Best-selling author talks about the writing process with Medina students

Provided photo: Julie Berry (Author’s Note owner), Principal Michael Cavanagh, Jennifer O’Toole (high school librarian) and Ally Condie are shown Monday at the school.

Press Release, Medina Central School

MEDINA – Ally Condie, a number-one best-selling author, visited Medina Jr./Sr. High on Monday.  Librarian Jennifer O’Toole, along with English teachers Mindy Hill and Kayla Rosenbeck and local bookstore owner Julie Berry (Author’s Note), invited Ms. Condie to discuss her new Young Adult novel “The Only Girl in Town” with students and hold a writing workshop with the Creative Writing Class.

“We are thrilled to have her visit our school and being able to engage with our students,” said Principal Michael Cavanagh. “It is an amazing opportunity to hear about her writing process and have her inspire our students.”

Ms. Condie is the author of the number one New York Times bestselling Matched trilogy and its companion novel, The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe. She has also authored the book Summerlost, which is an Edgar Award winner.

The Only Girl in Town is a novel with a fractured reality twist about a girl named July Fielding.  July finds nothing has been the same since the summer before senior year.  She finds herself alone as everyone in her town disappears and she struggles to get them back.

She read a few chapters to her audience and took questions from students on everything from her personal life to events in the book.

“It was wonderful having Ms. Condie here,” said Mrs. O’Toole. “We are very grateful to Julie Berry for including us as one of the schools Ms. Condie is visiting in the area.”