The time it was about The Truth According to Ember

Posted August 5, 2024 by Stacee in Interviews | 0 Comments

When I got the invite to interview Danica Nava for her upcoming release The Truth According to Ember, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. I’ve been swooning over the cover for a while and I couldn’t wait to get my greedy eyeballs on it.

Before we get to Danica’s answers, let’s check out the book.

Title: The Truth According to Ember
Author: Danica Nava
Pages: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Pub date: August 6, 2024
Find it: PRH | Bookshop | Goodreads

Synopsis: Ember Lee Cardinal has not always been a liar—well, not for anything that counted at least. But her job search is not going well and when her resumé is rejected for the thirty-seventh time, she takes matters into her own hands. She gets “creative” listing her qualifications and answers the ethnicity question on applications with a lie—a half-lie, technically. No one wanted Native American Ember, but white Ember has just landed her dream accounting job on Park Avenue (Oklahoma City, that is).

Accountant Ember thrives in corporate life—and her love life seems to be looking up too: Danuwoa Colson, the IT guy and fellow Native who caught her eye on her first day, seems to actually be interested in her too. Despite her unease over the no-dating policy at work, they start to see each other secretly, which somehow makes it even hotter? But when they’re caught in a compromising position on a work trip, a scheming colleague blackmails Ember, threatening to expose their relationship. As the manipulation continues to grow, so do Ember’s lies. She must make the hard decision to either stay silent or finally tell the truth, which could cost her everything.

Sounds good, right?

1. Please give the elevator pitch for The Truth About Ember.

The Truth According to Ember is about Ember, a down on her luck Chickasaw woman who is trying to make ends meet in Oklahoma City. When her brother skips his bail she loses her life’s savings, the money she needed to finish her associate’s degree at the local community college. Frustrated after getting so many job rejections she decides to get creative on her resume and check the “Caucasian” box on the ethnicity question on all job applications. It works and she lands her dream job where she meets her dream man, Danuwoa the IT guy, who is Cherokee.

2. Which came first: the plot or the characters?

The characters came first. I always knew it would be Ember and Danuwoa and it took some time to get the story right with the plot and pacing.

3. Why do you love Ember and Danuwoa and why should readers root for them?

I love their instant chemistry and banter. I feel like readers of all walks of life can root for them. They are just everyday people and their journey is so special.

4. Without spoilers, which scene was your favorite to write?

Hands down Chapter 4. That is the funniest thing I have written so far; I can see it exactly as I would in a movie. It was like magic with all the side characters coming together. It is in my humblest opinion– a masterpiece.

Speed {ish} round:

1. You find out that you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes.

I am dancing to “Big Time” by Peter Gabriel with my family and crying.

2. Which three things would you take to a desert island?

My kindle, sunscreen, and a jar of spicy pickled green beans.

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

Sophie Kinsella’s “I Got Your Number” for endless laughs.

4. What is the one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

Comparison is the thief of joy. Do not compare to anyone else’s publishing journey.

5. You wake up and discover you are Bella in Twilight. You know how it plays out. What do you do differently?

Choose Jacob. Ain’t no imprinting on babies happening on my watch! Also, “you know how it plays out” you mean I know all about the vampire anatomy and little drops of venom that lubricate everything? No. No. No! Let me go back to not knowing.

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Danica Nava is an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and works as an Executive Assistant in the tech industry. She has her MBA from USC Marshall School of Business. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband and daughter. The Truth According to Ember is her debut novel.