1--What is the title of your latest release?
SISTERS OF THE LOST NATION
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A Native girl’s hunt for answers about the women and girls mysteriously disappearing from her tribe’s reservation leads her to delve into the myths and stories of her people, all while being haunted herself.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I used real-life experiences to influence the setting of this book, which is about a fictional Native American tribe. As a member of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, I thought Louisiana would make a great backdrop for the mysterious things that happen in the story.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Definitely. Anna Horn is a headstrong, smart, and intriguing individual. She’s forced to contend with several challenges throughout the book, so she’s constantly on edge, but I’d love to see what she’s like when she’s able to just relax and have fun.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Loyal, clever, and guarded.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned a lot about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) epidemic in the United States. It’s heartbreaking how many Native and Indigenous women and girls are subject to abuse, assault, abduction, and murder. The issue is getting more attention now, but it was largely ignored for decades.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I don’t edit until I’m done with the first draft. If I think of a change I want to make, I write it down and address it when working on the second draft.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
English toffee.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
My writing space is pretty simple. I have a large desk, a small couch, and a framed “I Want to Believe” X-Files poster on the wall.
10--Who is an author you admire?
While there are many, I’d like to salute Thomas Olde Heuvelt. He’s a Dutch writer, so some of his work has yet to be published in English. His novels Hex and Echo are incredible. Hex gave me nightmares, which is hard to do.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Chicago Haunts: Ghostlore of the Windy City by Ursula Bielski. My mom gave me a copy for Christmas when I was fifteen years old. It sparked an interest in supernatural lore that’s grown ever since.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I was very fortunate to have Sisters of the Lost Nation go to auction. I remember my agent calling after the auction’s first round to tell me the offers we’d received. I couldn’t believe the publishers she was naming. It’s still surreal. A true dream come true.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Horror currently.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
This is a tough one. The Talented Mr. Ripley has always been a favorite. The story is unsettling (based on Patricia Highsmith’s incredible novel), and the performances are top-notch.
15--What is your favorite season?
Autumn, most definitely.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I don’t mind ignoring it, but it’s always nice to spend time with family.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
When it comes to movies, I thought Bones and All—a cannibal love story—was really unique, disturbing, thought-provoking, and beautiful in its own way. I’m looking forward to seeing it again.
One of my favorite books from last year is Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman, in which the characters get “haunted” by taking a drug called Ghost that allows them to see the dead. It’s a premise unlike any I’ve read before, and Chapman’s writing is so intense that you won’t just read it on the page, you’ll feel it under your skin.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
This is a tough one. I don’t think I have a favorite.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I like to keep fit, so I’m often at the gym. Other than that, I might be strumming my guitar or piecing a story together.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I’ll have a short story in Never Whistle at Night, an anthology of dark fiction being published by Penguin Random House this September, and my second novel will be available in April 2024.
A young Native girl's hunt for answers about the women mysteriously disappearing from her tribe's reservation leads her to delve into the myths and stories of her people, all while being haunted herself, in this atmospheric and stunningly poignant debut.
Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation’s casino…and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step—an ancient tribal myth come-to-life, one that’s intent on devouring her whole.
With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing and the tribe scrambles to find answers, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she’s sure lies in the legends of her tribe’s past.
When Anna’s own little sister also disappears, she’ll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation—both ancient and new—are strong, and sometimes, it’s the stories that never get told that are the most important.
Part gripping thriller and part mythological horror, author Nick Medina spins an incisive and timely novel of life as an outcast, the cost of forgetting tradition, and the courage it takes to become who you were always meant to be.
Thriller Paranormal - Supernatural | Multicultural [Berkley, On Sale: April 18, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593546857 / eISBN: 9780593546871]
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Nick Medina appreciates blues-based music, local folklore, and snowy winters. He has degrees in organizational and multicultural communication, and has worked as a college instructor. He enjoys playing guitar, listening to classic rock, exploring haunted cemeteries, and all sorts of spooky stuff.
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