D.j. machale biography

JANUARY 3, 2017

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE

Welcome to First Draft with me Sarah Enni. Today I’m talking to D.J. MacHale, author of the New York Times bestselling Pendragon and Morpheus Road Series. D.J. just released CURSE OF THE BOGGIN the first book in his new middle grade series, THE LIBRARY. D.J. was also the creator and writer of ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?  A Nickelodean TV show that ran in the 90’s that I was a HUGE fan of…huge.  D.J. was kind enough to invite me to his shared office space, where he works in Los Angeles, to tell me his almost accidental journey into writing stories for kids and teens. So brew a fresh pot of coffee, imagine you’re looking over a bustling Hollywood movie lot, and enjoy the conversation.

ENNI: Okay! How are you?

D.J. MACHALE: I am awesome. Thank you for coming to see me.

ENNI: Oh, my gosh, thank you for having me at your offices here in LA. Well, are we technically in LA?

MACHALE: We are in Manhattan Beach.

ENNI: Let’s start there. The first question I always ask is where were you born and raised.

MACHALE: Born in Portchester, New York, raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. And I hesitate to say Greenwich Connecticut because, I don’t know if you know that town, but it’s like the snootiest, rich-iest , schmancy-est town – maybe not in the country - but it’s right up there in that pantheon. However, I am not one of the snootiest, rich-iest… I was raised in lower middle class. The area of town where I grew up was like growing up in Mayberry. I walked to school. I was an altar boy at the church that I walked to. My first job was working at a poultry farm collecting eggs. I fished in the stream that went through the center of town. I mean, this could have been in North Carolina as far as I knew.  It wasn’t until I started getting older that I started to expand a little bit. My house that I grew up in was part of a gas station. That’s how lower middle class w

American writer and director

Donald James MacHale (born March 11, 1955) is an American writer, director, and executive producer. He has been affiliated with shows such as Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Flight 29 Down and Seasonal Differences. MacHale is also the author of the popular young adult book series, Pendragon and Morpheus Road.

Early life

MacHale was born on March 11, 1955, in Port Chester, New York and grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut where he had several jobs including collecting eggs at a poultry farm, engraving sports trophies, and washing dishes in a steakhouse. In school he played football and ran track. It was while attending Western Junior High School that he and friends began making video productions that ranged from short documentaries to a feature-length Marx Brothers comedy.

Upon graduation from Greenwich High School, MacHale attended Villanova University for three semesters, then transferred to New York University where he graduated with a BFA in film production.

Awards

MacHale won the CableACE Award for his series Chris Cross and the Gemini Award for Are You Afraid of the Dark?

He received a Writers Guild of America award as well as a second WGA nomination for his work on the TV series Flight 29 Down.

He received a Directors Guild of America award nomination for his work on the TV series Flight 29 Down.

Works

References

External links

D. J. MacHale

D. J. MacHale was raised in Greenwich, CT where he had several jobs including collecting eggs at a poultry farm; engraving trophies and washing dishes in a steakhouse…in between playing football and running track. He graduated from New York University with a BFA in film production.

D.J. is a writer, director, executive producer and creator of several popular television series and movies. As an author, his ten-volume book series: Pendragon: Journal of an Adventure Through Time and Space became a New York Times #1 bestseller.

D.J. lives in Southern California with his wife and daughter. They are avid backpackers, scuba divers and skiers. Rounding out the household is a spoiled golden retriever named Casey and an equally spoiled tuxedo cat named Jinx.

This biography was last updated on 05/16/2006.

The above represents the biographical information provided by the publisher for the most recent book by this author that BookBrowse has covered. As such, it is likely a brief snapshot in time. If you are looking for a more expansive biography, you may wish to do an internet search for the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.

Books by this Author

Books by D. J. MacHale at BookBrowse