Ann Dávila Cardinal, "Five Midnights" (Tor Teen, 2019)

Ann Dávila Cardinal writes stories that thrill you. She writes about lives that face challenge and find a way through, despite the horror that chases them. She writes about Puerto Rico and trauma and belonging somewhere.

I can honestly say I have enjoyed every word in Five Midnights (Tor Teen, 2019) and Category Five (Tor Teen, 2020), her two recently released young adult novels that follow Lupe and Javier as they face apparitions, ghosts, and shape-shifting monsters—as well as their own flesh and blood—until they eventually find themselves.

Listen in as we chat about these two magnificent books, about her own life as a self-proclaimed Gringa-Rican, and about what’s next for her as a novelist.

Ellee Achten is a writer and editor exploring issues of home, health, memory, and attachment. She writes everything from magazine features to lyrical memoir to sci-fi novels. She is currently working on many projects, including a collection of essays about the traumatic connection between the body and mind. She can be reached at: elleeachten@gmail.com.

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