fast food at the Burger Barn.

Speaking of Kyja, I love a strong female protagonist and Kyja is definitely in that category. I love that her strength comes, in part, from her ability to love and care for others. I also loved the character of Marcus, who is clever, innovative, and willing to put his fears aside. I truly enjoyed reading about the friendship between them and the way they were able to play to each other's strengths and help compensate for each other's weaknesses.

And how can you not love a book with fabulous insights like this one:

"Sometimes riddles are the only answers we have," Master Therapass said. "By the time you're my age, you'll learn the clearest answers are often the most misleading, and the best answers are almost always the most difficult to understand at first."

I think the writer took over for a minute because--dang. I wish I'd written that.

Click here for the author interview with J. Scott Savage, which took place in a Burger Barn in Salt Lake City last month. I (Ally Condie) consumed seven chocolate shakes during the course of the interview. J. Scott (sounds like J. Lo, doesn't it?) was slightly more restrained.

Contest/Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:10:00 +0000

It's time for a Freshman for President giveaway!

You can win a Freshman for President book. In keeping with the theme of Freshman, I'll also throw in a bumper sticker for your favorite presidential candidate (unless they are too obscure and I can't find them) and some red, white, and blue items as well.

To enter, just leave a comment here or e-mail me: ally AT allysoncondie DOT com. In the e-mail/comment, please include your name and the name of your favorite presidential candidate.

We'll close the contest/giveaway on July 3th and do the drawing on July 4th. I'll have my two-year-old draw the names out of a hat to keep it fair.

Good luck! :)

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Ally Condie) — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:55:00 +0000

Welcome to the official website/blog for Freshman for President! I'm so glad the site is up and running and I think the designers did a great job.

Freshman has been out for a couple of weeks now (originally, we had a scheduled release date of June 13th, but the book came back from the printers early). It's nice that it's hitting the stores now. We're anticipating doing more promotion and touring in the fall as the election picks up.

We'll keep updating the site, and I'll be back soon to blog about a contest, so keep checking back. And thanks for reading.