DPL BookTalk Chats with David Macinnis Gill... in NC!

When I was in North Carolina recently, I had an opportunity to talk with YA author David Macinnis Gill:

BOOKS

DPL:  Invisible Sun is the companion book to Black Hole Sun, due out in March 2012.  Would you tell us a little about the story?

DMG:  In Black Hole Sun, Durango saved the world.  Okay, maybe not by himself--he had help from Mimi, his nano-implant with a biting wit, Vienne, his second-in-command, whom he also happens to be hopelessly in love with, and a ragtag crew of misfits.  Still, you'd think he deserves a break.  But a mercenary's work is never done.  He's on a new mission, one that will infuriate just about everyone.  One that will put everyone he cares about in unspeakable danger.  Cinematic action, rapid-fire dialogue, a futuristic setting on a terraformed Mars, and a tragic romance--Invisible Sun is an unstoppable adrenaline rush!

DPL:  I love the new cover for the paperback version of Black Hole Sun!  Do you have much say in what the covers look like?

DMG:  Only if exclaiming, "I love it," is having a say!  The design team at Greenwillow, my publisher, is among the best in the business, so I trust their judgment in cover art, book design, etc.  There are so many factors that go into a dust jacket--marketing, color scheme, sales, and eye appeal--that I find it best to let the folks who know the business do what they do.  I can't even begin to give them advice.

RECOMMENDATIONS

DPL:  What books have you read recently that you'd like to recommend?

DMG:  I have three:

SHINE by Lauren Myracle.  On the surface, this is a story set in the mountains of North Carolina, about the horrific assault of a young gay man, who is beaten and left to die at a service station with a gas nozzle in his mouth.  When the authorities react with ambivalence, his estranged friend decides to search for the attacker herself.  What she finds, though, more about her community and herself than she anticipated.  Gripping, saddening, infuriating, and ultimately, uplifting, this book is still with me months after I read it.

THE PULL OF GRAVITY by Gae Polisner.  Branded with the kiss o'death misnomer of "quiet book," The Pull of Gravity is the under-appreciated story of Nick and Jaycee, who use a combination of Yoda and Of Mice and Men as spiritual guides on a cross-country trip to keep a promise to a dying friend.  Where TPG shines for me is the pitch-perfect voice of the narrator, Nick, a guy with attitude and grit but with enough personality to keep you reading.

FURY OF THE PHOENIX by Cindy Pon.  In this sequel to Silver Phoenix, one of the top ten fantasy novels for youth by Booklist, we revisit the kick-butt sorceress/foodie Ai Ling, who must fight the evil Zhong Ye to save the man she loves.  Full of action, drama, myth, love, and yes, food, this is one of my all time favorite sequels, which is every bit as good as--and maybe better--than the first book.

TRADITIONS

DPL:  Do you have a favorite holiday tradition?

DMG:  Does sneaking under the tree and surreptitiously unwrapping my presents, peeking at what's inside, and then re-taping the wrapping paper count as a tradition?  If not, then my favorite is stuffing my kids' stockings late on Christmas Eve.  This will be our twenty-second year in a row, and it never gets old.

DPL:  Thanks, David!

DMG:  No, thank you!

--Patti