JACK LUGAR

-Novelist
-Screenwriter
-Filmmaker
-Professor

Writing Style

Jack Lugar (J.R. Lugar) uses great storytelling to take his readers on exciting adventures. His writing career started in the 1990s when he worked at Louzell Productions with comedian Louie Anderson and then as a staff writer on the sitcom Wanda at Large. In 2007, in between his screenwriting pursuits, he developed a newfound passion for novel writing, leading to the publication of seven novels and two nonfiction books.

As a father, he is interested in stories tackling fatherhood. While writing for sitcoms, he became frustrated with how fathers were portrayed as the fool and the butt of all jokes. Desiring to change that storyline, Jack wrote and directed the feature film, This Train, about an aging rock star on the path to redemption with family and friends. His newest project, Traveling Mercys, follows the same theme of examing fatherhood and its vital impact on family and community.

Jack enjoys the adventure that comes with writing: the element of surprise, the characters, and the story development. He keeps a loose storyline with an established ending and writes the other parts from there. As a novelist, his writing style is visual, fast–paced, and influenced mainly by his screenwriting background. While none of his characters entirely reflect his life or personality, he draws from impactful memories and personal experiences to create his stories.  

Jack has more than 30 years of experience writing scripts and books, and the biggest advice he can give young writers is to keep creating. 

Learn more about Jack Lugar and his works.

  • J. R. Lugar

    Author
    Jack Lugar has worked as a television writer and producer in Los Angeles, published novels and non-fiction, written and directed a motion picture, and is a Professor of Cinematic Arts at Anderson University.

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  • Hellcat

    A Motion Picture
    When an aging rockstar returns home to Indiana years after disappearing, following a tragic incident, he is shunned by most of the town and his estranged wife. Hellcat believes he’s better off dead until a kid, haunted by his own demons, shows him otherwise. Written and Directed by Jack Lugar. 1hr 41m Drama

  • Katz Pajamas Series

    Series of 3 Books
    Katz Pajamas, a children chapter book series about an extraordinary cat detective in the town of New Purrt, Catifornia.

  • Sessi Nilsson

    Series of 3 Books
    Sessi Nilsson, a young adult series about teenage-girl in the realm of Norse Mythology and written under the name J.R. Lugar.

  • Hollywood Break-In

    Launch Your Career
    Hollywood Break-In is the book that truly starts from the beginning and guides Hollywood dreamers on how to plan, implement, and succeed in a move to Los Angeles and survive to tell about it.

  • The Starving Artist's Diet: A Survival Guide

    Comedy book featuring artists from Oregon to New York and some of the crazy things they have done to survive. And what did Louie Anderson, Comedian and Friend, think? “So good I almost ate it.

  • Used. Life's a Buick

    A Short Script
    On the last day of the month at King Auto, the salesman with the fewest cars sold that month gets fired. Jack McCutcheon is on the bubble and fighting to save his job. Instead of finding a supportive team to help him save his job, fellow salesmen are taking bets on his impending failure.

Discover J.R. Lugar’s best fiction and non-fiction works.