Interview with Arrow from Nickel Plated

Today we are joined by Arrow from Nickel Plated by Aric Davis.  Here's a little about Nickel Plated:


Nickel is a survivor. He has to be. For as long as he can remember, his life has hinged on the flip of a coin. Or, rather, the scribble of a social worker’s pen. He’s been through the system, even had a good dad for a few years, until he was gone, too. But Nickel remembers everything he taught him, and since the day he escaped from foster-care hell, he’s put that knowledge to good use. Just twelve years old, he makes a steady living by selling marijuana to high schoolers, blackmailing pedophiles he ferrets out online, and working as a private investigator. When a beautiful girl named Arrow hires him to find her little sister Shelby, Nickel figures at best the kid’s a runaway; at worst, some perv’s gotten a hold of her. He scours the internet and the streets of Arrow’s suburban neighborhood, and what he finds there is as ugly a truth as he’s ever seen. For beyond the manicured lawns, Nickel discovers children for sale, and adults with souls black as the devil. And people like that aren’t about to let some kid ruin their game. This edgy thriller introduces a canny, precocious anti-hero, the likes of which young-adult readers have never seen.

Tell us about yourself.

I'm fourteen, and I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with my Mom, Dad, and sister, Shelby. I'm in ninth grade and my favorite subject is I hate high school.

Where did you get the name Arrow?

My Dad came up with it;; it's from this song he used to sing to me, "Me and My Arrow".

What was life like for you and your sister Shelby growing up?




It was good, for the most part. My Dad has always been a little distant, and my Mom used to drink, but she quit when I was little. When Shelby disappeared I felt like I was watching a movie, like it couldn't be happening to us. We were just so normal, and then we weren't anymore. We were the family that was different, and not in a good way.
 
Have you always lived in Four Oaks?
 
All the years that mattered, I guess. We lived in a littler house when I was  younger, but that was a long time ago. Now we're going to be moving and I hate it.

What was your first impression of Nickel?
 
That he was short! But he's got this look in his eyes that you can't really get away from. He went through some really horrible stuff, before and after I met him, and he risked his life for me. If he were a little older...

Anything else you'd like us to know about you?

I don't know. I feel different now that all this happened. I used to get really freaked out by scary movies and stupid stuff like that, now that kind of stuff doesn't bother me at all. I wasn't there when Nickel was doing the really terrible things, and this might sound stupid, but I had to be brave too, and that hasn't gone away. I hope it never does.

In case you missed my review you can check it out here!