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Author Jobie Hughes to talk about his career Saturday

Medina County Gazette—November 12, 2012

After completing a grueling book tour to promote his novel “At Dawn,” Jobie Hughes is coming back to Medina County to talk about his work in progress        

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Book talk: Man struggles to connect during tough times in ‘At Dawn’

Akron Beacon Journal—November 11, 2012

Narrator has it tough ‘At Dawn’
Stratton Brown looks good on paper. The narrator of At Dawn, Spencer native Jobie Hughes’ new novel, has a college degree in finance, experience at a New York brokerage and a state athletic championship on his résumé. After he loses the brokerage job, and then two more,he relocates to Chicago and applies for any job he can find.

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The Mike & Judy Show - Episode 64 - Writing Fiction with Jobie Hughes

The Mike & Judy Show (Radio)—October 28, 2012

This week on The Mike & Judy Show, author Jobie Hughes joins the show to talk about his upcoming book "At Dawn" and his experiences writing with controversial writer James Frey. Hear why the opportunity to work with Frey out of Columbia's MFA program helped Jobie build a career for himself and helped steer him back to literary fiction. Learn about Jobie's process including 1,000 quotas and writing outfits. If you're thinking about becoming a writer or trying to make a career of your writing - tune in for some great advice from Jobie Hughes. This program was sponsored by Roberta's.

"For me it was a very positive experience [working with James Frey]. I don't regret it - but that being said literary fiction has always been my passion and I'm happy to move on and write my own books." [9:00]

"MFA programs are really great for people who lack the discipline to sit down and write everyday - I've never had that problem. I write every day regardless." [12:30]

--author Jobie Hughes on The Mike & Judy Show

Listen to the Full MP3 Episode Here


Jobie Hughes—At dawn

The Mariah Briggs Radio Show—October 26, 2012

AT DAWN BY AUTHOR JOBIE HUGHES – Is based on Hughes’ own life journey. AT DAWN is a raw and edgy coming of age tale, set in the recent American recession, that tells the story of Stratton Brown, a past high school wrestling champion, who escapes a childhood trauma in his small Ohio hometown for a second chance in Chicago. Hitting rock bottom and fighting for bare survival, he eventually discovers that beneath the gruff labor of building a new life lies the presence of something much more true: a way past the ghosts of his past and a new path to the American Dream. AT DAWN captures the big questions, angst, vulnerabilities, and restlessness of today’s generation, faced with the uncertain future of the digital age, postmodernism, and globalization.

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The TNB Self-Interview: Jobie Hughes

The Nervous Breakdown Self-Interview—October 26, 2012

Jobie Hughes was raised in Spencer, Ohio. He was a high school state champion in wrestling, attended Ohio University on an athletic scholarship, and earned a business degree in 2002. After drudging through five years of banal work earning minimal pay, he left capitalism behind and moved to New York City to attend Columbia University’s School of the Arts. He graduated in May 2009 with an MFA in Creative Writing. He is the coauthor of two previous novels, both of which were #1 New York Times best sellers and have sold over three million copies worldwide. His books have been translated into twenty-six languages and published in forty-eight countries. A perpetual wanderer, Hughes currently lives in Michigan. For more information, visit: www.jobiehughes.com

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“At Dawn is the brave, rare sort of novel that finds extraordinary meaning in ordinary lives. The characters are beautifully complex, honorable and compassionate, and yet, like so many of us, deeply flawed and emotionally scarred. The writing is clean and sharp and vivid, and in reading Jobie Hughes I’m reminded of the tremendous power of simple honesty in storytelling. This is a fine book by a fine writer.”

James Brown
Author of The Los Angeles Diaries and This River

“Hughes' debut novel, At Dawn, follows a former All-American wrestler, and is there any better metaphor for contemporary American life? We're all wrestling, tussling with the economy, no jobs, doing the best we can. Hughes doesn't flinch from the tough existential questions. He embraces them.”

Joshua Mohr
Author of Damascus

“Hughes combines coming-of-age tale, portrait of the artist as a young man, and father-son saga in a well-crafted novel...[with] pathos, wit, and insight into the relationships that define our lives.”

Publishers Weekly
Review