John Messing

John Messing, also known as Grandpa John, lives in a house in the southwestern desert that is the beginning scene for his first in a series of illustrated children's books, "Jackie Rabbit Lives in the Desert."

A Tucson, Arizona resident, he studied in Paris after graduation from Stanford law school, which is the setting of an authentic first-hand memoir about the Paris May 1968 revolution called "Bitch Goddess Revolution: Paris, May 1968."

He also taught law in Africa in the early 1970's, followed by a stint as an explorer, which is the subject of a second memoir, called "A Walk Through Vanishing Africa: Without Guns."

He enjoyed a long career as a lawyer, and is a gold medalist of the Senior Olympics in tai chi, both of which are the subjects of forthcoming projects.