We chat with author Juno Dawson about Survival Show, which follows a teen betting her life that her singing talent can make her a star from the celebrated author of This Book Is Gay.
Hi, Juno! Welcome back! What have you been up to since we last spoke for the release of The Shadow Cabinet in 2023?
It’s been pretty manic here! In 2023, I was busy writing my episode of DOCTOR WHO, which took up a lot of time. We shot it in 2024 and then it was part of the 2025 season. At the same time, I’d completed the Royal Coven trilogy and felt really scared about how to follow that. The books have done phenomenally well in the UK, and I was creatively frozen. It was only when Survival Show came along that I felt really excited to write again.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I loved books before I could even read them. I just loved the feel of them. My mum was a busy single mum so I’d often take myself to the local library and read the Doctor Who paperbacks. It was free and made me feel less lonely.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl
- The one that made you want to become an author: Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
Your latest novel, Survival Show, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
This one is easy: K-Pop Meets The Hunger Games.
What can readers expect?
It really is that! It’s about a TV survival show, in the very near future, where teenage girls are forced to literally sing for their lives. They sing or die on national TV. The final ten girls all have different, secretive moticvations for taking part. It’s a satire of reality TV, of consumerism, of the exploitation pervasive in entertainment. It’s a story about female solidarity and how teenage girls have more power than they’ve ever been allowed to believe they possess. It’s also my way of trying to reconcile my love of pop music with the understanding that it’s a deeply toxic work environment.
Where did the inspiration for Survival Show come from?
Well there’s a little bit of the Spice Girls in everything I’ve ever written. That band changed the course of my life, and that’s not an exaggeration. Fandom is a really powerful thing. I’d been watching POPSTAR ACADEMY on Netflix and was talking about it with an editor about how obsessed I was with KATSEYE and then when I told her I really missed dystopian YA fiction, I joined the dots because the music industry is fucking dystopian.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The big surprise was the character of Nico. She’s the one-named pop idol sent to mentor the characters and she grew out of being a bit-part into this major villain. She’s deeply complex which makes her even more compelling to write.
What songs would you cover if you were on a singing show?
Hahahaha my go to character song is “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
This time the big challenge was time. I was already contracted to write adult fantasy novels so I had to produce Survival Show on a very tight, dizzying deadline. It did me good. I hope it’s as compulsive to read as it was to write.
What’s next for you?
Survival Show 2! Of course there’s a sequel. Book 1 is about the girl group being formed, and Book 2 will focus on the surviving girls and whether they can make it in the world outside of the reality show.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
I, like everyone else, just read Yesteryear by Claire Caro Burke. I really enjoyed it, but can appreciate why it’s been divisive.
