Draft:Mark David Gerson

• Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Musely (talk) 15:39, 6 August 2026 (UTC)

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Mark David Gerson is a Canadian-American author, podcaster, writing coach and speaker, born in Montreal, Quebec. He hosts the Stories & Reflections podcast. He is best known for The Legend of Q'ntana, a fantasy novel series beginning with The MoonQuest (2008), and for numerous books on the creative writing process, memoir, and personal growth.

Early career

Before turning to writing books, Gerson was assistant director of public relations at Concordia University in Montreal, then worked for a number of years as a freelance journalist and critic. He was Canadian correspondent for The Chronicle of Higher Education (1982–1990) and The Times Higher Education Supplement (1982–1984), a regular book reviewer for Quill & Quire and The Montreal Gazette, and a regular theatre critic for the Ottawa Journal, with contributions to The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The Montreal Star, and numerous other Canadian and US publications.

In 1991, Gerson delivered the Norrie Lecture at Mount Saint Vincent University ("Canadian Higher Education at the Crossroads") and was a panelist on "Universities & the Media" at that year's Canadian Association of University Business Officers conference.

Writing career

Fiction

The MoonQuest (2008), the first book in The Legend of Q'ntana series, was reviewed in Library Journal, which described it as a debut that "moves quickly yet gracefully," with prose suited to fans of quest-driven and visionary fantasy. It received a Gold Medal in the Visionary Fiction category of the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) and won the Science Fiction & Fantasy category of the 2008 New Mexico Book Awards.

The series continued with The StarQuest (2013), The SunQuest (2013), and The Bard of Bryn Doon (2021), with further installments planned. Screenplay adaptations of the four novels were optioned by Anvil Springs Entertainment, a production company that has since ceased operations.

Gerson is also the author of The Sara Stories, a series set partly in his native Montreal, beginning with Sara's Year (2015). The novel was reviewed by Bernard Mendelman in The Suburban, a Montreal-area newspaper, which praised Gerson's dialogue and pacing. It was followed by After Sara's Year (2016) and The Emmeline Papers (2017), with at least one further book planned.

Nonfiction

The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write (2008, ISBN 978-0-9795475-5-3; revised 2014, 2020), a guide to the creative process built on Gerson's writing workshops, was reviewed in the "Fine Print" section of trade magazine New Age Retailer by Connie Mears, who described it as a resource that "primes the pump" for writers facing procrastination and creative blocks. It received a Silver Medal in the Writing/Publishing category of the 2009 IPPY Awards and won the Self-Help Book category of the 2009 New Mexico Book Awards.

Teaching and speaking

Gerson has taught writing in the non-credit divisions of a number of colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and served as a guest instructor in UCLA's writing program in 2025. He has spoken at genre and consciousness-focused events including Phoenix Fan Fusion and the Conscious Life Expo in Los Angeles, as well as at Unity and Center for Spiritual Living churches across the US.

Bibliography

Fiction

The Legend of Q'ntana

• The MoonQuest (2008, ISBN 978-0-9795475-8-4)
• The StarQuest (2013)
• The SunQuest (2013)
• The Bard of Bryn Doon (2021)

The Sara Stories

• Sara's Year (2015)
• After Sara's Year (2016)
• The Emmeline Papers (2017)

Nonfiction — books on writing

• The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write (2008; rev. 2014, 2020)
• Birthing Your Book...Even If You Don't Know What It's About (2014; rev. 2024)
• From Memory to Memoir: Writing the Stories of Your Life (2014; rev. 2019)
• Organic Screenwriting: Writing for Film...Naturally (2014; rev. 2019)
• The Heartful Art of Revision: An Intuitive Guide to Editing (2020)
• Writer's Block Unblocked: Seven Surefire Ways to Free Up Your Writing and Creative Flow (2013; rev. 2014, 2022)

Memoir

• Acts of Surrender: A Writer's Memoir (2012; rev. 2019)
• Dialogues with the Divine: Encounters with My Wisest Self (2015; rev. 2019)
• Pilgrimage: A Fool's Journey (2021)

The Way of the Fool series

• The Way of the Fool: How to Stop Worrying About Life and Start Living It…in 12½ Super-Simple Steps! (2018; rev. 2019)
• The Way of the Imperfect Fool: How to Bust the Addiction to Perfection That's Stifling Your Success…in 12½ Super-Simple Steps! (2019)
• The Way of the Abundant Fool: How to Bust Free of "Not Enough" and Break Free into Prosperity…in 12½ Super-Simple Steps! (2022)
• The Way of the Creative Fool: How to Bust Through Your Blocks and Unleash Your Full Creative Potential…in 12½ Super-Simple Steps! (2026)

Other

• Engage! Winning Social Media Strategies for Authors (2016)
• The Book of Messages: Writings Inspired by Melchizedek (2003; rev. 2012, 2020)