Patrick O'Dowd is the author of the new novel A Campus on Fire. He is the fiction editor of the publication Sequoia Speaks, and he lives in New Jersey.
Q: You’ve said that you were inspired to write A Campus on Fire by the events of January 6, 2021, and by other events at your alma mater, Montclair State University. Can you say more about that?
A: The frustration and anger I felt watching January 6 unfold was overwhelming, but it wasn’t a shock. It felt like something that had always been coming, like years' worth of powder stored precariously had finally ignited.
And I knew it wasn’t the end. I hoped it might be, but I wasn’t naïve enough to believe that.
I’ve read a lot of history, and what I saw that day—an explosion of rage, the erosion of institutions, people driven to action by a potent mix of belief, desperation, and disinformation—felt all too familiar. It was history echoing in real-time.
A few years before, I had returned to finish my undergraduate degree after spending years in the proverbial wilderness.
Returning to campus after so long away gave me a unique perspective—I wasn’t just seeing my university as a typical student but through the lens of someone who had experienced college life in different political eras.
I was on campus in 2009 when Obama was elected, then again in 2012 for his reelection. When I returned to finish my degree, Trump was president, and the atmosphere had changed.
That tension—the people who felt powerless and enraged, the people stoking the fire, and the ones watching from the sidelines with smirks—stuck with me.
I started writing A Campus on Fire a few years after I
graduated, but the seeds were planted in those moments. A key part of being a
writer is observing, taking in what’s happening around you, even if you don’t
know how you’ll use it at the time. You let it fester, grow, take shape in the
background of your mind. When I sat down to write this book, it had flourished
into something fully formed.
Q: How did you create your character Tess?
A: This might sound odd, but sometimes I don’t know if I created Tess or if she was always there, waiting for me to find her. I had an outline, of course—her background, her motivations, the key forces driving her. I always start with that. And as I wrote, I added to it, refined it.
Some characters take work to pin down; you struggle with them, trying to get them to feel real on the page. Tess wasn’t like that. She came so naturally—her desire for acceptance, her ambition, her talent, the way she tries to reconcile such conflicting emotions.
She felt alive from the start. I don’t just know her as a character; I know her like a friend. I hope that rings true to the reader.
Q: The writer Kerri Schlottman said of the book, “At the heart of this novel is the concept of power: who has it, who wants it, and the extremes that people will go to get it.” What do you think of that description?
A: I think Kerri’s description is incredibly astute—she cuts right to the core of what A Campus on Fire is really about. At its heart, the novel isn’t just about how to deal with right-wing demagogues or cultish writing programs; it’s about power.
It’s about success, not just in the traditional sense, but in the deeper, more unsettling ways—what a person must give up, morally or personally, to reach their goals.
And just as importantly, it’s about how those in power
hold onto it, consolidate it, and ensure that no one else can take it from
them. Power isn’t just something people seek; it’s something they fight to
keep, no matter the cost.
I want the reader to sit with these questions long after they’ve put the book
down—to wrestle with them, to feel unsettled by them. A Campus on Fire isn’t
about providing easy answers; it’s about forcing the reader to confront
difficult questions about power, success, and the structures that uphold them.
What are we willing to sacrifice to get ahead? How much control do we really have over our own ambitions? And how do the systems around us shape who rises and who falls? These are the questions at the heart of the novel, and I hope they linger with the reader well beyond the final page.
Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: Yes and no. When I start a new novel, I always write an outline—A Campus on Fire was actually the first time I did this, and it was incredibly helpful.
But my outlines are broad, more like roadmaps than rigid blueprints. They include key events, character motivations, and major turning points, but the execution is always fluid.
I like discovering the novel as I go. There’s such a thrill in that discovery. I knew where I wanted to take Tess, and I had a clear sense of certain revelations and twists, but the specifics unfolded as I wrote.
The last chapter before the epilogue was something that just clicked. There’s nothing like that feeling—when suddenly everything locks into place, and you can see, with absolute clarity, exactly where the story needs to go. I type fast, but on days like that, you can never move fast enough.
The epilogue, though, came later. I was re-editing the book for another round of querying when the idea for a new ending hit me. At first, I was hesitant—it’s structurally unorthodox—but once I wrote it, I knew it was the right choice. It deepened the novel’s themes and, I think, leaves the reader with exactly the kind of lingering unease I was aiming for.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: The pending publication of A Campus on Fire has been a huge motivator. It’s fueled me to push through several projects, and as a result, I now have three completed novels ready to go.
One is a speculative haunted house story that satirically explores the current housing market. Another is a reimagining of Heart of Darkness with a tech utopianist in the role of Kurtz. The third is a historical novel about the early Christian Church.
But I’m always working on something new. Even before I ever put stories to paper, I had running narratives in my head—scenes, characters, entire plots that I’d build out while trying to fall asleep or killing time in the car. Now that I actually write them down, I can’t believe it took me so long to start.
Writing has become a constant for me, something I’m always engaged in, whether drafting, revising, or just letting ideas take shape in the background of my mind. It is something I can’t imagine my life without.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I think the best books don’t just tell a story—they challenge you, unsettle you, and make you sit with questions you might not have answers to.
But at the same time, I hope A Campus on Fire is an exciting, gripping read. My favorite books and films are often thrillers in some form, and I want my writing to have that same momentum, to grab the reader and not let go.
Beyond that, I’m just incredibly grateful to everyone who picks up the book. Writing can be a solitary act, but the real magic happens when a story finds its way to readers. I hope A Campus on Fire lingers with you, sparks conversation, and, most of all, keeps you turning the pages.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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