Telling Tall Tales

Telling Tall Tales combines elements of both the classic short story and the darker, more bizarre tall tale. In Troubled Waters, we follow the plight of Harvey and Kaitlin in a future apocalypse, an uncanny ark chosen to save humanity, and a survival colony that sows the seeds of civilizations and cultures to come. In both The Confidence Coat and The Cling Wrap Kid, we are shown how our minds and to some extent, "a little bit of magic," works in our lives in both positive and negative ways. In The Strudel Farm, we discover that we must be very careful of what we wish for and how we obtain it. Containing a healthy dose of satire, allegory and humor, all of these tales provide the reader an easy, simple narrative experience. So, go ahead! Try the first one. And, I'm confident that, like the famous potato chips ad, "bet you can't eat just one!"

The tall tale! The exaggerated, often allegorical and definitely adventurous form of storytelling that has been around since the time of ancient Greece in the west and the Shang dynasty in the east. Classic writers such as: Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Roald Dahl have all dabbled with the entertaining classic tale. And many contemporary writers such as: Stephen King, Michael Faber, and H.P. Lovecraft have taken the genre a step further with their darker, more bizarre stories. Telling Tall Tales combines elements of both the classic short story and the darker, more bizarre tall tale. In Troubled Waters, we follow the plight of Harvey and Kaitlin in a future apocalypse, an uncanny ark chosen to save humanity, and a survival colony that sows the seeds of civilizations and cultures to come. In both The Confidence Coat and The Cling Wrap Kid, we are shown how our minds and to some extent, "a little bit of magic," works in our lives in both positive and negative ways. In The Strudel Farm, we discover that we must be very careful of what we wish for and how we obtain it. Containing a healthy dose of satire, allegory and humor, all of these tales provide the reader an easy, simple narrative experience. So, go ahead! Try the first one. And, I'm confident that, like the famous potato chips ad, "bet you can't eat just one!"

John grew up in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor's degree in economics, and has worked in numerous corporate finance and project management positions in the consumer electronics and IT industries. In 1990, he took an extended backpacking trip of the South Pacific before attending graduate school. He met his future wife in New Zealand, and they were married in 1991. They settled in Laguna Niguel, California. In 2003, John and his family (now with two kids in tow) relocated to Christchurch, New Zealand. John's passion for writing began when he was a student at UC Davis and worked as a feature writer for the California Aggie newspaper. Having been nominated for a Hearst Journalism Award (1986) for a feature on genetic engineering, John later found the inspiration to write again. In 2013, he began outlining his first thriller, The Fiduciary Delusion, which became the first novel in the Horsemen trilogy. John loves to read techno-thrillers, science fiction, murder mysteries and action and suspense novels. Some of his favorite authors include: Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Lawrence Sanders, Isaac Asimov, Michael Faber and Clive Cussler. John's interests also include science, existential philosophy, health, and both Western and Eastern holistic medicine. John also plays guitar, piano, sings, and writes music. In addition, a self-confessed "gym rat," John can be regularly found lifting weights, trudging up hills, sea kayaking, and getting out and about enjoying the beautiful wild outdoors.