Jack Stewart
Outlaw
Updated Dossier intel for Jack’s new book, OUTLAW. The audiobook with Ray Porter and the Kindle edition is out on 2/20/24, and the paperback is out on 3/1/24.
DOSSIER: What’s the biggest lesson you learned about writing or publishing from the time after you wrote UNKNOWN RIDER to when OUTLAW came out?
STEWART: I learned that overnight success is rare and that you have to continually promote yourself. And that tends to take away from the time you should be spending on actually writing the books you want people to read. Learning how to juggle writing with every other competing priority (including your day job and family) is a constant struggle.
DOSSIER: As a commercial airline pilot, what was/will be your reaction to seeing any of your books in an airport gift shop?
STEWART: I will obviously take a selfie. A pilot wouldn’t be a pilot without a selfie. But, in all seriousness, it is a dream of mine, and I can’t wait for that day when I can autograph my book while racing between gates so I can push the 5:30 to Midland/Odessa on time.
DOSSIER: In addition to OUTLAW dropping this week and BOGEY SPADES later this year, what can you tell us about a certain writing collaboration you’re also involved in?
STEWART: I was very fortunate to partner with former Force Recon Marine and professional MMA fighter, Chad Robichaux, on a series of books loosely based on his experiences as a singleton operator conducting Advanced Force Operations. We sold our series in a three-book deal to Tyndale and will use the books to highlight many of the challenges our warriors face – both on the front line and at home.
Interview from 8/7/2023 for UNKNOWN RIDER
DOSSIER: Now that you’re about to go on book tour for UNKNOWN RIDER, do you expect to be mistaken for Michael Chiklis from The Shield?
STEWART: I’m more concerned I’ll be mistaken for the ex-boxer “Butterbean” but I guess Michael Chiklis would be a close second. I’m planning on a strict diet of chicken and… well, butterbeans… to try and look closer to Jason Statham or Channing Tatum, but just to be safe, I’ll probably do audio-only podcasts for a while.
DOSSIER: What really happens when you, Don Bentley, and Ward Larsen get together and discuss which is better: fighter jets, the A-10 Warthog, or twirlybirds?
STEWART: I just stand back and let Ward and Don duke it out for second place. But, seriously, Don usually hypnotizes me with the same black magic used to keep helicopters flying, and I wake up the next morning feeling like I made a mistake selecting jets. Fortunately, it wears off pretty quick when I remember I would have rather been a submariner (like Brian Andrews) than fly helicopters… I mean, when was the last time a submarine just fell out of the sky?
DOSSIER: When and where do you write, and what kind of environment do you prefer? (Music/silence/Kenny Loggins?)
STEWART: Kenny Loggins is reserved for my morning routine. For writing, I usually sit at my desk in total silence until my wife and kids become impossible to ignore, then I put on Bose noise-canceling headphones and listen to instrumental music. Jazz, classical, fighter jets… you know, the usual. When I’m on an overnight, I will write in my room until the elevator, ice machine, or occasional gunshots (true story) force me down to the lobby bar. Then, it’s usually just the sound of swallowing beer that keeps the words flowing.
DOSSIER: What do you think has the highest washout rate—people who join the military hoping to become a Tier One operator or those who hope to make it through TOPGUN school?
STEWART: That’s a good question, and a tough one to quantify. Sticking with the Navy, there are around 2,500 active duty SEALs, but only a fraction of them will become “Tier One” operators. Since its inception, there have been around 4,000 graduates from TOPGUN, but not everyone who becomes a fighter pilot wants to go through the training. I will say that they are challenging in their own ways, and the type of people who gravitate toward special operations are the same type of people who gravitate toward being fighter pilots. But if you want to talk straight washout rate, there is no question more people ring the bell in Coronado than quit in Fallon.
DOSSIER: The TOPGUN page on your website is great. What stands out most about your experience at TOPGUN vs how it’s portrayed on film? And more importantly, did you take Tom Cruise’s call when he was stuck on the plot for Maverick and sitting at a bar drinking, hemlock, I think?
STEWART: In the original documentary… I mean “film”, TOPGUN taught only air-to-air combat, known as “dogfighting.” In the years since, the Hornet (and later Super Hornet and Joint Strike Fighter) have expanded the fighter pilot’s role to become multi-mission – both air-to-air and air-to-ground. TOPGUN today encompasses more than straight dogfighting and includes the entire spectrum of missions, which is why I told Tommy to include an air-to-ground mission as the primary focus in the sequel. He wasn’t sold at first, but I think it paid off. At least he stopped drinking the hemlock.
Website: jackstewartbooks.com
Jeff Circle 