John Peter Hagen

Thirty-five years ago, John Hagen was desk-bound businessman in architecture and real estate - and bored stiff. When the opportunity arose to take his business international, he was on the first plane to London and never looked back. Alas, the nights away from family were lonely and took their toll. To keep his sanity he started keeping a daily journal. Then he xpanded it to writing stories about the people of various cultures and backgrounds he met along the way. As he looked back later, it was the creative trade-off of an architect's pencil for an author's pen ... with thinking in three dimensions remaining intact.

An unpublished novel, Pebble Beach resulted in 1983. Then a memoir took form. "Play Away Please", details one of his intriguing and controversial chance encounters.

John and his encounters have been chronicled in many newspapers, magazines,and radio and television interviews, including the New York Times, the London Telegraph and the BBC.