We chat with debut author J.R. Dawson about The First Bright Thing, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Jen! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m a queer Jewish writer who is currently living in Omaha, Nebraska. I live with my three dogs and my amazing spouse in a neighborhood that is literally a city park. I’ve written some short stories up to this point, and this is my first book!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I knew I wanted to be a writer since I was a toddler. My grandma and my mom raised me while my dad was out working, and they would read read read to me. Then Grandma would put a bunch of papers together and staple them, I’d illustrate the story, and then dictate the words to her to write down. I still have these little books we made, her cursive and my scribbles. And as I got older, I started using my summers and free time to write these epic full length manuscripts, finished musicals, plays, pop songs, poetry, short stories … It’s always been a part of me, telling stories. And it’s not just something that has always connected me to myself, but to the women before me. My grandma who taught me how to write and read, and my mom who taught me how important books are.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first book I ever remember reading was a bunch of them all at once, haha. Strega Nona, Pokey Little Puppy, Little Critter, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Watership Down, Animal Farm … which you know, makes sense considering the kind of stuff I write. Mom had an eclectic taste where she’d pop from Richard Scarry to Richard Adams like in one week. So I had the usual “where’s Brown Bear? Are you my mother? How many of us can fit in this mitten?” and then also “The prince turned him into a jackal who could only eat liver. The stepsisters bled their toes off. Oh, and all the rabbits died.”
The one that made me want to become an author was a very specific book. K.A. Applegate’s Animorphs series, specifically number 23: The Pretender. There’s a massive plot twist that happens, and it’s like … so masterfully done. I saw in that series that you could be honest about how much the world sucks, but also be hopeful and gritty and just super weird. Kids who can morph into animals to save the world from aliens, but also, it will make you cry. And The Pretender was so steeped in not only a perfectly set-up plot, but also the heart of the story was Tobias and his character growth, who he was, his pain. Applegate never turned away from the kids and what they were actually going through. And the entire series, it doesn’t have a happy ending. And that’s okay. It was one of the first unhappy endings I read.
And the one I can’t stop thinking about … oh wow this lightning answer is going on a while! I will never stop thinking about Watership Down. I reread it every once in a while, and there’s just something so raw and real about this story that’s literally about bunnies hopping around the English countryside. It’s one of those that got under my skin. Same thing with Lord of the Rings. More contemporary works? Light from Uncommon Stars, If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come, and a book that isn’t even out yet but is going to blow you away. Tethered to Other Stars by Elisa Stone Leahy. It releases this fall and I read an early copy like … months ago and it is … life-changing.
Your debut novel, The First Bright Thing, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Magic circus attempts tikkun olam.
What can readers expect?
The First Bright Thing is both very uplifting and very dark. There’s found family, a lot of hope, a lot of Jewish roots in mitzvot and tikkun olam, a lot of love. Ringmaster’s circus is a safe place full of kind folx who are trying to do good in the world. They literally fly across the Midwest, seeing the beauty in the ordinary. But there’s also another darker magic circus that is in pursuit. And the Circus King comes with his own army of trigger warnings. This is a story about healing, and the book’s hope is not naïve; the characters who have hope have gone through hell. This is a story about art, the power of those who do art, and how each of us have a spark inside of us that can make a small but significant difference in the world.
Where did the inspiration for The First Bright Thing come from?
I saw an incredible circus in Iowa when I was a kid. I also think that the heart comes from my found family. I needed to believe that we were going to be okay. The arts community in Omaha is so strong and full of so many brilliant people; but we’re still in a state that constantly reminds us that Nebraska is “not for everyone.” I really wanted to write this to reach out to someone who needed it and be like “hey, we’re all out here waiting for you. And things are going to be okay.”
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really love Jo, the little girl who can hand-wave illusions into the air. I’ve been a teacher for a long time, and I’ve met so many Jo’s out there. She was so fun and snarky, and also a teenager who makes mistakes and is trying her best. Her relationship with the Ringmaster was probably my favorite thing to write.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey of getting The First Bright Thing published?
I’d been attempting to get published for … a lot of years. There were a lot of manuscripts that died in the making of this book. Finally in 2019, I sent my little circus book to the agent that ended up signing me, and then we worked on it for a few months and Lindsey Hall picked it up in a pre-empt for Tor about two weeks after we went on submission. So about five years of constant rejection and then about five months of amazing “yes”s. So long story short, if you are a writer who is in the querying trenches, keep going. I know there’s no proof that it’s going to work out and it feels really hopeless, but keep going. There is a light at the end of the tunnel eventually.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on my second book from Tor, which is another standalone. Lake Michigan is the River Styx, and the ferryman of the dead is retiring and handing off his entire waystation to his daughter. She lives on the edge of Chicago, has never left the station, and is pretty sure her dad hasn’t told her everything about the dead and the living.
Yes, there is also another sapphic romance in it.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
SO MANY.
My biggest recommendation right now is On the Corner of Fantasy and Main by Matt Mason. It’s a poetry book all about a middle aged Gen Xer who is taking a trip to Disneyland with his family. The park hasn’t changed, but he has grown up. It’s so hearbreaking and yet so fun and just masterfully written.
I also highly recommend Tethered to Other Stars when it hits shelves this fall. Elisa Stone Leahy writes a raw MG about a little girl named Wendy who just wants to win her science fair but suddenly is interrupted by the reality of ICE, immigration, racism, and community advocacy.
Linghun by Ai Jiang. A haunted house novella that ends up not just being about a spooky ghost. It’s something much deeper. And Jiang is one of the biggest up-and-coming voices in spec fic right now. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St. Jude. It is HEARTBREAKING in the best way. It literally gave me coping skills to deal with my depression and anxiety. That’s so rare. But I felt so much better after reading it.
And of course, Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree and Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle are both coming out later this year and they’re both winners. Wow. So good. I … love these two books so much and they’ve gotten me through a very hard year for queer folxs.
