Welcome to the FFBC: The Disasters by M.K. England

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The Disasters

by M.K. England
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: December 18, 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi

Synopsis:

Hotshot pilot Nax Hall has a history of making poor life choices. So it’s not exactly a surprise when he’s kicked out of the elite Ellis Station Academy in less than twenty-four hours.

But Nax’s one-way trip back to Earth is cut short when a terrorist group attacks the Academy. Nax and three other washouts escape—barely—but they’re also the sole witnesses to the biggest crime in the history of space colonization. And the perfect scapegoats.

On the run and framed for atrocities they didn’t commit, Nax and his fellow failures execute a dangerous heist to spread the truth about what happened at the Academy.

They may not be “Academy material,” and they may not get along, but they’re the only ones left to step up and fight.

We’re so excited to have your book in our FFBC Tours, and can’t wait to ask you a couple of questions about THE DISASTERS!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Favorite Book?

I am the WORST at narrowing down to one favorite anything, so apologies in advance for completely disregarding that limit!

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Favorite TV Show?

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Brooklyn 99
The Great British Bake Off
Babylon 5
Stargate SG-1

Favorite Movie?

The Fifth Element (my ultimate problematic fave)

Star Wars (don’t make me choose one!)

Your Favorite Song?

Symphony No. 4 by David Maslanka

Time Pieces for Clarinet by Muczynski

Pop music faves are too numerous and change often, but I do sincerely love just about every song on the DISASTERS playlist (coming later in tour!).

Favorite Food?

Palak paneer

Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.

Hogsmeade (Harry Potter)
Chandrila (Star Wars)
Asgard (Thor)
If it were possible to live inside the Great British Bake Off, I absolutely would.

Name a recent book you’ve read that you would recommend to our YA fans.

Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan

What were your favorite books during your elementary/junior high years?

X-Wing: Rogue Squadron by Michael A. Stackpole. It’s the book (series!) that taught me to write space piloting!

Favorite Quote?

Basically every word said or thought by Ronan Lynch in The Dream Thieves. I love my complicated and angry son Ronan.

What are your fandoms?

Many iterations of Sherlock Holmes, Stargate SG-1, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and BBC Merlin are my primaries, but there have definitely been a lot of smaller fandoms along the way (Final Fantasy 8, Tales of Symphonia, Farscape, and so on.)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about THE DISASTERS?

It’s about a hotshot pilot named Nax who fails out of his dream academy on the first day, only to witness that academy’s near destruction right as he and his fellow washouts are about to be shipped home forever. They’re the only survivors, and thus the perfect scapegoats, which kicks off a wild adventure with heists, crashing spaceships, arguing, getting shot, family drama, and a desperate attempt to stave off the biggest threat the galaxy’s ever faced. I love my space nerds. <3 span="">

Can you tell us 3 interesting things about Nax?

1. total disaster bi
2. has Brother Issues™
3. possibly attracted to spaceships more than any human gender

Tell us your favorite quote from THE DISASTERS.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t fly.”

Context is spoilery, but you’ll know it when you see it. ❤️

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for THE DISASTERS– Which one would you pick?

Breakthrough by All the Best Kids. They’re a little local Washington, D.C.-area band and, full disclosure, I’m friends with their singer, but I think this one is spot on for Nax’s emotional arc in THE DISASTERS and really fits well with the ending of the book.

If you don’t mind a whole lot of swearing, I also love Battle Cry by Angel Haze feat. Sia for this book. And, Spitfire by The Prodigy, because it’s perfect for a badass pilot.

What 3 hashtags would you most associate with your book? (Could be a word or phrase or anything that would instantly make you think of THE DISASTERS.)

#NailedIt

#AccidentalSpaceCriminals
#QueerKidsSaveTheGalaxy

Do you have favorite books/movies/tv shows set in space?

SO MANY.

TV shows: Babylon 5, Stargate SG-1, Firefly, Dark Matter, Voltron: Legendary Defender

Movies: The Fifth Element, Star Wars (of course), Guardians of the Galaxy

Books: Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something I’ll be very sad about later.

Are there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read THE DISASTERS (specific music, snacks…)?

Go outside at night, throw your arms out wide, and spin in a circle while shouting “WHOOOOOO!” at the sky, eyes open. Then sit down and read.

What’s next for you?

My second book with HarperTeen will be out in January 2020-ish. I can’t say much about it right now, but it’s a very genre-mashy futuristic world with magic and a cast of characters I adore. The main character might be my favorite character I’ve ever written. I’m also starting the first three chapters and synopsis of what I hope will be my third book, which I’ll be pitching soon! Fingers crossed.

Thank you so much for everything!

Thank you for having me!

• Michelle: I'm totally a Ronan fan (although my fave is Adam-- sorry!!). Also, I will totally be doing your suggestion before reading your book because I can't remember the last time I spun in a circle screaming "WOOOOO".

M.K. England is an author and YA librarian living who grew up on the Space Coast of Florida and now calls the mountains of Virginia home. When she’s not writing or librarianing, MK can be found drowning in fandom, going to conventions, rolling dice at the gaming table, climbing on things in the woods, or feeding her video game addiction. She loves Star Wars with a desperate, heedless passion. It’s best if you never speak of Sherlock Holmes in her presence. You’ll regret it. 

Her debut YA space opera, THE DISASTERS, will be out on 12/18/18 from HarperTeen. For the latest DISASTERS news, you can subscribe to the Eccentric Orbit monthly newsletter at biy.ly/MKEnews. You can also find her on twitter (@geektasticlib), instagram (m.k.england), tumblr (mkengland), and at www.mkengland.com.

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