Author’s
Bio: Jean
Dudek, a cum laude graduate of Smith College, received her Juris Doctor degree
from New York University School of Law, practiced intellectual property law in
New York City and Washington, D.C., and is a past president of The Patent
Lawyers’ Club of Washington.
Then,
she changed direction and received her Master of Theological Studies degree, with honors with a concentration in Biblical Studies from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. Since 2011, she has served as a Teaching Assistant in the introductory Hebrew Bible and New Testament courses at Wesley.
Jean and her husband have been married
for 37 years. They have two adult children and an incomprehensible Himalayan
cat.
The Scent of Bright Light is Jean’s
first novel. It won the 2026 Gold Medal for Religious Fiction from the
Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards, among other awards.
Deliah Lawrence: Which author or book
has influenced you the most and why?
Jean K. Dudek: The book
that most influenced me when writing my novel, The Scent of Bright Light,
is the biblical book of Genesis, specifically chapters 12 through 23. My book
is historical fiction, retelling the story of Sarah, Abraham, and Hagar, but
from Sarah’s point of view. Biblical stories are rarely told from a woman’s
perspective.
DL: What challenges did you face while
writing this book?
JKD: I retell a specific biblical story in
this book. So, it was a challenge to do so while staying faithful to the text
and not contradicting it. I added quite a bit of original material, much of
which provides the women’s perspectives.
One example is that I wanted to recast
the relationship between Sarah and Hagar. I wanted to show them as allies
rather than adversaries, which is how they come across in the Genesis story. (Two
women pitted against each other. Who wins? The patriarchy!) I reimagined it as
more like a mother-daughter relationship: loving, but not without friction. I
made Hagar’s running away seem more like an act of teenage rebellion, rather
than an oppressed victim fleeing a mean old woman. And later, when Ishmael is
sent away, I had Sarah give Hagar the choice to go with him or to stay with the
Family.
Another challenge was to build up the
character of Hagar. She’s often overlooked, but theologically, she is very
important: God appears to her twice; she names God. Instead of being a pitiful victim, I wrote
her as smart, resourceful, and beautiful. In the Genesis text, she is blessed;
I came up with some additional blessings.
DL: What is the most
valuable piece of writing advice you’ve received?
JKD: Good writing comes from rewriting.
DL: If you could have any
superpower, what would it be and why?
JKD: To be able to speak, understand, and
read all languages. I just Love words!
DL: If you hosted a dinner
party, which 3 authors (past or present) would you invite and why?
JKD: The apostle Paul was an author, even if that’s not what we think
of first about him. I have plenty of questions for him.
Benjamin Franklin: a
statesman, scientist, philosopher, yet also a very practical guy. He’d have
something to say about so many topics. And I think he’d be curious about how we
live now.
Marilynne Robinson. She’s
so well-read. She’d have something interesting to say to the other authors.
DL: What strategies have
you found most effective in marketing your book?
JKD: Good question! It is hard to know what
effect various marketing actions have. Sales figures from your publisher or
Amazon are not updated instantaneously; there is a lag time between when you
make some marketing effort and when you see the sales numbers. Therefore, it’s
hard to make a correlation.
The author has to be responsible for
marketing; one can’t rely on the publisher to do much. Start with people you
know. Consider all your networks – every group or organization you are involved
in, your alumni organizations. Do book talks for any organization you can,
preferably ones where you don’t have to pay for the space. Consider your public
library. Perhaps a friend will host one. When you are selling the book yourself
at one of these events, you will know immediately how many sales you make, and
that will help you figure out what works.
Nudge people to write a review. I can
recall a few times when someone noted approvingly that I had a lot of Amazon
reviews.
Looking at the big picture, think about
what your goals are. You’re unlikely to make significant Money, so think about
what success would look like for you. Think about how much money you’re willing
to spend on marketing.
DL: What advice or
resources would you recommend to aspiring writers?
JKD: Connect with other writers. Take classes and learn the craft. For
me, I’ve been able to do both through The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, MD. I
found my critique group there and have connected with many other writers
informally.
Figure out a way to create
the space and time to write and stick to it.
Do it now. Later will not be a better
time.
Don’t edit while you are
trying to get words on the page.
Don’t let rejection
discourage you.
DL: What are three fun or
unexpected facts about yourself?
JKD: For my first job after college, I did biomedical research at
Rockefeller University, specifically, biochemical aspects of the immune
response.
Some of my law school
friends and I participated in the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade in New
York City as the Seven Deadly Sins. I was Sloth.
One of my childhood pets
was a skunk. Deodorized, of course. He was a beautiful creature!
DL: Would you like to share
an excerpt from The Scent of Bright Light?
JKD: [This
excerpt explains the basis for the book’s title. “Abi” is Sarah’s nickname for
Abraham.
I gave an Egyptian name, Ta-Sherit, to
the woman the Bible calls “Hagar.”]
Abi had his long-awaited son and for
years, our lives went well. Abi and I grew deeper in our gratitude to El
Shaddai. One new moon night, with the sky so clear and the Milky Way so bright
that we could see our shadows cast by its light, Abi and I were deep in
meditative prayer. We experienced another message. The first thing I noticed
was the strange sensation as I inhaled: the scent of bright light. I still
can’t explain what I experience when it happens any better than that. I had
smelled it twice before: when our God spoke to us near the oaks of Moreh, and
again after Lot had gone his own way and God told us to look around, and he
would give the land to us and our descendants, who would be as uncountable as
dust. Abi had also experienced the same sensation in Haran when God told him to
go to the land he would show him. Ta-Sherit had experienced it during her
encounter at Beer-lahai-roi. With the second inhale, I also noticed the taste
in my mouth. It was like the sensation of cool water in your mouth when you are
thirsty, except it was sweet like honey. I opened my eyes and looked at Abi
whose eyes were wide open, looking at me, awestruck.
DL: Where can readers
connect with you and purchase your books?
JKD: My website is https://jeandudek.com
You can purchase my book:
Through this Amazon website link, where you can also find my
Amazon Author page.
Or through the publisher: WipfandStock.com (This link will take you
directly to my page.)
As well as through many other
booksellers.
DL: Thank you for joining me for this
feature! I’m excited for readers to learn more about you and your work.
JKD: Thank you!
Originally Published on https://vocalexpressions.blogspot.com
