Nil Blog Tour and Interview!

Today on the blog, I have the lovely author Lynn Matson joining me to so I could interrogate her. Er... I mean interview her about the creation of Nil. My review of Nil is here. If you still have no idea what the heck a Nil is. Here is what you can expect from the book:

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.
Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.
Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.

Interview

1. In the book, a requirement to join the City is that you need to contribute something. What would be your contribution?

Oh my gosh--GREAT question! Probably something involving food. Definitely involving food. I love to eat.:)

2. How long would you last on your own on Nil?

On my own?! Probably not very long! Especially if I was still running around naked…lol Seriously, it would be tough to figure out the rules without help, not to mention how exhausting it would be to hunt for food every day. And run from hyenas. And tigers. And …:)

3. If you could have any ally on Nil fictional, dead, alive or otherwise, who would be your companion?

My first thought was Bear Grylls. I mean, how handy would Bear be as an ally?! But then I realized that he's not a teenager so he'd never make it to Nil. My second thought was Katniss, because she's tough and crazy  good with a bow. But then I thought having someone who already had a handle on Nil would be the best choice. So I'd probably pick Natalie. She's strong, kind, and a tested Nil veteran. 

4.Did you draw a sketch of the island? If yes, please share.

I drew a VERY rough sketch of NIL in one of my notebooks that I brainstormed in, but nothing very detailed. I'm not skilled at drawing (in fact I'm TERRIBLE!)--I have no sense of scale. I also drew little mini sketches in the margins of the notebook…more like doodles. But I have a complete aerial view of NIL in my head, which I realize is NO HELP AT ALL. :)

5. What would you miss most about life off the island?

The people I met while on Nil. It would be hard not knowing what happened to the people I left behind on Nil...that's one of the things about NIL that intrigued me as I was writing--how would the teens who survived feel when they got home? How would they deal with the not knowing?

6. What happens at midnight on day 365?

That's one of the big questions, right? I'll leave that one up to the reader. :) And maybe a sequel. :)

About Lynne:

Lynne is a former attorney who thinks writing books for teens is much more fun. :) Her debut novel, NIL, a YA thriller with a SF twist, will be published by Macmillan/Henry Holt on March 4, 2014.

When she's not writing or reading, you'll find her hanging out with her husband and their 4 boys, usually at the beach. Cookies are her kryptonite, especially thin mints.

If you've enjoyed this, please be sure to hop on over to the rest of the blog tour spots to see what types of questions they were asking to to see what they thought of the book.

Feb 17: Dana Square Interview

Feb 18: Book Loving Mom Review

Feb 19: Jenna Does Books Guest Post

Feb 20: Word Spelunking Review 

Feb 21: Book Addict's Guide Interview

Feb 24: Great Imaginations Review 

Feb 25: A Backwards Story Guest Post

Feb 26: Two Chicks on Books Interview 

Feb 27: As Told by Rachel Review 

Feb 28: Paperback Princess Interview 

Mar 3: The Best Books Ever Review

Mar 4: Wastepaper Prose Review 

Mar 5: Book Haven Extraordinaire Review

Mar 6: Good Choice Reading Interview 

Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)

Author: Rick Riordan
Goodreads rating: 4.17
Pages: 377
Format: Audiobook

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Landry Park Blog Tour; Guest Post

Today on the blog, we have the blog tour for Landry Park. The Author Bethany Hagen was kind enough to do a Blog Post for me to feature today. If you haven't already checked out Landry Park, you can read the synopses below!

In a fragmented future United States ruled by the lavish gentry, seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry dreams of going to the university. Unfortunately, gentry decorum and her domineering father won't allow that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers the devastating consequences her lifestyle is having on those less fortunate. As Madeline begins to question everything she has ever learned, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty - her family and the estate she loves dearly - and desire.

On Dystopian Subgenre

Young adult dystopian has become a wonderfully diverse subgenre, and what’s so amazing about the genre is that each author manages to find a different vision of what societal decline looks like.  Landry Park shares this common theme—a future where freedom and individual value have been radically altered from what they are at present, and where the protagonist is brought to a position of making a choice about their place within the dystopia.

Where Landry Park gets its own flavor is the world.  Landry Park takes place in a future America that’s been fractured by civil war and invasion, and where the ruling class have chosen to lead lives of leisure, patterned after how the wealthy have lived in the past.  So instead of sleek skyscrapers and hovercars, Landry Park is made up of foggy gardens and acres of silk and rows of brightly colored petit fours.   I did this not only for aesthetics, but because I think that all dystopias express an anxiety about the regression of society.  What better way to highlight this anxiety than to pinion the story with markers from the past?  Landed estates?  Primogeniture?  A permanent underclass?  I think the world of Landry Park dramatizes what we are afraid of returning to.

About Bethany:

Bethany Hagen was born and raised in Kansas City, meaning she can tolerate jazz for brief amounts of time and is offended by dry rub barbecue. She grew up reading Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, and all things King Arthur. When she's not working at the library or running around with her kids and husband, she's writing or thinking about writing. Landry Park is her debut book.

Elusion

 

Author: Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam
Goodreads Rating: 3.70
Pages: 400
Format: ARC from NYCC13

 Soon, Elusion® will change the world and life as we know it.

A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life.

Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality.

Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.

Suspense, thrills, and romance fuel this near-future story about the seductive nature of a perfect virtual world, and how far one girl will go to uncover the truth behind the illusions.

Frozen (Heart of Dread #1)

Author: Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston
Goodreads rating: 3.68
Pages: 336
Format: ARC from BEA13

From New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston comes this remarkable first book in a spellbinding new series about the dawn of a new kind of magic.

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.