What is the title of your latest release?
PORTRAIT OF A HAUNTING
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
PORTRAIT OF A HAUNTING is about a young woman who’s plagued with the ability to see ghosts. When she comes home to find her best friend has been murdered, a crime that’s eerily connected to her dark past, she must use her ability to find the killer… before it’s too late.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I knew pretty immediately that the book would take place in New York City. There’s so much local lore and history to work with. I never thought twice about it!
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
I would! Tatum and all the characters are so vivid in my mind. To me, they feel very real.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Strong, independent, and stubborn.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I spent months researching the supernatural and specifically theories around ghosts, across different cultures, to ensure the lore in the book felt whole. I ended up stumbling across different NYC ghost stories that ended up inspiring things that happen in the book – but I don’t want to give anything away!
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
For this book, I tended to edit as I was drafting, but I’ve been trying to adjust my process so that I don’t begin an edit until I have the rough draft of the story laid out.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love trying new food but I’m a big fan of French and Greek food. I can order the whole menu.
Describe your writing space/office!
I tend to take every/any opportunity to write that I can, especially with my busy day job. I do have an office space, which includes a small desk for writing, a massive and overstuffed bookcase, and a comfy reading chair. But I’ll write in the living room, at the kitchen table, coffee shops, on a floor, or on planes if I need to.
Who is an author you admire?
Oh my gosh – so many! I’m a big fan of Leigh Bardugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and S.A. Cosby. For horror, I’m a huge fan of CJ Leede, Saratoga Schaefer, Rachel Harrison, Stephen Graham Jones and Grady Hendrix.
Is there a book that changed your life?
WHITE OLEANDER by Janet Fitch. I related so much to the story and the main character, but it’s the book that really propelled me to become an author. Fitch’s prose is full of pain, heart and honesty. If I can write something one day that inspires a reader, the way that book inspired me, I’ll have accomplished one of my biggest author goals.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
We had only been on submission for three weeks when we heard that we had interest in the book. I had prepared myself to wait months for any responses, and I was in shock! After that first editor call, I had a feeling that we’d found the right home for the book.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I read very widely and it changes depending on my mood. I read a lot of horror, thriller, romance, and fantasy, but I’ll pick up any book that comes recommended to me by a trusted friend.
What’s your favorite movie?
Now this is hard. I watch so many movies that it’s tricky to pick one, but a few favorites are Scream, Heathers, The Princess Bride and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
What is your favorite season?
Fall is my favorite season, but I do love the beach and laying by the pool or the beach (when I can) so summer is a close runner up.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I like making memories! Whether it’s a fun dinner with friends, or a new Broadway show with my husband, I just want to experience things with the people I love.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Recent TV show is Couples Therapy – I’m obsessed with every season and have been for years. I find it so insightful. For a book, I’m always recommending TRAD WIFE by Saratoga Schaefer. Podcast I’m loving is Anna Rose Reads.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian is my comfort cuisine! I never get sick of pasta.
What do you do when you have free time?
I read a lot, I’m always writing, I love to travel and go to concerts!
What can readers expect from you next?
I’ll be in this horrormance/horror-fantasy blend for awhile! I’m excited to share Portrait of a Haunting with the world and discuss it with readers. In the meantime, I’m currently working through the edits of my second novel. I can’t say too much more than that right now, but I can tell you that it’s in this “horromance” space and I am LOVING it.
PORTRAIT OF A HAUNTING by Madison Tyler Nelson
Narrator: Patricia Santomasso
After fearing it all her life, a young woman embraces her ability to see ghosts after a murder occurs that appears dangerously linked to her past.
To Tatum Alexander, the Sight—her ability to see spirits—has always been more of an affliction than a gift. Having inherited the power from her mother, Amarina, an infamous artist known for murdering her lover and using his blood for her final painting, Tatum has been reluctant to step into her talent or even get close to the man she loves.
She’s been able to find a safe space to hide her Sight with the largest witch coven in Manhattan and her best friend, Mischa. But when Mischa is murdered, the act eerily connected to Amarina’s own crime, a traumatized Tatum must reckon with both the loss and the sudden surge of spirits vying for her attention and her life.
The spirits have a message: the murderer is coming for her next and a price must be paid. To learn the truth of her past and catch the killer she’ll have to rely on her loved ones’ helping hands—some witchy friends, the man who won’t let her go, and her eternally perplexing mother—in order to embrace her Sight while keeping them all safe.
The clues will lead Tatum to a dangerous secret that Amarina has spent decades trying to keep. And when the secret is out, Tatum will be forced to risk it all.
Horror [ Berkley, On Sale: October 6, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9798217189342 / eISBN: 9798217189366 ]
Buy PORTRAIT OF A HAUNTING: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Libro.fm | Audible | Walmart.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Madison Tyler Nelson
Madison has considered herself a writer since she received her first rejection letter at nine years old. After graduating with her BS in Psychology, she fled to New York City to chase her many dreams.
When she’s not writing dark, speculative stories about survival, she can be found managing marketing campaigns, wandering the aisles of bookstores, or in a crowd cheering for her favorite bands. While she (albeit sadly) can’t see ghosts, her debut novel PORTRAIT OF A HAUNTING was inspired by her childhood of growing up with incarcerated parents.
She lives in New York, NY with her husband and very loud Norwegian Elkhound.
PORTRAIT OF A HAUNTING is now available for pre-order wherever books are sold and will be on shelves October 6th, 2026.
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