It’s A Book Thing Presents: An Author Spotlight Interview with Jean K. Dudek, author of The Scent of Bright Light

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!