Today I have the honor of interviewing Jack Stewart. Jack is a retired FA-18 Fighter Pilot. He is the author of the Battle Born Thriller series. He recently announced that he will be taking over the W.E.B. Griffin’s Presidential Agent series. He is also writing a Christian Thriller series with Chad Robichaux. To say Jack is busy is an understatement.
On a side note I have moved my Christian’s In Action reviews to my author website at www.donmathewsbooks.com.
CR: Let’s start at the beginning. When did you realize you were called to be an author?
JS: I grew up spending a lot of time in bookstores and libraries. For me, books were passports to adventure, and I could travel anywhere in the world and even to outer space. I became fascinated with the idea of telling stories and knew that “one day” I wanted to have a book published. So, you could say I knew from an early age that it was something I wanted to do. But it wasn’t until 2020 when I decided to take it seriously.
CR: You are a pilot for your day job and a former FA-18 pilot. Do you find any similarities with being a pilot and being an author? It can be either a fighter pilot or a commercial airline pilot or both if that’s the case.
JS: Any flight—at least the good ones—come in three parts: Takeoff, cruise, and landing. A book is typically structured in the same way, with a beginning, middle, and end. Some authors know the entire story before they put a single world on the page, but I’ve found that I can’t do that. Sure, in my day job, I know where the plane is supposed to end up, but sometimes things happen. Weather, medical emergencies, maintenance issues. Every flight encounters challenges of some kind—some big, some small—and as the captain, I have the ultimate say in how that flight will end. In that way, it’s a lot like being an author!
CR: You have written a Christian Thriller with Chad Robichaux. Can you tell us how that came about?
JS: I’ve become good friends with several authors during my journey to publication. One of those is Jeff Wilson (of Andrews & Wilson). I was out flying a trip one day, and Jeff texted and asked if I had ever considered co-authoring with anyone. At the time, I was just trying to get started and my first book hadn’t published yet, so I told him yes. Jeff put me in touch with Chad who told me what he was trying to accomplish, and I was immediately intrigued.
One of my assignments in the Navy was with the Navy’s JSOC Task Force; the same unit Chad was a member of while conducting Advanced Force Operations. We agreed that the thriller universe is full of Navy SEALs kicking in doors and double-tapping terrorists in the head, but we don’t get a sense of what goes on behind the scenes to make those operations happen.
But, more importantly, Chad’s experience led him to a relationship with Christ and a mission to tackle veteran PTSD from a faith-based approach. As someone who has lost friends to suicide, I felt compelled to throw my talents into this mission.
CR: How do you write with a co-author?
JS: Every co-authorship is different. Chad and I have a fantastic working relationship. We talked on the phone for hours about his experiences while I helped craft a plot that would be both entertaining and inspiring. But to do that, we needed to create a story arc that would lead our main character through an emotional journey and to some pretty dark places.
Chad has written several bestselling non-fiction books, but this was his first attempt at fiction. I think he had a tendency to want to put himself into the main character, and I had to remind him that Foster Quinn was not Chad Robichaux. It was more challenging in the first book, as many of the situations we put Foster in were similar to things Chad had experienced. But by the second book, we had moved away from fiction based on fact, and you could see his creative side flowing.
For “Silent Horizons”, we collectively developed the plot and underlying theme. I would write the first draft of each chapter, and Chad would go through and add details—both technical and emotional—that really lend an air of credibility to the story. It was honestly one of the most enjoyable books I’ve written, because we bounced back and forth through the whole process.
CR: You are starting a series in the Christian Thriller genre so I assume you are a follower of Christ. How important is Christ to you, not only in your writing but your life as a whole?
JS: I grew up in a Christian home, going to church every week, and active in my church’s youth group. But over the years—especially during my military career—I allowed my relationship with Christ to stagnate. It’s kind of ironic that our stated objective with “Silent Horizons” was to minister to those who might not have a relationship with Christ, because it ultimately did that for me.
Over the course of the writing process, I connected with the main character’s feeling of loss and hopelessness. Like Foster will ultimately do in our series, I turned my focus to God and have repaired my relationship with Him. My wife and I are reading the Bible each night, we are attending church as a family, and we are committed to living our lives as servants of Christ.
So, yeah, Christ is the focal point of my life now. And I feel like my own redemption story is just one of the ways God is working through this series.
CR: Do you have any routines that you do before you sit down to write?
JS: The only routine I have is to brew a cup of coffee!
CR: Are you a pantser or plotter?
JS: Like I said before, I don’t really know how a flight is going to go when I start. The same is true in my writing. I have an idea of where it will go, but I always give my characters the latitude to make their own decisions and surprise me. So, I’m more of a pantser… though I do usually follow a one- or two-page narrative summary that I sort of treat like a flight plan that I can deviate from.
CR: If God told you tomorrow that you are no longer to be a pilot or author, what is the one thing you would want to do for a career?
JS: Whatever he called me to do. Honestly, I don’t really have a passion for anything other than flying, writing, or helping veterans.
CR: You’re stranded at an airport, what book would you want to see in the duty-free store?
JS: One of mine! I’ve spent so much time in airports all around the world, and I always stop to see what books are on the shelves. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to see one of my books in the airport. I think I would feel humbled and honored to see “Silent Horizons” in the airport, knowing that we are delivering a message of hope that has the possibility of changing lives.
CR: What are you currently reading?
JS: Right now, for enjoyment, I am reading “The Relentless Wave” by Admiral James Stavridis. It is a fictional account of a young man who goes to the Naval Academy and becomes a surface warfare officer in the Pacific during the height of World War II.
For work, I’m reading the first book in a new series by A.J. Tata. Though it sort of feels like it’s for enjoyment too!
CR: Is there anything you want the reader to know about you?
JS: Just that I feel privileged to have served 23 years in the Navy and continue to feel privileged that I get to fulfill my childhood fantasy of becoming a published author. I love what I do, and it truly doesn’t feel like work most days.
CR: Where can readers find you online?
JS: jackstewartbooks.com or the usual social media channels; Instagram (@jackstewartbooks) and X (@jackstewartbook).
I want to thank Jack for taking the time to answer my questions. My goal as a writer and reviewer of fiction that Christian men will like is to get the word out. To grow the genre. One of the best ways to do that is to buy the books that are recommended on this website or others. Then go leave a review. Jack and Chad’s book will be released on May 13, 2025. The best thing you can do is to go pre-order that. Then share what you thought about. Above all go read some great Christians in Action fiction.
Below is a link to pre-order from ChristianBooks.com
