James Dawson
They Took It Inland
The money didn’t stay in the bay. It moved south, and it brought violence with it.
The Writer’s Dossier 2/19/2026 – The James Dawson interview
DOSSIER: Your new novel, THEY TOOK IT INLAND, is a powerful crime thriller with some serious themes of corruption, death, family, loyalty and betrayal. How did a novel like that come from a guy who used to do stand up comedy?
DAWSON: Look no further than the drama masks of the performing arts. One depicting the muse of tragedy, and the other, the use of comedy. For my money, some of the best comedians are dangerous. They have stories and jokes that ride the edge of darkness but ultimately shine a humorous light on the truth. My stand-up style was much more self-deprecating, but the desire to tell more serious stories has always been there. I have several friends in law enforcement, and I understand some of the banter and cracks amongst one another to help navigate and cope through all the world’s mess they have to deal with. I think I did a pretty good job capturing some of that spirit to sprinkle in a touch of humor between my main character, Zane Bruce, and his partner in They Took It Inland.
Contact me on the down low
DOSSIER: You’ve been working on your debut novel for a while now, and you’ve always made yourself available through your website, social media, and email. Why did you choose a Proton email address for people to write to you? Need some extra cybersecurity?
DAWSON: Proton was 100% a spite decision after that Alphabet-led mega tech company put a “kick me” sticker on my back and pantsed me in front of the schoolyard. I was roughly 60k words into the follow-up novel to They Took It Inland when Google deleted the manuscript, along with over 20 other documents, from my Google Drive. I wrote on it daily, but somehow it magically disappeared and was post-dated beyond Google’s 28-day retrieval limit. Despite my attempts to work with Google, they continuously explained it was my fault for deleting them. As if I’d delete a manuscript, a eulogy I wrote for my grandmother, and several other important documents. Ultimately, it was my fault for relying on “the cloud” for my writing. I immediately established jamesdawsonwrites@proton.me and no longer write in Google Docs. I do the main first draft in Scrivner, before moving over to Word, saving in multiple spots and on external devices.
Writer’s conferences
DOSSIER: We had the chance to meet in person when you were kind enough to attend a marketing and promotion panel I was on at Bouchercon a few years ago. What’s been the best thing about attending conferences to help your path to publishing?
DAWSON: Bouchercon has been absolutely incredible to me. San Diego was the first one I attended, but I only drove down for the Saturday session because I was so new and had no writing presence online. It was a curiosity trip to see what this aspirational journey I wanted to embark on looked like. I sat through panels and spoke to no one. However, on my two-hour drive home that night, I felt motivated and committed more seriously to my writing goals. I attended Bouchercon in Nashville and New Orleans after that and, man, they have been incredible. For one, I started talking to other authors, readers, podcasters, and anyone else who was there. And as intimidated as I was in San Diego, all my worries were quickly squashed as I began meeting people. The crime writing community is nothing short of spectacular and supportive. Whether it’s talking with David Morrell or a visual effects artist who makes book trailers, everybody talks with everybody and will offer support. Every night, the who’s who of The Dossier can be found mingling at the hotel bar, and I can sitdown in a welcoming environment as if I’ve been a part of the community for twenty years.
Help with the debut thriller
DOSSIER: What advice do you have for writers looking to get that debut book out there? Sure, it’s writing a banger that helps, but there’s much more than just that, right?
DAWSON: Don’t rush your book out into the market just because you want to say you wrote a book. Two drafts through the manuscript aren’t going to cut it. They Took It Inland had the Oprah diet, started at 88k words, then went up to 91k, then down to 72k, then back up over 80 before settling in just under 79k words. For a debut crime thriller, that’s pretty close to where I wanted it to be while also telling a tight, compelling story. Reach out for help from those that have done it. I met David Putnam (author of the Bruno Johnson seriers, and more) at my local BN, and he has been incredibly generous with me in sharing his knowledge and experience in the industry. Same goes for so many of the authors I met at Bouchercon: Chris Mullen, JM Adams, John Stamp, Paul “Roscoe” White, Steve Stratton, Marcy McCreary, Ox Devere, Ryan Pote, LS Goozdich, and down the list it goes. Back to my earlier response about conferences, attend them and grow your network. Also, a kick ass cover helps. Don’t rely on your Canva skills or AI generated covers. There are many cost friendly resources out there to bring your book’s cover to life.
The Last Word
DOSSIER: Is there anything else you’d like to reveal in your Dossier today? (We like headline-making breaking news and it gives our graphics department something to do other than play video games all day.)
DAWSON: Up next, I’m finishing up a novella that features a jewel heist and badass cars like a 72 Chevelle. After that, a standalone psychological thriller that I’ll be taking with me to Thrillerfest in May to pitch to the industry and get that experience. Then, I’ll spend the second half of 2026 resurrecting that follow-up novel in the Zane Bruce series to get book 2 out into the wild in 2027.
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