Interview with J.A. Douber, Author of Press 1 for Invasion

Welcome to Smack Dab, J.A.! Please tell us a bit about Press1 for Invasion.

Thank you somuch for having me here! It’s a real pleasure to get a chance to talk about Press1, which is my middle-grade fiction debut; basically, it’s the story of akid who really, really wants a phone, and so when he finds one on the street,he jumps at the chance to use it - but when he looks through the camera, herealizes that his crossing guard is actually a goggle-eyed alien monster thatonly he seems to be able to see. And then he finds out that the guard, alongwith his school’s lunch lady, who’s also an alien, are planning an invasion ofEarth….but the lunch lady’s gotten cold feet (well, cold tentacles), and shedropped the phone for Matt to find. And, along with his friend Marcela, to helpher save the planet. The author’s never the best judge of his own work, butpeople who’ve read it say that it’s fast-paced, and funny, and action-packed.So trust them!

Seriously–humor andaliens? That was all it took for me to know I was all in. What made youdecide to combine such different ideas?

I’m not surethat “decide” is exactly the right word for what I did; the idea and the tonekind of came together all at once. But I was very glad that it worked that way- the central idea, that the fate of the world is on a kid’s shoulders, couldbe really a lot for a character to handle! So making it funny lightens thatload a bit….

So much of sci-fi(time travel, different dimensions, etc.) relies on a portal. Here, you’ve gota found cell phone that allows the main character to connect with aliens. Wheredid that idea come from?

I have threechildren, currently ranging in age from 7 to 12; and though we haven’t had thephone conversation with any of them yet, we’ve certainly had a lot - a lot -of conversations on the subject with other school parents. So I definitely knewfrom that desire for a phone. After I wrote the book, I remembered that E.T.came out when I was about the age of many of Press 1’s reading audience - withthat immortal line “E.T. phone home.” So maybe that was in there somewhere,too! (Although that’s not the way the phone works in the book….)

Matt discoversaliens are a lot closer than he would ever suspect–in fact, it’s serving himlunch! What do you think this says about how we perceive the people aroundus—especially the ones we tend to overlook?

I love this insight!I definitely think that, in general, we tend to see what we expect to see - notbecause we’re bad, or unthoughtful, but just because we’re human. Doctors havethat saying, “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras”; in otherwords, it’s probably not some rare mysterious illness when the common cold is apossibility. But in the world of fantasy and adventure, the tables are turned,and the least likely possibility, which is also the most fun, is probably whatit’s going to be….but, of course, that’s exactly what the alien invaders arecounting on! 

You’ve writtenacademically. I have to imagine writing MG feels freeing and cathartic…but thenagain, it also could be a struggle to tap into that kind of MG voice. How didyou nail it so perfectly? How do you tap into it?

This is such a nicecompliment! It’s definitely a lot of fun to do; and incredibly useful to talkto my own children, who speak first to sixth grade quite fluently. (Plus I liketalking to them anyway, and I only have to struggle occasionally not to itemizethem as research expenses.)

The story includesa ton of fun scenes: a school cafeteria battle and encounters with alien pets.What was the most fun scene for you to write, and why?

That’s a greatquestion, and I’m not sure I have a great answer, since lots of them were funto write (and it sounds like that sense of fun came across, which iswonderful!). But one of my favorite scenes is the one in which Benedict Arnoldmakes a guest appearance. (If you want to know more about why and how, you’regoing to have to read the book….)

In Press 1 forInvasion, the aliens Matt encounters seem to represent the unknown or theunfamiliar. Was this metaphor intentional, and what do you hope readers takeaway about dealing with things that seem 'alien' in their own lives?

Wow, what a greatobservation! I think the thing that was the most interesting to me about theiralienness - and that became more and more important to me as the book developed- was their lack of individualism. (As you’ll find out when you read it, the aliens,generally, have a kind of collective or “hive” consciousness; something aboutthe Earth’s atmosphere interferes with it, though, which is key to the lunchlady changing her mind about the invasion.) I think that the book - I hope,anyway - makes it clear that something to cherish about us, as human beings,all of us, is our individuality; all of us, every one, are a worldentire. 

If you could giveMatt one piece of advice, what would it be?

Never lose sight ofhow special Marcela is. 

Where can we findyou?

If you have aphone, and that phone has social media apps on it, and you are of an age to usethose apps responsibly, then I’m on Bluesky at @jeremydauber.bsky.social. 

What’s next?

I’m working now on atime-travel novel for the same middle grade audience that I think will be a lotof fun….and who knows? Maybe there’ll be some more adventure in store for Mattand Marcela! Thank you so much for this! 

Snag a copy of Press 1 for Invasion