PUBLISHED GRAD

Congrats on getting published! What books do you have out and what’s to come?
The Furnace Room

The Treehouse Adventure

Lila’s Dream

Everybody Needs a Beast

The Promise

Where is My Home?

Tell us a bit about your path to publishing, from idea to submission to published book.
I first wrote early drafts of The Furnace Room and The Treehouse Adventure in my class at The Institute of Children’s Literature.

After many years in advertising and media, I wrote a novel called, Lost In Plain Sight (under the pseudonym, David Gerard), after completing the novel writing program at the Institute for Writers, formerly Long Ridge Writer’s Group.

At that point, I had the writing bug and started my own company in 2014 called, Sightline Media Entertainment LLC. I now write children’s books and feature screenplays.

After many revisions and edits, The Furnace Room was released under my imprint, Sam’s Young Readers, in 2014. The Treehouse Adventure is the follow-up book featuring siblings, James and Janine.

The imprint’s mission, inserted into the beginning of all my books, a.k.a. the Doodle Page, states the following:

“Sam’s Young Readers stories harken back to a simpler time before video games and the internet … where imagination reigned and the most wonderful adventures came to life in your own backyard.”

In 2016, I was a featured writer in Tackle Reading, (Creative Minds Publications) a book to inspire reading and support literacy, supported by celebrity authors, NFL athletes and the NFL organization.

As someone with Dyslexia and early childhood reading problems, it is one of my main goals to support parents, caregivers, children and teachers with fun stories that inspire reading!

How long have you been writing?
10 years

What’s your favorite genre to write and why?
Fiction: Because the story is limited only by my imagination

What ICL courses have you taken?
Writing Children’s Stories – Institute of Children’s Literature

Novel Writing Course – Institute for Writers (formerly Long Ridge Writer’s Group)

How has taking these courses helped your writing and/or career?
The courses gave me a solid background regarding the fundamentals of writing structure and creating compelling stories.

Have any of your class assignments been published?
Yes. Both The Furnace Room and Treehouse Adventure were class assignments.

Do you have a favorite writing tip you’d like to share?
Write from your creative muse first – get all your ideas on paper. Once that is done, go back and look at it analytically.

If you could travel back in time and give yourself one piece of writing advice, how far back would you go, and what would you tell yourself?
I would tell myself to be more patient. Writing is hard work.

Tell us about your favorite place to write and what time of day you are most productive in your writing.
My favorite place to write is my office overlooking the 17th fairway of a golf course. The most productive period for me is in the morning when my mind is fresh.

What was the best or most valuable thing you learned from your experience with ICL?
The one-on-one feedback and encouragement from teachers who were published authors themselves.

Is it really possible to write a book and sell it?

Yes. You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Just stay focused, persistent and POSITIVE, no matter what. Try and accomplish one thing every day.

David M. Jack is a graduate of Manhattanville College and the author of two children’s picture books, THE FURNACE ROOM (2015) and The TREEHOUSE ADVENTURE (2016) illustrated by award-winning artist, Christopher Brown. David has also published LILA’S DREAM, WHERE IS MY HOME? and Moonbeam award-winner EVERYBODY NEEDS A BEAST.