At a slim 165 pages, “The Ones We Love,” Jonathan Sayer’s debut novel, grabs readers on page one and doesn’t let go. In an era when many viewers now scroll past the trope-filled, historically inaccurate old Hollywood westerns on Turner Classic Movies, the Austin-based writer offers an enticing invitation to re-examine the genre.

The cover tagline says it all — “A western for modern readers.”

In Sayer’s poignant and powerful 1873-set ode to the settlement of the American West, after her family’s small prairie farm is attacked, 15-year-old Mae Kepler sets out on a quest for justice. On her trek, she’s joined by Walks-Like-a-Feather, a Tonkawa exile, a young deputy Lucas Barrientos and a secret-keeping U.S. Marshal Harry Sturges. While the near-nonstop action keeps readers eagerly flipping pages toward the novel’s all-too-soon conclusion, it’s Sayer’s nuanced, layered bad ass heroine Mae who will keep you emotionally invested.

Like many creative endeavors, Sayer’s debut novel first took shape during the pandemic. The author’s hours of research and dedication to getting the details right are evident from the first page. In a conversation with Eldredge ATL, Jon Sayer discusses his engrossing, inclusive addition to the American Western.

Q: “The Ones We Love” offers such a fresh take on this genre. What was the creative process like for you?

A: It took about three years, between writing, having people read it, doing a lot of research and then the rewriting and editing. Since one of the main characters is Native American, I also wanted to find a cultural expert. When you’re an old white guy, it’s really hard to convince that community to help. They’re very skeptical. Through the friend of a friend I met Dr. William R. Kinney, who is a professor emeritus at University of Texas at Austin. He also helped me with the historical blurb at the beginning. He’s in the Chickasaw Hall of Fame. He grew up with his brother in Oklahoma on a reservation. That was the hardest piece, just getting someone to look at the cultural aspects of the book for accuracy. He’s all in for the sequel too!

Q: I love the intentionality of your cover line “A western for modern readers.” Usually, when someone tells me, ‘I’ve written a western,’ my brain immediately goes to all of the John Wayne tropes. Why did you want to tackle this genre and create something modern readers would be interested in?

A: I actually had an author tell me, “Why did you put that on the cover? It’s not exactly something that’s quote ‘sexy’ that’s going to sell your book.” It’s not your run-of-the-mill Western. It’s iconic but it’s not something that’s full of the mistakes that you find in the past, whether they’re on film or in novels. I grew up loving Westerns and not being oblivious to the problematic nature of many of them. I like Westerns because they’re kind of formulaic. Like a mystery or a romance novel, there’s a certain formula to it. They’re kind of like an Elvis movie, very Americana. The thing that I love about a good Western is it’s essentially a dystopian novel. That time period in the American West was essentially a dystopian society. The laws were kind of loose, people weren’t really enforcing those laws, there was a lot of illegal activity going on. There was genocide against indigenous peoples and widespread displacement of these folks, not unlike a lot of things going on now. There’s a definite relevancy to some of these issues, unfortunately. It’s timeless when you’re dealing with humanity. I wanted to write a Western I wanted to read.

Q: How did your research inform the book?

A: I read a whole bunch of Westerns once I figured out I wanted to tackle the genre. The two that resonated with me the most is a short novel “Shane,” which was made into a famous movie. It’s told from the perspective of a 13-year-old boy. The other is “True Grit,” which is a really great novel, told from the perspective of a young woman. The beginning of my book is actually an homage to the beginning of “True Grit.” Something bad happens to a young woman and she has to find someone to help her. Both “Shane” and “True Grit” are proto-YA novels. They’re told from the perspective of a teenager. But these novels have racial issues, societal issues and social misunderstandings represented in them. So I wanted to write something you’d be proud to read and not feel like you have to read it in a closet.

Q: You write this novel from the perspective of Mae Kepler, a 15-year-old who has a lot of things happen to her in a short span of time. What kind of research did you do to feel comfortable telling the story through her lenses?

A:  I’m a big fan of the film “Alien.” A lot of people don’t know this but that screenplay was originally written for a male protagonist. And someone in their great wisdom said, “Why don’t we make it a woman but not really change anything?” And [Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley]  is now one of the most iconic heroines in cinematic history. My philosophy for writing a female is you need female [beta] readers to make sure what you’re saying and the emotions being presented are accurate. From my perspective, a woman can do all of the same things a man can do and, in many ways, better since they approach the world differently. I also used my exposures to my now 24-year-old daughter growing up. I had two editors on this book, PJ Hoover and Samantha M. Clark, both are Austin-based authors and both are women. They helped me a great deal. I wanted to make sure it was grounded, especially through the eyes of a 15-year-old girl, who is essentially an adult in that world. Mae has certain qualities that are girlish but in Eastern Colorado in that time period, you could be married at 15.

Q: In addition to Mae, your other main characters are a Native American, Walks-Like-a-Feather and a young deputy named Lucas Barrientos. You’ve thought of a multitude of ways to represent people who are not necessarily seen in this genre. Why was it important for you to make this such an inclusive book?

A:  The politics of our time don’t always agree with this but I believe in diversity and I believe in representation. The fact that all of these stories have been white-dominated from the perspective of a settler is not accurate. There were so many other people participating in the expansion of the United States in the 19^th century. I wanted to include characters that represented that diversity. I also wanted to get the details right.

Q: You’re working on a sequel. What made you want to pick up the threads you created in “The Ones We Love”?

A: I liked the characters but mostly because everyone told me the story was too short! (laughs). It’s 60,000 words so it’s bordering on a novella. I wanted it to pack a punch and I didn’t want to stay too long with these characters because I didn’t know if it was going to work. I wanted it to be a good ride but I recognize people are busy. Who has time to read a 600-page novel? It’s a daunting task. But the main reason I’m writing a sequel is Mae Kepler has more to say.

You can order a copy of author Jonathan Sayer’s debut novel “The Ones We Love” via Amazon or Barnes & Noble.