Check out our interview with Madison Tyler Nelson, the author of "Portrait of a Haunting."
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
The initial idea for Portrait of a Haunting was born from many, many bizarre sightings on the NYC subway system. I’ve always had a wild imagination and I’ve found myself daydreaming on more than one commute home. Thoughts such as: That was weird, why didn’t anyone react? Did they see it? Was I the only one? Was that a ghost? What if it was?
I was really taken with the idea of a woman with the clear and innate ability to see spirits and being afraid of it – but I knew that fear wasn’t a good enough reason for the character or the novel to stand out. It needed to go deeper than that. From there, I began to craft the characters and their background – the things that they went though, that they survived, and how that pain impacted them.
We all have things that haunt us; the past especially haunts us most. That’s where my own experience began to inspire parts of the novel. I’ve always believed that, for my art to connect with someone, I had to leave a little bit of myself on the page. Tatum’s personal history of growing up with an incarcerated mother was inspired by my own adolescence. There’s a grief to losing a parent to the justice system, one that’s not typically addressed. By writing that into the book, I was able to explore how that grief shows up in the mind and body – and what happens when you finally confront it.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
It means reading all different types of stories, from all different types of perspectives, and being excited to share them with the world! It’s so important, now more than ever, for us to read and share diverse books. In times of darkness, shining light on stories of all types is crucial. I don’t want to read the same type of story or same type of book; whether that’s a horror, a fantasy, a romance. I want to explore and dive into as many lives as possible, and then rave about them to everyone I know.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
Reading is both a means of escapism and a way of understanding the world. It’s so crucial for readers of all types to see themselves on the page, and see people they love reflected, too. My own world is full of diverse, vibrant, colorful individuals and I wouldn’t be the same without them. I take a great responsibility in my work and believe it’s my duty to craft stories with all different types of characters if I want my worldbuilding to feel accurate and full.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
Portrait of a Haunting is an adult horror that blends with thriller and fantasy elements! It follows the story of Tatum Alexander, a young woman who inherited the terrifying ability to see spirits from her mother, Amarina – an infamous artist who murdered her lover and then used his blood to paint her final painting. She’s spent most of her life repressing the ability, determined not to follow in her mother’s footsteps, until one evening she comes home to find her best friend murdered… and the crime is eerily similar to Amarina’s.
To find out who killed her friend, and discover the truth of her mother’s crime, she must embrace her ability before the killer comes for her.
What can fans expect from your book?
If you grew up loving shows like Ghost Whisperer, or Charmed, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or even Vampire Diaries – I think you’ll find this the more adult version of those favorites. It’s an eerie story that’s full of heart – one that I hope makes you gasp, or laugh, or even cry.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
Right now, I’m so excited to talk about and share Portrait of a Haunting with the world! I’ll be spending the next few months talking about Tatum’s story and connecting with readers.
In the meantime, I’m working on the edits of my second novel with Berkley which is also in the horror genre. I can’t wait to share more about that one but for now that’s all I can say!
