Nickel Plated Blog Tour: Interview with Aric Davis

Hi everyone! I’m fortunate enough to be a part of this tour I joined Teen Book Scene a month or so ago. This tour is for Nickel Plated by Aric Davis. I have an interview for you guys. I didn’t ask my usual questions so I hope this is different from all my other interviews.

Q: Nickel seems to be a little bit of bad and good at the same time. How do you manage to balance these two sides of his personality? 

A: We’re all bad and good, and middle school aged children tend to meet these criteria better than anyone, they can be evil little creatures.  The fact that he’s so angry, so furious with the world that he wants to be fire, yet knows that going too far is wrong, is his calling card.  Nickel is mad at adults, there’s only been one that didn’t let him down and that man is dead.  To make up for it, he talks with his father’s name in his mouth and has the man’s beliefs on his sleeve.  Nickel is not perfect, far from it, but he tries his best to be fair.  As silly as it sounds, I just let the kid talk, he does well enough on his own.  

Q: What makes your thriller different aside from your character?  

A: Most writers shy away from this stuff in YA fiction.  I decided to embrace the darkness.  Nickel could live in the pages of a book that had him meet the love of his life, but there are issues...he’s not that kind of a character.  Much of modern YA has torn clear of the roots unintentionally built by Salinger and Lee, to become a breeding ground for limp wristed, gothic romance.  I believe that with Nickel I’m telling a story to young adults that does not talk down to them, and brings back real risk. 

Q: Human trafficking is a really big problem and selling of children is a part of this. Through your book, people will see this. Did you intend this? Why?   

 

A: Absolutely.  Anything I can do to get people, especially young people, thinking about these problems is a victory.  We learn as kids not to talk to strangers, to stop, drop, and roll, and to make sure a parent checks our candy on Halloween.  With all of the new avenues of introduction available to predators, our children need more, and being enraged, not afraid, is a wonderful defense.  Not trusting is fine, fighting back when all other options are exhausted is even better.  Adults who prey on children are cowards, and I’d love to hear of more kids making war when it mattered most.  There are not enough sex offenders missing an eye. 

Q: When you started writing Nickel Plated, did you really plan to explore the dark side of society? Why or why not?  

A: I did.  To me, there is nothing more interesting when writing fiction than the underbelly of modern society.   The fact of the matter is, a book about a well adjusted boy who has no problems is boring, a book about a person who walks into a battle with the world is interesting, no matter where he’s from or what his name is.  It’s the conflict that makes the characters breathe, in my opinion. 

Q: Being a victim of fate, what is the most important lesson that Nickel has learned? 

A:  Keep your hands up, chin down, and expectations low.

Thank you, Aric & Teen Book Scene!