One afternoon in October of 2010, as Jeff was driving along Duck Pond Lane on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, VA, he noticed a duck sitting alone in the grass near a pond, watching a group of ducks floating on the water. 
Later that day, Jeff began writing a story about a duck who was born with a different head color than the other ducks, and how the duck just wanted to be like the other ducks.  The duck felt outcast and spent his time sitting alone on the shore, gazing at the other ducks playing in the water. 

​Jeff finished the story in 2012 and titled it, The Lone Duck.  He intended on finding an illustrator, but became involved in other writing projects, switched careers and relocated several times. 
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In February of 2022, Jeff revised the story, changed the title to A Duck Named Jack, (an homage to his nephew), and began searching for an illustrator.  Elizabeth Konetz was chosen as the illustrator.  Find her work here:  http://www.lizziekonetzillustrates.com/. 

In November of 2024, Jeff further revised the graphic design of the book and changed the title to A Special Duck.  He selected Ian Bright to provide graphic support.  Find his work here: http://www.ianbright.com.​