about the book
Everybody has a thing, right? For Charley, her thing is being alone. She hates it. If her big sister hadn’t already left for college and her best friend hadn’t taken off for Milan, Charlie wouldn’t have been alone and she certainly wouldn’t have bought the two skanky skirts from the Target store. A total bad buy. She can’t afford to waste her baby-sitting money. She is taking the clothing back for a refund.
Driving her dad’s new car, she parks in the remotest portion of the lot. It is a super hot day, and as she walks toward the mega store’s entrance, the pavement seems to shimmer in a heat mirage. Strangely, the rippling air seems to float toward her. Then in a blink, the wave engulfs her. Choking in the heat, suddenly there is no light, no sound, no air!
Charley wakes all alone lying in a field of rocks—naked!!! She has no clue how she got there or what she should do next. Thankfully, Charley comes upon a small group of teenage refugees, strong survivors are led by a gorgeous boy named Thad.
She learns that she has been dropped onto a tropical island that doesn’t appear on any map…and this place is no paradise. Beneath the palm trees and sandy beach façade, Nil is a living sentient isle! It is only accessed through portals that appear and disappear at random spots precisely at noon each day. Though the shimmering gateways drop all sorts of animals, many of which are deadly, it only transports teenage humans, hundreds through the years.
There is just one rule on the island. From the day a teen arrives, they have just 365 days to escape. They have to find and enter a portal alone…or they will die on day 366. Charley is desperate to get back home…but she is even more desperate to save Thad. His days are numbered and the clock is ticking down. How do you escape a place that really doesn’t exist?
about the author
Lynne Matson grew up in Georgia, and her family would head north each autumn to pick apples and pumpkins. They spent their summers at the beach in South Carolina. In between the trips Lynne spent a lot of time reading. In a house filled with books, reading was a huge part of her family’s life.
In high school she planned on becoming a journalist. Not convinced of her writing talents, she changed her major to law once she started at the University of Florida. It was there that Lynne met her future husband and father of her sons. They currently make their home in Florida, though Lynne admits she is weirded out by all the freaky bugs!
With four boys, she gave up her law practice and became a full-time stay-at-home mom. In snatches of time between tennis, lacrosse, soccer, and basketball games, she began to write. She was thrilled when she finished her first novel—and soon realized just how bad it was! Undeterred, she re-read Stephen King’s book On Writing, attended a bunch of writing conferences, and honed her skills.
While accompanying her husband on a business trip to Hawaii, she got the inspiration for Nil. She was being driven through a desolate lava field and suddenly thought how terrifying it would be to wake up there all alone, confused and naked! Within moments the characters fell into her mind, basically fully formed. During the next ten days, she wrote 20,000 words. Although finding an agent and publisher were challenging—she did a lot of editing—the road to being published was very rewarding, especially now that her debut book is receiving so many rave reviews.
Lynne is a freakishly fast reader. Besides books, she loves Thin Mint cookies and has a slight iTunes addiction. She also likes to mess around with artists’ paints and make lots of lists. They make her feel organized!
Sources:
Author website
Author guest post: Swoon Reads
Author interview: Book Addicts Guide
Also by Lynne Matson:
Nil on Fire (Nil, Book 3). Henry Holt. May 2016.
Nil Unlocked (Nil, Book 2). Henry Holt. 2015.
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