John H. Manhold
John likes to say
that he has always been interested in the Renaissance way of
life. In his own
words, "perhaps he just had an ‘attention deficit’ that resulted
in boredom after an amount of activity in any one area".
As a result, John has degrees from three (3)
different universities in somewhat diverse areas that have led
to lectures and consultations throughout the world. He has
published 6 text books in the fields of medicine, dentistry and
psychology and a lexicon in 4 languages. Recently, he received a
LIfetime Achievement Award for these activities. His sculpture
resides in collections both within and outside of the United
Sates. Boating also appealed to John for some time and, while
his wife, Kit, studied marine engineering, he obtained U.S.C.G.
Captain's and Master's papers. One of their trips covered 6000
miles.
During these years, John and Kit played a lot of competative
golf, both at home and internationally, until he reached a
'stage of maturity' that made competition at this level
unrealistic. They returned to some of their earlier passions -
competitive shooting. They joined the Single Action Shooting
Society, established the Miakka Misfits in Florida and served as
Territorial Governor and Range Officer for several years. During
these years, as one of the earlier advanced safety instructors,
he taught safety in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.
John is a member, and former officer, of numerous professional,
writer, and art associations, as well as an elected Regulator of
SASS and a member of the Cowboy Fast Draw Association with
numerous prizes in their competitions. At 89 years of age he
still was competing, and medaled in the 2006 and 2007 World
Senior Games and the 2007 Cowboy Fast Draw Nationals. Writing,
unfortunately, has interferred with serious continuation of
these activities
John served in WW II and in Korea where, among other activities
he taught the basics of knife fighting to recruits.
http://www.johnhmanhold.com
PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a
part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?
John Manhold: I grew up in Rochester, New York in a
family with an extensive library and was provided with new books for
every holiday. My interest in writing grew as I progressed in school.
PageOneLit.com: Why do you write?
John
Manhold:
The answer to “Why do I write? is lengthy and encompasses
the numerous facets of my life. I have been an athlete involved in
several sports, a professor, a scientific researcher, an editor and a
book reviewer and, drawing from all of these disciplines, I can totally
immerse myself. Whether it is to provide facts for teaching, to present
a base upon which medications can be made and distributed, to enable me
to create a mental picture for readers, or to analyze the
effectiveness of another writer’s ability to provide such a picture, I
am totally intrigued. Furthermore, the activity not only is most
enjoyable, but provides an answer to the oft-repeated need to combat
some of the debilitating effects of “advancing states of maturity”. It
helps to keep the brain cells at a high level of activity.
PageOneLit.com: Tell us about your novel,The Elymais Coin. Why is The Elymais
Coin so special and why does so many people want it?
John Manhold:
THE ELYMAIS COIN is the story of a search for a 3000-year-old coin that
was stolen from the treasury of Afghanistan. However, the main thrust of
the book is a story of how the complex religious beliefs of the Middle
East continue to entangle the United States in a web of danger and
uncertainty.
PageOneLit.com: Who is Cy Lane?
John Manhold: Cy Lane is an unusual Private Investigator. He is from a
moderately well-to-do family. Married at a young age against his
parents’ wishes. Divorced while serving in Desert Storm. Graduated from
Law School on a GI stipend. Still practices law upon occasion, but has a
knack for investigative endeavors and takes only cases that interest
him.
PageOneLit.com: What is about the Historical fiction genre you enjoy and
how has your experience and background helped write your novels?
John Manhold:
I was raised on Historical Literature – James Fennimore Cooper, Bulwer
Lytton, Shakespeare, Dickens, Dumas, you name it. Additionally, I had a
grandfather who was a graduate of the Prussian War College and served
with distinction in the Franco-Prussian War. A couple of my uncles who
were gunfighters in the Nebraska Territory, also figure into my
background for historical interest. My first novel, EL
TIGRE, incorporates much of the material I heard from these men. THE
ELYMAIS COIN encompasses much of the material I garnered while spending
time in Morocco, Egypt, Israel and Saudi Arabia. With my interest in
history, I became interested in the religious beliefs of these countries
and the work I did, plus continued relationships with former
students, provided the opportunities.
PageOneLit.com: The Elymais Coin would a very good film. If Hollywood
called and you to cast The Elymais Coin , who would you cast and why?
John Manhold:
I probably would have to depend upon Hollywood to provide the casting
for THE COIN. World War II plus the Korean Action were quite hard on my
ears so that today, even with the most advanced equipment, I have
trouble hearing dialog in movies and am unfamiliar with the newer
actors. I’m afraid a mention of older actors would not ring a bell with
many people in the business today.
PageOneLit.com: What do you hope readers will say after reading The ElymaisCoin
?
John Manhold: For the most part, I should like my readers to enjoy
the story. There is so little written today for enjoyment. People
increasingly claim “they do not have the time to read novels” . Not too
long ago the syndicated columnist Andy Rooney was quoted in the Phoenix
paper “I feel guilty about
it, but I don’t read books. I haven’t read a novel in years and see no
prospect that I might anytime in the near future. Fiction is less
interesting to me than the truth. If I do read a book, it won’t be on
the best-seller list. It sounds like a joke, but it’s true when I say
that I’ve written more books than I’ve read.” This, to me is sad. The
old adage “Don’t hurry, don’t worry, and take time to smell the roses”
still sounds like good advice, but is so seldom even given voice today.
In the hope of appealing at least a little to the readers like Andy
Rooney, I attempt to make my novels enjoyable and still replete
with solid factual material.
In EL TIGRE, I
have provided much authentic material with respect to the political
situations in Europe and in America during the time, and at least one
reader to my knowledge, John Taffin, the well known Gun Columnist,
admitted to thoroughly enjoying the book , “although he seldom
reads fiction other than Louis L’Amour”.
In THE ELYMAIS
COIN, I have provided succinct presentations of numerous aspects of the
religious beliefs of the Middle East.
LOBO
has, woven into the story, an examination of the layers of old New
Orleans society and the hidden secrets of its fascinating historical and
political background.
PageOneLit.com: What do you hope to achieve with your books?
John Manhold: My desire is to leave readers with the thought that they
enjoyed the story and simultaneously learned some most interesting facts
that actually added to the enjoyment. This, also, is what I wish to
achieve with my books – to provide a story replete with interesting
historical and geographical facts that enhance, rather than deter
from, the flow of the book.
PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they
enhance your writing?
John Manhold: I am a voracious reader with eclectic tastes and review
books for a couple of marketing firms and occasionally for others, such
as a book publisher acquaintance of mine in England. I also just
finished judging books entered in a writing award contest for the
Arizona Authors Society and believe the last book I read was an entry to
this contest, by an Argentine physician. The book, UNA VIDA is an
interesting fable of music and the mind set in modern day New Orleans,
There is a review of the book on my web page, www.johnhmanhold.com/ under
the book reviews section. In this section I provide reviews of some of
the books I read for
these organizations. I do this because many books written by small
publishers or self published, rarely receive reviews, and I find many of
these deserve a read.
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