127 ratings | 14 reviews | avg rating:3.63

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John Halsted

Goodreads Author

Born

in Durban, South Africa

Website

http://www.vikinglegend.com

Genre

Literature & Fiction, History, Travel

Influences

Action, adventure, exploration and "wanting to know whats around the n ...more

Member Since

October 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/johndhalsted

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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 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. ...more

58 posts
John Halsted's Blog

WHY WOMEN HAVE LONG HAIR from “Yoruba Legends”

TWO women quarrelled, and one of them went out secretly at night and dug a deep pit in the middle of the path leading from her enemy’s house to the village well.

Early next morning, when all were going to the well for water with jars balanced on their heads, this woman fell into the pit and cried loudly for help.

Her friends ran to her and, seizing her by the hair, began to pull her out of the pit. Read more of this blog post »

1 like · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on May 08, 2012 22:43 • Tags: africa, fairy-tale, fairytale, folk-tale, folklore, hair, legend, long-hair, myth, pit, pull, westville, westville-boys-high, woman, women, yoruba

View all 58 posts »

Combine Editions
John Halsted’s books

Average rating: 3.77 · 174 ratings · 24 reviews · 45 distinct works • Similar authors

	LEGEND OF THE LAST VIKINGS - Free Alternate Ending 3.58 avg rating — 76 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The 2020 CHRISTMAS ANNUAL for Children and Young People - 15 FREE Christmas Stories: A Free EBook 3.87 avg rating — 30 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Legend of the Last Vikings - Taklamakan 4.17 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2006 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Classic Fairytales, Folklore, Myths and Legends liked it 3.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2010 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	LEGEND OF THE LAST VIKINGS - Action and Adventure along the Silk Route: An Epic of love, lust, friendship, dignity, honour, betrayal and greed 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dragon's Tales for Boys Only! really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Live to Skate, Skate to Live - The World Skateboard Challenge 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2012	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Legends and Stories from Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Block Island 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Book of Hairy Fairy Tales and Folklore 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Notes on Gardening and elementary Agriculture 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by John Halsted…

John is Currently Reading

John is currently reading

Oriental Tales, for the Entertainment of Youth: Selected From the Most Eminent English Writers (Classic Reprint)

by Unknown

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Aug 15, 2020 12:01AM

Topics Mentioning This Author

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Pick-a-Shelf: Sam's YOU CHOOSE Challenge	63	152	Dec 30, 2010 01:21AM
UK Book Club: Sam's Big 50 (x 2...better make that x3)	213	270	Dec 30, 2010 07:18AM

John’s Quotes

“Let men tremble to win the hand of woman, unless they win along with it the utmost passion of her heart! Else it may be their miserable fortune, as it was Roger Chillingworth's, when some mightier touch than their own may have awakened all her sensibilities, to be reproached even for the calm content, the marble image of happiness, which they will have imposed upon her as the warm reality. But Hester ought long ago to have done with this injustice. What did it betoken? Had seven long years, under the torture of the scarlet letter, inflicted so much of misery, and wrought out no repentance?”
― Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

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John’s Friend Comments

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message 2: by John (last edited Aug 25, 2016 01:24PM)

Oct 28, 2007 10:23AM

JO, Thanks for the compliment. They are always appreciated. If only more people would give them, I think the world would be a better place. Thanks again. John

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message 1: by Jo (last edited Aug 25, 2016 01:24PM)

Oct 28, 2007 09:41AM

Hi John,
What an intresting life you have had. I have marked your book as to read. Good luck! Jo

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