Nathaniel Frost

Interview With Author Nathaniel Frost

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write stories set in the dark, forgotten corners of history—where survival matters more than glory, and silence is often louder than swords. My focus is on mercenaries, spies, and irregular soldiers, men who operate in the shadows of empire and rebellion. I’m fascinated by the blunt mechanics of power, the wars within wars, and the decisions that never make it into history books.

The Phantom Courier is my debut novel, the first in what I hope will be a series of brutal, deeply researched historical thrillers set in periods of violent political transformation. I’m currently working on my next novel, continuing in the same vein of espionage, asymmetric warfare, and hard moral choices.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called The Phantom Courier. It’s a spy thriller set during the American Revolutionary War, told from the perspective of a lone dispatch rider carrying more than just messages. It was inspired by the lesser-known realities of that war—not the clean patriot myths, but the brutal uncertainty, the double agents, the betrayals, and the shadow conflicts that shaped outcomes more than battlefield lines.

I wanted to explore what it meant to fight without a banner, when the enemy isn’t always in uniform and loyalty is more dangerous than treason. The courier in the story isn’t a hero—he’s a survivor, a weapon, and a question mark. That’s what drew me in.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write late at night, usually after the world has gone quiet. There’s something about silence and fatigue that strips away everything superficial—it’s just the story and the weight of every decision the characters make. I don’t outline much. I build scenes around tension, risk, and consequence, then let the characters bleed their way forward.

Before I start a new chapter, I often reread battlefield reports, espionage manuals, or historical letters—not to copy them, but to absorb the mindset of men who lived with death and uncertainty every day. It’s less about habit and more about immersion.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always been drawn to authors who don’t flinch—who write history not as myth, but as blood and consequence. Bernard Cornwell for his brutal clarity and battlefield realism. Robert Harris for his precision with political tension. Cormac McCarthy for his rhythm and silences. And Joseph Conrad, because he understood that every man who sails into darkness eventually sees himself.

I’m also influenced by historical records—letters from revolutionaries, field dispatches, even court transcripts. Real people say the most terrifying and revealing things when they think no one will read them two hundred years later.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on the next novel in the same world as The Phantom Courier. It will follow another shadow operative—this time deeper behind enemy lines, where the lines between cause and crime blur completely. The war widens, alliances shift, and the missions get bloodier.

Beyond that, I’m outlining a trilogy centered around mercenary warfare across collapsing empires, blending historical accuracy with asymmetrical tactics, betrayal, and power games. Each book will stand alone, but together they’ll trace the quiet wars that shaped history without ever being acknowledged by it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve found that the best promotion isn’t flashy—it’s targeted and efficient. Platforms like Awesome Gang help get early visibility, especially during a free promo window. Beyond that, I focus on reader communities, not social media. Reddit, Goodreads, and historical fiction forums bring in readers who care more about the story than the packaging.

Ultimately, the book itself is the best promotion. If it grips someone, they talk about it. That’s what I write for.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write like nobody is coming to save you. Don’t wait for motivation, validation, or perfect conditions. Just write—every day if you can. Study how power moves through history, how fear shapes men, how silence speaks louder than speeches. And then tell the truth in fiction, even if it’s brutal.

Also, finish what you start. A finished book—flawed, raw, imperfect—is worth more than a dozen perfect outlines. You can sharpen a blade once it’s forged. But you can’t sharpen a blank page.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Write the book only you would survive.”

I don’t remember where I first heard it—maybe I made it up along the way—but it stuck. It means writing with scars, with memory, with weight. Not for applause, not for trends, but because something in you demands to be told, even if it costs you.

That kind of writing leaves a mark. And that’s the only kind worth doing.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m reading dispatches from the Continental Congress, some British court-martial transcripts, and a re-read of McCarthy’s The Crossing. I rotate between primary historical sources and fiction that reminds me how deep language can cut. It keeps my writing grounded in both fact and feeling—war in the bones, poetry in the blood.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More wars. Quieter heroes. Harder choices.

I’m building a long-form body of work—a series of interconnected historical novels rooted in espionage, betrayal, and survival across centuries. From the alleys of colonial cities to the frontlines of forgotten wars, I want to write stories where violence has weight, silence has meaning, and history doesn’t blink.

Each book will stand on its own. But if you read them all, you’ll start to see the pattern.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Histories by Herodotus – because even in exile, a man should remember how empires rise and fall.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy – to remind me what language can do when it’s sharpened like a knife.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu – not for battles, but for silence, patience, and clarity in chaos.

And maybe a blank journal—because eventually, I’d stop reading and start writing.

Author Websites and Profiles

Nathaniel Frost Amazon Profile

---

Author Interview Series

To discover a new author, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors around. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring!

If you are an author and want to be interviewed just fill out out Author Interview page. After submitting we will send it out in our newsletters and social media channels that are filled with readers looking to discover new books to read.

If you are looking for a new book to read check out our Featured Books Page.