Nick Medina: On Embracing Constructive Feedback
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. Connect with him on NickMedina.net, Instagram, and Twitter.
Nick Medina
In this post, Nick discusses how he approached the sensitive subject matter of his debut novel, Sisters of the Lost Nation, his advice for other writers, and more!
Name: Nick Medina
Literary agent: Amanda Orozco at Transatlantic Agency
Book title: Sisters of the Lost Nation
Publisher: Berkley (Penguin Random House)
Release date: April 18, 2023
Genre/category: Thriller/Mythological Horror
Elevator pitch for the 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.
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What prompted you to write this book?
In late 2018, I read an article in the Chicago Tribune about a young Native woman named Ashley Loring HeavyRunner who went missing from her tribe’s reservation in 2017. In addition to sharing information about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) epidemic in the United States—characterized by disproportionately high levels of abuse, assault, abduction, and murder of Native and Indigenous women and girls when compared to national averages—the article relayed the anguish of Ashley’s sister, Kimberly, who’s been searching for Ashley since day one. The Loring sisters’ heartbreaking story sparked the idea for Sisters of the Lost Nation. I hope the book will shed more light on this important issue.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took just over four years to go from idea to publication. I finished the first draft in 2019, polished it throughout 2020, and sold the story in 2021, with the publication date set for April 2023.
The overall premise didn’t change throughout the process, but smaller storylines and characters did, along with the structure. I wrote the book in chronological order but ended up changing the sequence of the chapters so that readers are thrust into the heart of the mystery right from the start.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
This being my debut novel, much of the publishing process was a learning experience for me. It’s not as simple as one might think. It requires weeks and months of brainstorming, revising, rewriting, and editing.
Furthermore, since this book revolves around a social issue, we wanted to make sure that we approached the topic with sincerity, truth, and tact. We even had a sensitivity reader go through the manuscript, which is a practice I wasn’t aware of before.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I can’t think of any surprises when it comes to writing itself, but I was continually surprised—and shocked and saddened—by the overwhelming statistics regarding the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls epidemic. Behind those stats are families searching for their stolen sisters, daughters, mothers, aunts, cousins, and friends. It’s heartbreaking.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
My hope is that readers will be entertained and informed at the same time. Though the story revolves around a very real and very sad social issue, it is also a thriller with a twisty plot and spine-tingling lore. Ideally, I hope readers will enjoy the ride while becoming a bit more aware of the MMIW movement.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Seek and accept feedback. Often, I see writers on social media who are so in love with their own work that they don’t accept constructive criticism. Many of them also complain that no one will publish their stories because they (the publishers) don’t “get” their work.
Seeking advice and feedback, however, can help you take your ideas to the next level. It might not feel good to hear that something you wrote doesn’t quite work, but if you embrace what others have to say about it, you just might come up with something much better than what you started with.
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