Indies Introduce Q&A with Danica Nava

Danica Nava is the author of The Truth According to Ember, a Summer/Fall 2024 Indies Introduce adult selection and August 2024 Indie Next List pick. 

Preet Singh of Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, Georgia, served on the bookseller panel that selected Nava’s book for Indies Introduce.

“An Indigenous romance, written by an Indigenous author, featuring Indigenous characters? Yes, please! Danica Nava's debut is not to be missed,” said Singh. “I don't know who I loved more — Ember or Danuwoa. I related to both, but Danuwoa is swoon-worthy and I wanted to be Ember’s BFF. The two together set the page on fire. Danica gives us a workplace romance that seamlessly incorporates difficulties Indigenous people face in a book I loved. Easily one of my favorite reads of 2024!”

Preet Singh: Hi, everyone. My name is Preet Singh, and I work at Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, Georgia, where I am an events coordinator and a very serious romance reader. It is my honor and pleasure today to talk with Danica Nava, author of The Truth According to Ember, about her debut novel. Here's a little bit about Danica.

Danica Nava is an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, and works as an executive assistant in Silicon Valley. She graduated with an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business. When she's not chasing her one-year-old daughter around the house, she is dreaming up more silly, sexy stories.

Hi, Danica! Welcome.

Danica Nava: Hello! Thank you for having me.

PS: You are very welcome. It was truly a pleasure to read The Truth According to Ember. I was so stoked that your debut was coming out. I feel like there's not very many Indigenous stories out there that are written by Indigenous authors and feature Indigenous characters. They are there, but to have the first rom-com was truly something else. How are you feeling?

DN: I am so nervous. It's a dream come true. Publishing is so slow. I wrote this years ago. Now it's finally here, and I'm working on the next book. Even that bio — my daughter was a year old when that bio went out. She's two and a half now. It's a wild journey, and I'm so happy.

PS: The Truth According to Ember is a debut, and it's the first Indigenous rom-com. The author is Indigenous, and both main characters are also Indigenous. Being the first anything carries a lot of weight. How does that make you feel? And how are you managing these huge expectations with being a first?

DN: I do feel pressure. Since the book was announced, I've had so many Indigenous writers and readers enter my DMs and email me saying they're so excited to finish their story, that my success is giving them hope. There's a mounting pressure, because I want to do well. I want to do it right. But no two Native Americans are going to have the same experience, because there's different tribes, different cultures. And no two individuals within the same tribe are going to have the same outlook and ideas. This is just one story told one way, and it's my way because everything I've done in my life has shaped it.

What keeps me up at night now, is that there's going to be a sales figure. When publishers are looking to acquire more of these books, they're going to say, “Well, how well did this one do? How much are we going to pay?” And there's still that discrepancy between book advances for BIPOC authors and white authors...I have to just let that go, because I have no control over that. I did the best I can do. I was writing the best book I could write.

And really, through booksellers and librarians getting early copies and being excited for it, they've given it this wonderful chance. When you see the books that go viral on BookTok, they're selling millions of copies. It's overwhelming and it's looking more and more that there's the chance [to get on a bestseller list]. But while those bestseller lists are wonderful, it's really just making sure that the readers that need this book find it, and I do believe that they are. I know that it might be the first rom-com, but it's not the last.

I also want aspiring writers (or current writers) to not be afraid to write Indigenous characters. I believe, especially in contemporary stories and romance, that the world should reflect the world we live in! If you're writing a romance and there's only white characters, that is intentional, and I don't read stories like that. I want to see color. I want to see the vibrance of culture, and I really hope that having access to my book is like a gateway.

Tommy Orange is a wonderful writer, and he's done interviews where he says, “I'm not going to write a colorful tour into Indian country.” And so, it's not that I did a colorful tour like “Here, white people! This is how we are. This is the reservation.” I just wrote what I know — my lived experience — and I hope readers can see that. I wrote it in a way that's accessible for all, but there are jokes in there that only the people in the community will understand, like lingo.

“Skoden” was in there, and the copy editor and the proofreader kept flagging it saying, “This needs to be added to the glossary.” I do have Chikashshanompa' in there, which is Chickasaw language, and Tsalagi, which is Cherokee language. And then there's Skoden. It's colloquial, it's not an official language. They said, “World language? Should we add it to the glossary?” And I'm like, “No, stet.” I believe people have the power to Google. At this point you have computers in your hand and Reservation Dogs and things like that.

I'm trying to just take everything a day at a time. Sometimes the pressure does get to me, and I have a little bit more ice cream before bed. That's a long winded answer. I'm a bit of a talker.

PS: I just want to say, regardless of sale figures — which I know is important for publishing —  when you have readers who find the book that they need, you will have those readers reaching out to you to let you know. I've been in that place where a story has left imprints on my soul. Those are the ones that stay. Those are the ones that I sell. But that is validation that is not physical. Hopefully, you will see that. And you are seeing that, I feel like.

DN: You're making me emotional!

PS: I know, I'm sorry!

DN: When final copies went out to the Berkley influencers, I was tagged in a slew of photos of everyone opening their mail. The joy of people with their book next to their faces makes me cry, because that is the dream. The story that was just mine for so long — it's not mine anymore. It's readers’ and people are so excited.

I think, as a whole, the reading community and the romance reading community is inclusive. Everyone deserves that happily ever after. That's why I wanted to write this book —  to have Native joy, to show us in the contemporary context, and get to have that happily ever after. To be the heroes and not just the Stoic Indian, or the Medicine Woman, Shaman, or the Native Princess. We get to live our lives. Mine was mundane because I work in an office, so that was this story, but it's no less thrilling. I remember when I fell in love for the first time — it felt magical. I felt like the lead character of my own story, because everyone is.

PS: You mentioned Tommy Orange, and you mentioned wanting to change the narrative and feature what you know. Were you influenced by Tommy Orange, or other Indigenous authors? Could you recommend a book or multiple books?

DN: All writers are not writing in a vacuum. We consume media, then we write. There are themes in Tommy Orange’s There There that do present themselves in my own silly way, because of my own experience with addiction — I had a father who was addicted to alcohol and pain medication — and how it affects marginalized communities and broken homes. While they're two completely different stories, there are thematic elements that are also present in my book.

Then you have Louise Erdrich, who's amazing. When we were talking about blurbers, I was like, “Well, there’s Louise Erdrich, but she's like a Pulitzer Prize winner. I don't think she's going to want this silly book of mine.”

Tommy Orange and Louise Erdrich have the most beautiful prose, and I want to get there, but I'm just a different writer. I write commercial fiction. It's leaning into women's fiction because of the heavier themes, but it's also very silly. I was like, “I don't know if I could ask Louise to read this silliness. She never will take me seriously again.”

But I love them. Robin Covington writes genre romance, and she has Native American characters who are billionaires. She’s also got a whole backlist of books. Vanessa Lillie published Blood Sisters earlier this year. I love Vanessa Lillie. She's also at Berkley, so when I joined I got to connect with her. She has awesome words of wisdom and advice, but is also allowed to be silly. 

PS: When you're passionate about what you're reading, it really comes through. That's definitely a great way to influence people to read something. Now in romance, there's a huge trend of micro-tropes. Without any spoilers, what micro-tropes would you like potential readers to know about in The Truth According to Ember? And what are some of your favorite tropes?

DN: Thank you so much for asking me. I've been doing a lot of interviews where they only ask about Native identity. I'm like, “It's romance. Can we talk about tropes?” I love tropes.

In The Truth According to Ember, the bigger tropes you'll find are only one bed — I got to sneak it in there — forbidden dating, and false identities.

And then micro-tropes are Danuwoa’s forearms — I love a forearm moment — and when a male main character cooks. There's a lot of food in here. Food is just so integral. There's several scenes where they're cooking food and eating, because that's community. My husband's a big cooker, so I was inspired there a little bit. He buys her Zyrtec when she needs it; he's just a caregiver. There's banter, and they can communicate with a single look.

I think, especially in Native culture, we use a lot of chin speaking. We don't point with our fingers, so we'll point with our lips, or chin, or our whole face. Trying to get that in print was difficult. I hope I executed that well, but there's a lot of that facial communication. I don't know if readers outside of the community will pick up on that, but it's very cultural.

PS: That is so cool. I didn't pick up on that. But I am from an Indian background, and we also use a lot of gestures. I obviously talk with my hands, but also the head tilt. So I will reread and definitely take note of that.

So, in The Truth According to Ember, while it is a rom-com, there are some very serious themes regarding identity and family that you've incorporated from both Ember's point of view and Danuwoa’s. Did I say that correctly?

DN: DAH-no-wa. But he goes by Dan. People can’t pronounce it.

PS: If you don't ask, then you can't, right? From his perspective, like you mentioned, he's a caregiver. He takes care of his sister. Ember has her aunt in her life and her brother. How important was it to you that you highlighted these issues regarding identity and family? (And I really, really appreciate how you address them.)

DN: I feel like themes present themselves after you've written the book. I set out to write this story, and I was like, “she's going to be an accountant, and it's going to be the IT guy,” because people mistreat the IT guys; they're the unsung heroes of corporate. I just love the idea of the IT guy being the sexy romance hero instead of the flashy executive. I'm a discovery writer, so I know the outline, but as I'm writing things change as I get to know the characters better. She just kept getting these missed calls and she just kept avoiding it. I'm like, “Why is she avoiding these calls?” And I was like, “Oh, it's because her brother needs more money on his commissary account, and she can't afford that,” or “She's a little angry.” Let me explore that!

Oftentimes in romance, both characters have a lot to work through. I really wanted Ember to find someone who's well-adjusted, because I think we don't see that in romance. Sometimes when they meet the love interest, then they can finally address their issues and have a loving relationship. But Ember needs somebody who is well-adjusted, who can help her out because she's got so much going on. If he had issues too, the book would never end.

So it just worked out that way. I was just putting what I know, and I didn't even realize I had these mega themes. I thought I wrote this silly rom-com. Then, as I was talking to editors, they were like, “Oh, the conversation on poverty,” and I was like, “The what? Oh. Oh, yeah.” I based her apartment on my first apartment. I also toned it down because I thought, “I can't sensationalize it. I can't make it too over the top. No one will believe it.” Even though I experienced that — finding used needles in a cupboard. So I toned things down, but it's really just from my lived experience. It just came through while writing and having empathy for the characters. I don't believe in judging your characters.

Maybe I could be a literary genius one day, like Louise and Tommy, if I understood thematic elements from the get-go, but really it was just from writing and discovering she's shying away from things. It's just the color of making each character feel lived in. Even Tito, who is her brother's best friend, he is lovable and redeemable, even though she hates him. 

This is told entirely in first person, past tense — it's Ember's head. I believe that no character is a reliable narrator, especially if you're in somebody's first person point of view, so all of her prejudices and resentments are going to color how she thinks about these characters. But through their dialogue and through their action, I think readers can pick up on something else. It's so fun to write about relationships and — I have a screenwriting background — how to make things as physical and lively on the page as you would see it in a movie or a TV show. For example, It was my dream to be on Saturday Night Live, so Chapter 4 writes like an SNL skit, with the hilarious one upping with the bowling league and the Little Bighorns.

So that's a long-winded answer of “I didn't know what I was doing with these themes.”

PS: I feel that's all the more impressive because you didn't plan it, and it still came through. I love rom-coms. There's nothing like laughing. But rom-coms that have heart and depth are my favorite. It makes that experience all the more rich and enjoyable. You might think that you need to practice to get to the levels of Tommy Orange and Louise Erdrich when it comes to planning themes and stuff…I say you're already there. You are doing it instinctively, and that's a gift in itself. 

DN: Well, I believe the subconscious helps. I'm a voracious reader. I watch a lot of movies and TV shows. And in the back of your brain, while you're sleeping, you're working through those plots. 

PS: That's wonderful, because that means that you wake up and you've got new ideas, and you can work around those places where you're stuck. I wanted to comment on the shirt that you're wearing. It says #NativeDaddy. Can you tell us a little bit about your shirt?

DN: Yes, it comes from a joke that Joanna drunkenly tells Ember while she's getting ready. They're gonna go to a bar. Danuwoa was in the house, because he's helped her set up a printer. And Ember's like, “I don't want to go. I have nothing to wear.” Joanna does the quintessential rom-com best friend pep talk, and she's a little too loud, because the walls are paper thin. She's like, “The Native daddy of our dreams is out there. You're going to go. You're going to show up.” He overheard that, and she gets teased about it throughout the book. And he is the Native daddy of my girly fantasies, for sure.

PS: Oh, my goodness! For those who haven't seen the cover, the cover is gorgeous. Both main characters look absolutely stunning. I love the way that they're staged on the cover. And yes, Danuwoa, he is totally a Native daddy. It's interesting because he's a cinnamon roll, but also an alpha. He's such a good guy. It's a good thing fictional characters aren't real, because he's truly the Native dream daddy of all of our dreams.

DN: I wanted to give nice guys — because I married the nice guy — the chance to shine. I did get some feedback early on with critique partners that he was too perfect. That's why, in the intimate scenes, it’s spiced up a bit to give him some some depth.

Britt Newton is Muscogee Creek and her tag on Instagram is @holoske. I said I really wanted an Indigenous artist for the cover, and Berkley was like, “Yes! Who?” And she was available! She's a stunning artist. I just don't think the book would have blown up the way it did without this beautiful cover.

PS: Sometimes I feel like I've been reading for so long that cover trends…they miss me, because the cover is what the cover is. If there's a great synopsis, you've got me hooked. But this generation of readers is definitely very visual. 

What would you like readers to take away from reading The Truth According to Ember?

DN: I really hope that readers of all stages of life will see Native characters, and maybe think a little differently. Listeners can't see me right now, but I am very white-presenting. I don't look how Hollywood says I should look as a Native woman. When people find out that I'm Chickasaw, I get asked, “How much Indian blood are you?” “Do you get money for being Indian?” “Do you have to pay taxes?” It's just so strange, asking these very invasive questions. We're not a pedigree of horse or dog. It's cultural. To be a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, it's not a racial distinction, it's a political distinction that I am a citizen of a dependent sovereign nation within the United States.

So when reading this book, I hope readers can pick up on that. Even at my day job, they say, “Oh, we're getting too far off the reservation here.” “That guy's the lowest man on the totem pole.” If that's your only exposure to Native culture, you should think about that. We walk around everywhere. We live everywhere. There's quite a few who live abroad. There's hundreds of thousands of us in the Chickasaw Nation alone.

I hope they see our joy. We're still around. We've gone through some really horrific things with the Trail of Tears and being settled in Oklahoma, but we're not defeated. In the tribe, we say that Chickasaws are unconquered and unconquerable, and I hope that resilience comes through in the pages. Humor — laughing through the hard times — is what a lot of people do, not just in the Native culture.

There's also the sense of community. Capitalism has sold us this lie that we have to have the job title, the pay, the house, the car, the next best thing. The Native community is about community. How can we help each other? How can we grow? It's not how the tribe can take care of us. We take care of the tribe as a whole. Ember gets herself into trouble when she falls for that lie of “I have to be better than I am,” when she's just fine as she is. I hope that readers can see that.

PS: That's really beautifully said. I hope readers feel the same way. I know I felt that way when I finished reading. Thank you so much for your time today. I'm so sorry I cried all over the podcast.

DN: No, I love it. We write for those big feelings. I cried while writing this, and laughed a lot, too.

PS: That's wonderful. Like I said before, I really feel like when you write with heart it comes through and the readers feel it. When you are enjoying what you're writing, we are enjoying what we are reading. I'm always curious to know what authors are working on next.

DN: So, my next book is another Native rom-com with Berkley, and it's called Love Is a War Song. It's about a pop star who has to go back into hiding. She's canceled a little bit and goes back to her reservation to her estranged grandmother's horse ranch where she meets a rancher named Lucas, and they have to come to terms. They have to make a truce to both get what they need. There's a lot going on here: there's line dancing, lots of country music references. If you love Oklahoma, you're going to see another side of it in Eastern Oklahoma. I love this book so much, and Lucas is very different from Danuwoa. I made sure to really make them distinctly different. You're gonna see silly shenanigans and a colorful cast of characters.

PS: I love that, I love that. Thank you so much, once again. This was a dream come true for me at least, I look forward to the successes that The Truth According to Ember brings. And yes, I'm adding your second book to my TBR right now.

DN: I don't think it's up. You’ll have to make a note!

PS: That's okay. I have a spreadsheet for 2025 releases that I started as soon as announcements started pouring out.

DN: July 2025.

PS: Alright! I'm putting it in there right now.

DN: Thank you so much, Preet. You were so wonderful, and thank you for everything.

PS: You're welcome. It's truly my pleasure.

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The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava (Berkley, 9780593642603, Paperback Romance, $19) On Sale: 8/6/2024

Find out more about the author at danicanavabooks.com.

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