John Mahon grew up in the small-town world of Kansas, and his first newspaper story was printed when he was 14, and his editorials and commentaries won a stack of prizes from the Kansas Press Association and the Mid-America Newspaper Association. With his parents he published three small country newspapers for 23 years.
As with most of his generation, he entered the armed forces (Navy) in 1943, right out of high school, got his wings as a Naval aviator in 1946 and flew torpedo bombers from carriers. Switching to regular navy, he was radio and crypto officer for a heavy cruiser, communications officer and navigator for an attack transport and a destroyer, and in charge of the radioman school at the Fleet Training Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Leaving the navy in 1958, he worked for many years in the stock and bond business, and for a short while flew air freight to Central and South America in a C-46 transport airplane. At age 86 he still owns his own airplane and keeps it rust-free with regular use.
John says, "No one enjoyed C. S. Forester's tales of Horatio Hornblower more than I, and no one was more disappointed when he died with another tale unfinished. I feel highly honored to work with Mr. Forester's sons to complete the story he started."
John now lives with his wife, Colleen, in Albertville, Alabama.
AOS Naval Fiction |
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| Series: n/a | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| 1805 | The Jamaican Affair of 1805 | Continues the adventures of Horation Hornblower from Hornblower and the Crisis |