Hi Lynne! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books! I
absolutely loved NIL!! Thanks for stopping by to answer my questions!
Thank for having me Jamie! And I’m SOOO glad you loved NIL! It
makes my author heart happy.:)
Where did the idea for NIL come from?
My husband
had won a trip to Hawaii with his company, and it was our first real getaway
from our four boys, EVER. (And it was HAWAII!! *still counts my blessings on
that one* :D) We landed on the big island, and as we left the airport after
landing, we drove through miles of ancient lava fields. Broken red rock
stretched endlessly on each side, gorgeous and desolate. There were no roads,
no buildings, no people–just the sound of wind blowing over the barren rocks.
The surrounding silence was powerful, and eerie, like it had a presence all its
own. I remember thinking how creepy it would be to wake up there, all alone,
and I remember thinking how much it all looked like an alien planet (think
DUNE). And I remember thinking how scary it would be as a teen, to wake up by
yourself, not having a clue where you were or how you how got there, and what
if–because isn’t this every person’s worst nightmare?!–what if you woke up
naked? NIL was born in that moment.
Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from
your real life?
Actually,
no. But I see bit and pieces of lots of people I know --or have met-- in all of
my characters, which is so fun!
How long did it take you to write NIL?
About six
months for the first draft, then longer ( much longer!) to edit and revise to
make it the story it is today.
I love that you told this story in dual POV’s why did you
decide to do that?
Aw, thanks
Jamie! It just felt right. I started writing from Charley’s POV right away. I
wanted her to discover NIL with fresh eyes, but I also had this vision of a guy
already there…mentally in a different place after fighting to survive and
escape for nine months, with inside knowledge of the island. So I started
writing Thad the same day that I started writing Charley.
What is for favorite passage/scene in NIL?
Ooooo…tough
question.:) I love the scene when Charley and Thad first meet. And I also love the
very last chapter of the book! *seals lips to prevent spoilers* And, while it
may sound weird, I love the funeral scene of one of the characters you meet
early on…it was very moving to write, and felt necessary even though I loved
that character.
What kind of research did you have to do for the story?
Oh my
gosh—fun, and sometimes creepy, stuff. I researched snowboard cross in Canada,
warthog behavior and aggressive tendencies, tropical plants, solar storms,
knife wounds, and more. Being a writer gives you license to research very
strange things in the name of “work.” :)
Is there any hope for a second book? I loved the secondary
characters so much! I’d love to
see something about Rives or Dex.
Oh, I love
Rives and Dex too! Right now there aren’t any plans for another book, but I’ll
admit to having ideas for Rives floating around in my head. If there were to be
another book, it would pick up with Rives.
What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR
that you’re dying to read?
I just
finished Anne Blankman’s PRISONER OR NIGHT AND FOG. It was AMAZING!!! Lucky for
me, I’m a member of OneFourKidLit and the YA Valentines, so I’m dying to ALL
THE BOOKS. But to name a few, I’m dying to read Paula Stokes THE ART OF LAINEY,
Kasie West’s SPLIT SECOND, and Lindsay Currie & Trisha Leaver’s CREED.
Who is your ultimate Book Boyfriend?
Oooo…another
tough one. I’m picking Trevor from PIVOT POINT. Honorable mentions to Adam from
WHERE SHE WENT, Po from Graceling, and Jace from The Mortal Instruments series.
:)
What inspired you to write YA?
All the
feels! Seriously, YA is THE BEST because everything is so fresh, so raw, and SO
REAL. I can’t imagine writing anything else.
Lightening Round Questions
Twitter or Facebook?
Twitter.
Hello…my name is Lynne and I’m a Twitter addict.:)
Favorite Superhero?
Spiderman
Favorite TV show?
Off-air? A
tie between Friends & LOST.
On air? I
barely watch tv these days so I’m going to punt. It might be Scooby-Doo,
because it’s getting heavy play in my house right now.
Sweet or Salty?
Sweet all
the way.
Any Phobias?
Spiders. I
can’t stand them. YOU CAN’T
FEEL THEM WHEN THEY’RE ON YOU…*shudders*
Favorite Music?
Alt-rock,
with mellow singer/songwriter’s (like Jack Johnson or Hannah Trigwell) as a
close second.
This was
so much fun Jaime! Thank you for having me!!!!!!
