John Lockton
I started writing late in life, the most delightful thing I've ever done, better than winning lawsuits or building companies. The focus of my first two books is adolescence. Understand the challenges confronting the adolescent, understand how the adolescent handles them, and you understand much of who the adolescent will become. Adolescence fascinates me. I’m not saying that where and how one spends one’s early youth isn’t important. It is. But adolescence is a principal instructor on how one will deal with life. And it is not too far fetched to say that in the becoming of adolescence lies the future of mankind.
In my first novel, "Odyssey’s Child,” I explore the theme of an adolescent finding himself and his future against overwhelming odds. My inspiration was Pablo Coelho’s novel, “The Alchemist,” where a young man makes a dangerous journey in search of a treasure only to find the treasure within himself. In “Odyssey’s Child” the journey is a peril-filled two month, 1,500 mile voyage on a small sailboat through the Caribbean. A psychologically damaged thirteen year old is locked on the boat with an evil man and we watch the adolescent grow to overcome his own demons and eventually best the man. In many ways it is “Life of Pi,” a Caribbean version of that marvelous book. The existential danger from the evil man in “Odyssey’s Child" is as great as that from the tiger in “Life of Pi.” “Odyssey’s Child” is largely true to life. All the terror filled trials at sea and remarkable people are as described, though some of it occurred on later voyages. I lived through every Caribbean incident in the book, a few just barely.
My second book, “The Prisoner of Secrets,” is a salute to “Catcher in the Rye.” “The Prisoner of Secrets” sprawls across generations and continents, capturing the largely untold story of the American origins of the Holocaust and centering on a repressive New England school where adolescents turn on each other as in “Lord of the Flies” and the weak become prey. The school administration espouses the eugenics theories behind the Holocaust even after they become aware of the Holocaust. Then the Holocaust itself intrudes with violent results. As in “Odyssey’s Child” much of “The Prisoner of Secrets” is true to life. The story includes the man who promoted to Germany the well established American approaches for eliminating undesirables. It also includes the German who used these approaches and helped create the Holocaust. Both men are an amalgamation of real historical figures. The New England school was almost as repressive as described and the rampant bullying was condoned, or maybe even encouraged by the school. The headmaster did come out of the nineteenth century and travel on campus in a horse and buggy, not knowing how to drive.
"Odyssey’s Child” and “The Prisoner of Secrets” are full of drama. They move from one dramatic incident to another in nonstop excitement. This is a reflection of my own life. Drama and adventure permeated every part of my life. Many examples. Starting as a young Wall Street lawyer the partner on my first major case committed suicide in the middle of the trial. A month later another partner went comatose under the pressure of the billion dollar case I was helping defend. That was enough legal drama. Turning to business it wasn’t much better. I found myself personally involved in spiriting employees out of Iran when the Shah fell. Cloak and dagger stuff with two of our people ending on the hangman’s noose. One of the great failures in my life. Not much less scary was partnering with the People’s Liberation Army in China and dealing with the top generals out to get me. The worst drama was the death of two beloved wives in dramatic fashion, one from suicide out a window of the Waldorf Astoria in New York, and the other medical malpractice at the top hospital in Northern California. The drama and adventure never ended. Near death experiences sailing and adventuring in many parts of the world. And though in business I came to hold top positions in major companies--- finance, publishing, advertising, cable TV, telecommunications, cellular radio--- the drama pursued me in each company. I don’t think I could write a novel that wasn’t filled with drama and adventure.
But you will also find something else in my books, a pean to the joy of being alive. Both of my books contain long, lyrical passages about nature and the abounding marvels that surround us. A reader can not come away from one of my books without a renewed appreciation of how fortunate we are to live in this wonderful world.
Long retired I’m hopeful the drama has ended except for my books. I reside in California near the sea I love with a remarkable wife of many talents. She brings peace and love and is the source of my own joy in being alive. A too cute shelter dog completes the picture.
In my first novel, "Odyssey’s Child,” I explore the theme of an adolescent finding himself and his future against overwhelming odds. My inspiration was Pablo Coelho’s novel, “The Alchemist,” where a young man makes a dangerous journey in search of a treasure only to find the treasure within himself. In “Odyssey’s Child” the journey is a peril-filled two month, 1,500 mile voyage on a small sailboat through the Caribbean. A psychologically damaged thirteen year old is locked on the boat with an evil man and we watch the adolescent grow to overcome his own demons and eventually best the man. In many ways it is “Life of Pi,” a Caribbean version of that marvelous book. The existential danger from the evil man in “Odyssey’s Child" is as great as that from the tiger in “Life of Pi.” “Odyssey’s Child” is largely true to life. All the terror filled trials at sea and remarkable people are as described, though some of it occurred on later voyages. I lived through every Caribbean incident in the book, a few just barely.
My second book, “The Prisoner of Secrets,” is a salute to “Catcher in the Rye.” “The Prisoner of Secrets” sprawls across generations and continents, capturing the largely untold story of the American origins of the Holocaust and centering on a repressive New England school where adolescents turn on each other as in “Lord of the Flies” and the weak become prey. The school administration espouses the eugenics theories behind the Holocaust even after they become aware of the Holocaust. Then the Holocaust itself intrudes with violent results. As in “Odyssey’s Child” much of “The Prisoner of Secrets” is true to life. The story includes the man who promoted to Germany the well established American approaches for eliminating undesirables. It also includes the German who used these approaches and helped create the Holocaust. Both men are an amalgamation of real historical figures. The New England school was almost as repressive as described and the rampant bullying was condoned, or maybe even encouraged by the school. The headmaster did come out of the nineteenth century and travel on campus in a horse and buggy, not knowing how to drive.
"Odyssey’s Child” and “The Prisoner of Secrets” are full of drama. They move from one dramatic incident to another in nonstop excitement. This is a reflection of my own life. Drama and adventure permeated every part of my life. Many examples. Starting as a young Wall Street lawyer the partner on my first major case committed suicide in the middle of the trial. A month later another partner went comatose under the pressure of the billion dollar case I was helping defend. That was enough legal drama. Turning to business it wasn’t much better. I found myself personally involved in spiriting employees out of Iran when the Shah fell. Cloak and dagger stuff with two of our people ending on the hangman’s noose. One of the great failures in my life. Not much less scary was partnering with the People’s Liberation Army in China and dealing with the top generals out to get me. The worst drama was the death of two beloved wives in dramatic fashion, one from suicide out a window of the Waldorf Astoria in New York, and the other medical malpractice at the top hospital in Northern California. The drama and adventure never ended. Near death experiences sailing and adventuring in many parts of the world. And though in business I came to hold top positions in major companies--- finance, publishing, advertising, cable TV, telecommunications, cellular radio--- the drama pursued me in each company. I don’t think I could write a novel that wasn’t filled with drama and adventure.
But you will also find something else in my books, a pean to the joy of being alive. Both of my books contain long, lyrical passages about nature and the abounding marvels that surround us. A reader can not come away from one of my books without a renewed appreciation of how fortunate we are to live in this wonderful world.
Long retired I’m hopeful the drama has ended except for my books. I reside in California near the sea I love with a remarkable wife of many talents. She brings peace and love and is the source of my own joy in being alive. A too cute shelter dog completes the picture.