John Halsted was educated at Westville Boys High, just outside Durban, South Africa, where he spent more time on the sports field, gaining honours for athletics, and just managing to graduate. His lack of interest in academic school work led his teachers and parents to despair, while his coach rejoiced. In the two years following high school he commenced national service in the South African Air Force and spent more time on athletics tours and having a good time, never fully committed to the defence of apartheid, as his Sergeant Major will readily testify. After completing his national service he spent the better part of eighteen months cycling around Europe. On returning to South Africa in 1980 he found a job as a shipping clerk and when the opportunity presented itself he transferred to Johannesburg, only so he could continue his athletics career. In 1982 he found himself managing a container depot. It was here that he was run over by a seven-and-half-ton forklift truck and his athletics career brought to a screaming halt – both literally and figuratively. He spent three months in an orthopaedic hospital recuperating. It was also at this time that the Western nations applied strict sanctions against South Africa due the country’s apartheid policies and the shipping industry all but died. Not long after leaving hospital he found himself out of a job without any marketable skills. The easy times were over, he had to skill up. In 1983 he found employment as an internal auditor with a major motor manufacturer. Searching for the ideal career he later transferred to the Accounts and Finance department. In 1985 he went to night classes and trained as a computer programmer transferring (again) to the I.T. department. In 1986 he met his future wife Joy, a Kiwi Occupational Therapist, on assignment from the International Leprosy Mission, at Westfort Hospital, Pretoria. They married in 1987 and in 1988 moved to Auckland, New Zealand where they had two children. In 1991 the family were transferred from Auckland to Wellington. In 1994 he changed career stream (again) to project management, finally finding his ideal career which gives him the fun, the challenge and the variety he requires. Their third child was born in 1996 and their fourth and final (he hopes) in 1998. In 1999 the family moved to England, the birth place of his Grandmother. In 2001 he made a poignant journey to Poland where his father was a PoW. Always relishing a challenge he has cycled 300m/480km from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean through France and 500m/800km across northern Spain on the Way of St James. In 2000 he started a part-time MBA at Bath University, which he successfully completed in 2002. On completion of his MBA he realised just how much time he had on his hands and commenced an in-depth personal study of Viking history (from which his family are allegedly descended) and the history of the Silk Road. When the exercise was complete he tried compiling a text book but found the content too dry. Taking a lead from his favourite authors he placed a few characters into the period and had them travel a route he one day would like to take himself - and history was brought to life. The result was "Legend of the Last Vikings - Taklamakan". During the publication of the novel he brought his project management skills to bear and was so proactive in managing the publishing company that they asked him to join the organisation as the CEO/President. A role he accepted. In between running a small but growing publishing house, John is currently researching and writing the sequel to Legend of the Last Vikings - Taklamakan.