TYPORAMA
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Debut novel explores grief, wild grit, and resilience amidst the West’s awe-inspiring red rock canyons.
Set in the desert wilderness of Sedona, Arizona, “Nomad” is a lyrical novel about grief, resilience, and the landscapes that shape us.
October 13, 2026
She Writes Press
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PRAISE FOR NOMAD:
“Cynthia Johnstone has written a remarkable novel with ‘Nomad,’ with an emotional depth that I often found breathtaking. She has a gift for exciting storytelling, and her characters are real people on the page, particularly Corey Collins who is a complex and unforgettable hero I will always cherish. This novel is a treasure for any reader, and Johnstone is a first-class writer.”–Sergio Troncoso, author of “A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant’s Son”
“[An] intensely beautiful portrait of healing...rather than treating grief as something to overcome, Johnstone portrays it as an enduring part of what makes us human”–Publishers Weekly, BookLife, Editor’s Pick
“precise...lyrical and moving”–Foreword Clarion Reviews
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ABOUT NOMAD:
Set in the desert wilderness of Sedona Arizona, Cynthia Johnstone’s debut novel “Nomad” is an atmospheric novel about risk, endurance, and the thin line between escape and reckoning.
After the sudden death of her brother, Corey retreats to a remote ranch hoping the silence of the desert will drown out the noise of her grief. But the quiet only deepens her isolation—until a mysterious stray dog appears, pulling her back into the world and forcing her to face what she’s been running from.
Set against the stunning red rock canyons, “Nomad” is a lyrical, emotionally charged novel of trauma, resilience, and the wild grit it takes to heal. As Corey grapples with loss and the ghosts of her past, she’s drawn into unexpected relationships that challenge her guarded heart and crack open the possibility of love.
For fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Charlotte McConaghy, this is the story of one woman’s return to herself through the rhythms of nature, the ache of memory, and the quiet, untamed beauty of connection. It’s a tender, tough meditation on the raw path to healing—and the fierce, fragile hope that blooms in its wake.
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An Interview with
Cynthia Johnstone
What inspired you to write “Nomad”?
“Nomad” grew out of a question: what does the natural world have to teach us about surviving hardship? I've always been drawn to the idea that nature isn't just a backdrop for healing—it's a teacher. There's a rhythm to how the land moves through loss and renewal, season after season, and I became fascinated by what it might mean to actually follow that rhythm. To let go of the human instinct to control or rush grief and instead take cues from something much older and wiser than us.
That fascination became the engine of the book. I wanted to write a character who didn't just visit nature for comfort but who let it recalibrate her, who watched how the desert endures, how things die back and come again, and who slowly understood her own grief through that lens. So Corey's journey into the Arizona wilderness became a way of asking, "What happens when a woman reeling from tragedy steps away from the noise of everyday life and lets the land itself set the pace for her healing?" I think we have so much left to learn from nature's patience, and “Nomad” was my attempt to sit with that.
Why drew you to write about the American Southwest, and what does your own relationship with “the wild” look like?
Although I'm not a lifelong resident of the Southwest, its stark, unforgiving beauty got under my skin almost immediately. There's an honesty to a landscape that doesn't soften itself for anyone, and something about that bluntness drew me in. Wild places have always pulled at me, and throughout my life I've found refuge in hiking, camping, or just sitting quietly with a book in a folding chair in the woods. Nature has a way of settling me. It's where I feel most at home.
I think that's because the wild operates on its own rhythm, one that doesn't care about deadlines or grief timelines, and I find that strangely comforting. I love looking out a window and seeing trees instead of buildings, hearing birds instead of traffic. It reminds me that we're visitors here, just a small part of something much larger than ourselves. The Southwest, in particular, makes that humility impossible to ignore. And I think there's a lot we could learn from a landscape that endures so much and keeps going.
What inspired the character of Corey?
Corey was inspired, in part, by all the tough, capable women I've encountered over the years; the kind who quietly do hard things without ever asking for recognition. I wanted to pay tribute to that particular brand of strength, the kind that doesn't announce itself. It's a less commonly portrayed female archetype: a woman who is deeply independent, highly capable, and genuinely comfortable on her own. I wanted to write a character who could navigate physical hardship, build a life with her own two hands, and find strength in solitude rather than fear it.
So much of that strength goes unnoticed simply because it isn't loud. It looks like chopping wood, hauling water, fixing what's broken, sitting with long, silent nights, and getting up the next day to do it all over again. I wanted to give that kind of endurance its due. While grief drives much of Corey's journey, she isn't defined by her loss. She's resilient and resourceful in ways that are easy to overlook if you're not paying attention. And through her, I wanted to explore what happens when a woman who's used to relying only on herself is finally forced to open her heart to others.
What does Corey’s search for stillness and isolation represent? Do you seek the same quiet introspection in your own life?
Corey's search for stillness and isolation represents her retreat from humanity after enduring more pain than she believes she can bear. She has come to associate love, connection, and vulnerability with loss and convinces herself that the safest path forward is one she walks alone. Over the course of the novel, she discovers that while solitude can be healing, complete isolation comes at its own cost. I relate deeply to her desire for quiet introspection. Growing up in a quiet home with my father, I spent a great deal of time entertaining myself outdoors and learning to enjoy my own company. Those early experiences made solitude feel less like loneliness and more like a place of comfort, reflection, and renewal.
What can you tell us about the animal-human relationship in the novel? How does Corey change after meeting the stray dog, Nomad?
The relationship between Corey and Nomad sits at the emotional heart of the novel. I wanted to pay tribute to the quiet, unwavering loyalty dogs offer us and the profound impact they can have on our lives. At a time when Corey has lost faith in people and has withdrawn from the world, Nomad eventually becomes someone she can trust. Through his loyalty, protectiveness, and willingness to put her needs before his own, he helps her rediscover connection and reminds her what unconditional love looks like. I also wanted there to be a sense of mystery surrounding Nomad, leaving readers to wonder whether he is simply a stray dog who appeared at exactly the right moment or perhaps something more.
What’s next for you?
I'm currently writing an upmarket novel set beneath Sedona's red rocks. At its heart are two women from very different worlds: Rae, a tough, outspoken massage therapist carrying her own grief, and Anne, a young woman whose seemingly perfect life is quietly unraveling. As their paths collide, buried secrets, family wounds, and dangerous truths emerge, forcing both women to confront the difference between love and control, faith and fear, and the stories they've been telling themselves for years.
There's a bit of a Thelma and Louise spirit running through it. Two women who, on paper, have nothing in common, finding an unlikely solidarity in each other. I'm drawn again to that theme of female strength, but this time it's less about quiet endurance and more about what happens when women finally stop carrying it alone.
CYNTHIA JOHNSTONE is a former pediatric therapist and longtime writer whose work explores the intersection of human resilience and the natural world.
With a background in psychology and communication, she writes fiction rooted in emotionally complex characters and landscapes that test, shape, and heal the human spirit.
Her debut novel, “Nomad,” reflects her enduring fascination with grief, memory, survival, and the restorative power of place.
She holds degrees from Loyola University Chicago and Boston College.
Cynthia lives with her family in Arizona, where the dramatic terrain of the Southwest continues to inspire her.
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