By Lisa Duckers
Staff Writer

Some writers, including D.J. MacHale, didn’t even like to write when they were younger, but later discovered their passion and found success. Costa was fortunate enough to have this best-selling fantasy author come talk about his experience as a writer.

MacHale, a Manhattan Beach resident, has written many TV series and books, including the best-selling “Pendragon” series. After noticing the students’ positive reactions to author visits at her old school, Mira Costa Librarian Jane Lofton arranged to have him visit Costa on the day that his most recent book, “The Black,” went on sale.

“I was familiar with MacHale’s books, and I was excited to learn that he lived in the area and connected to our school libraries,” Lofton said. “The Grand View library specialist Heidi Snively was kind enough to contact him for me, and he said he would be happy to visit us for the day.”

Despite the fact that MacHale hated writing growing up, he attended college at New York University where he got his Bachelor of Fine Arts in film production and also discovered his passion for writing.

When he entered a writing class he had put off until his senior year, MacHale realized that the film work he had been doing in high school was actually a form of story-telling.

Carina Glasser/ La Vista

“In school I gravitated toward making films and videos rather than writing standard reports,” MacHale said. “That carried over to film school where I decided that the best way to break into the industry was by writing scripts, so that’s exactly what I did. But I was always a storyteller, even from the time I was very young.”

In addition to the “Pendragon” series, MacHale has also written the first two books of a horror trilogy called “Morpheus Road,” which centers around a teen being haunted by supernatural forces.

“Marshall Seaver [the main character] is a kid who has seen some trouble and sadness in his life and because of it is reluctant to grow up and deal with the challenges of being an adult,” MacHale said. “I start with a real, human conflict and then add the sizzle from there.”

MacHale has a large following among Costa students. Some have only read one of his books while others have read the whole “Pendragon” series.

“He has a very honest, relatable writing style,” senior Elizabeth Griswold said. “He has inspired me to write something every day.”

MacHale plans to continue his “Morpheus Road” trilogy and the “Equinox Curiosity Shop” series, a set of fantasy adventure books about a toy shop that comes to life. The prospect of a “Pendragon” movie is now closer to reality for MacHale.

“I’ve said ‘no’ to a lot of people because I wasn’t convinced they would be able to pull it off,” MacHale said. “On the other hand I’ve yet to get a ‘yes’ from the people who I think could pull it off. Right now I’m working with a producer and plan to bring it to the studios soon to see if we can mount a production.”

In the end, whether someone is about to write a book, a play, a short story, a poem, a screenplay or anything creative, MacHale told students that there are three things that every writer must do: practice a lot, read a lot and write what you know.

“When you write about what you know you’re writing with authority and readers will respond to it,” MacHale said. “Another way of saying that is: learn about life. The more you know and experience, the more you’ll have to write about.”