Danica Nava on her debut rom-com, The Truth According to Ember
"This experience feels like a dream come true that also has a lot of responsibility."
Wonderfully funny, uplifting and romantic, Goodreads Choice Award Readers’ Favourite Debut novel finalist, The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava, is a truly standout debut of 2024.
Following a Chickasaw woman after a little white lie to get a job spirals into something much bigger, The Truth According to Ember gives its readers the epitome of a toe curling, giggle inducing rom-com experience and to celebrate its release, we had the pleasure of chatting to Danica all about it.
Hi Danica! Firstly I wanted to say a huge congratulations on the release of your debut novel, The Truth According to Ember. I’m so excited to have you on the site today to get to chat all about it. For readers just learning of the book, how would you best describe it to them?
I would describe The Truth According to Ember as a love letter to the messy millennials who are just trying to get their life together in a society that is very hard and very expensive. If readers loved Rebecca in Confessions of a Shopaholic or Bridget from Bridget Joney’s Diary, then I think readers will really enjoy Ember Lee Cardinal. She is a Chickasaw woman living in Oklahoma City who can’t catch a break and decides to lie on her job applications to land her dream job as an accountant. Her plan works and she gets a job at a tech start up where she meets the handsome and off-limits coworker, Danuwoa, who is Cherokee. There are so many fun tripes like found family, forbidden romance, and only one bed that I hope readers will be on the edge of their seats as they laugh and swoon.
Can you tell us a little about your inspirations and how Ember’s story came about?
I was really inspired by my own difficulty trying to navigate corporate life as a Chickasaw woman. I love romcoms and been a reader all my life and I got tired of waiting for one that starred Native American characters. I figured I would take a crack at it… and I did and now it’s here!
The Truth According to Ember is one of the (if not the) first traditionally published Native American rom-coms. What has this experience been like for you?
This experience feels like a dream come true that also has a lot of responsibility. Most interviews or questions I get from readers always require a layer of education on representation or social issues and I have to find a way to make that fun so that readers from all walks of life give my book a chance.
View this post on Instagram
From the humour to the characters to the romance itself, The Truth According to Ember was such a fun read! Was there a specific element of the book you most enjoyed creating?
Thank you so much! I always classify myself as a comedian first. I did some standup comedy back in the day and performed with my improv troupe for years. I even studied screenwriting at Second City in Chicago. I love the craft of comedy and jokes, so for me I read every single word aloud to my husband and if wasn’t laughing I workshopped and rewrote jokes to make sure it was funny. Chapter four is my favorite as it has everything I love: witty banter, jokes, an ensemble of hilarious characters who one up each other with funnier lines, situational humor, and physical comedy.
Were there any challenges you came across in the writing or publishing process that surprised you?
Writing and in this case rewriting the ending was very difficult. I wanted it to fell genuine, but also feel big like in the rom-coms I grew up loving, so I tried to find balance there. This was the same for my next book. Starting a book is so easy for me… finishing one is hard!
The Truth According to Ember included a little sneak peek at your next novel. Is there anything you can share with us about that?
Love is a War Song is my take on the cowboy vs Indian imagery we have seen in media since the invention of the camera. It has everything I love: a popstar in hiding, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, fish out of water, and only one storm shelter. I like to describe this as Hannah Montana: The Movie but for adults and with a fully Native cast. If people loved the humor in The Truth According to Ember, there is so much more of that here with original songs and music. Also, Lucas may be my favorite romantic hero I have written so far.
Get your copy of The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava here.