We chat with author John Twelve Hawks about Certainty, which is a masterful journey through the near future of Artificial Intelligence, in which a wise, orphaned ten-year-old girl goes on the run with only her trusty “Interactive Toy” to guide her toward New York City, where a dark landscape, and perhaps a hidden hero, await her.
Hi, John! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’ve spent a significant part of my life in places where people don’t feel safe.
I once worked as a foreign correspondent in a country suffering from a genocidal civil war. As the situation deteriorated, I was threatened with execution and had daily encounters with death. You don’t come out of that unchanged. Even now, I sit with my back to the wall in restaurants.
I wrote THE TRAVELER during a personal breakdown. I didn’t use my real name because the person I had been couldn’t have written that book.
I’ve always been drawn to George Orwell—not just his work, but his decision to become someone else in order to say what needed to be said.
There was also a contradiction I couldn’t ignore. I was writing about the collapse of privacy in the modern world. Going on television and talking about my personal life would have undermined everything I believed.
The name John Twelve Hawks came from a moment that felt like a signal. I walked into a forest at dawn and found a nest of red-tailed hawks. A dozen rose into the air and circled me—one so close it brushed my head. That stayed with me.
I’ve remained anonymous for more than twenty years. When THE GOLDEN CITY was published, I asked readers to sign books with my name. Around the world, people held “I Am John Twelve Hawks” events.
Ten years ago, I nearly died of sepsis. Since then, I don’t take a single day for granted.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Books weren’t a hobby—they were survival.
My father was killed when I was 12. By 16, I was on my own. Reading fiction gave me knowledge, meaning, and a way forward.
After college, I worked for a private investigator in New York City, searching for missing kids in Times Square.
One night, we went to the morgue looking for a runaway. Bodies on the floor. A skull being cut open. I tried to turn what I’d seen into a magazine article. It failed.
The next day, I wrote it as fiction.
That’s when I understood something simple: fiction can tell the truth in ways journalism can’t.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you remember reading: A Flash comic—pure momentum, pure energy.
- The one that made you want to become an author: THE STRANGER, by Albert Camus.
- The one you can’t stop thinking about: Cormac McCarthy’s THE ROAD.
Your latest novel, Certainty, is out April 28! If you could describe it in five words, what would they be?
A child: killed or killer?
What can readers expect?
A fast-moving story that shows how AI is going to change our lives.
Where did the inspiration for Certainty come from?
Reality is already doing the work for us.
The Chicago Police Department developed a “Two Degrees of Association” program to predict who was likely to kill or be killed within a particular precinct. That idea stayed with me.
Then I pushed it one step further: what happens when the system points to a child?
And once the system makes that judgment—who’s willing to question it?
Were there any moments or characters you especially enjoyed writing?
Kate and Zeno. She’s a ten-year-old girl, and Zeno is her AI companion. At first, it’s functional. Then it becomes emotional.
That’s the line we’re crossing now—not in fiction, but in real life.
If a machine can respond like it cares, does the distinction still matter?
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Every writer faces the same question: is this worth it?
On my wall is a drawing of Philip K. Dick. It’s a reminder of how this can end—brilliant work, difficult life.
You accept the risk and keep going.
Beckett said it best: “I can’t go on, I’ll go on.”
What’s next for you?
A film adaptation of SPARK, written with Nicholas Kazan and produced by Charles Roven (Oppenheimer).
And a three-book graphic novel that expands into new territory.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
THE MASTER AND MARGARITA by Bulgakov.
