BY CHRISTINA TASCON

The residents who make Vero Beach their home are as diverse as the vegetation and wildlife which fill our beautiful Florida landscape.

John B. Meikle personifies this population’s rich demographic.  Born in Christ Church New Zealand 69 years ago; became a U.S. citizen at 42 year old; traveled the world from Hong Kong to New York, Meikle now calls Vero Beach his home.

Currently a property manager with his own brokerage, Meikle Realty in Indian River, Meikle took a roundabout route to becoming an author late in life.  His newest book called Saving Elvis is his third adventure novel.

His books Daughters of the Outback, Oxford to Woga Woga and Saving Elvis all have one thing in common–his love of the wilds of Australia and the New Zealand islands.

When Miekle decided to begin writing eight years ago he knew he had to bring the wild frontier of  the outback into his character’s adventurous exploits.

Although New Zealand serves as only the backdrop to the main story line in Saving Elvis, his descriptiveness of its beauty and plentiful nature makes the reader immediately want to book a passage there.

Meikle worked  in Australia as a young man in the copper mines and fell in love with its lush beauty and interesting history.  Daughters of the Outback and Oxford to Woga Woga both take place there and tell informative tales about its past and culture as it brings you along with the story.

One interesting note is that the author and successful businessman has dyslexia.  He stresses that he does not reveal that circumstance to brag about how much he has overcome to be a success.  He instead wishes it to serve as an optimistic note for parents and grandparents to inspire them to share with their children diagnosed with the learning disorder.

He says that he does not mind talking about his dyslexia now but it was a “winding road which severely hampered him” as a youth.  He relates his experiences now only to show proof that it does not have to limit anyone’s potential.

“I could not even read a full book until I was 30,” said Meikle.  “It was like hiding behind a wall.  I left school at 15 because it was the youngest you could leave.  Back then, people did not recognize dyslexia for what it was.  My teacher viewed my not learning to read as stubbornness.”

Now not only is he a successful businessman but also a self-published author and a favorite at local independent book stores.

Although he struggled with words, he had a keen sense for numbers which helped him in his other endeavors.  He also said that it was his “mates” who gave him the confidence and support to keep him positive.

As a result, many of the characters in his book are a tribute to the friends he grew up with and surrounded him.

“John is a great story teller,” said Cynthia Callander, the Book Center’s Marketing Director.  “He did a very successful book signing with us about six months ago and his books take you to a different place.  He writes a great armchair traveler book.”

“I hand sell his books to readers who ask me for something to read that takes you away on an adventure,” said Sentence.  “Saving Elvis is a simple story but it makes you want to turn the page.  That is what makes a good book.”

“I think this book is the most near and dear to his heart because it contains the characters he loves and is more him than any of the others,” said Debbie Sentence, a floor manager who has been with the Vero Beach Book Center for 21 years.

“He is John and Ann (the beautiful love interest) is his wife Melinda,” said Sentence. “Of the three, I think this one is my favorite.”

“I am always in my story somewhere,” said Meikle.

The editor of Conde Nast said that it was wonderful that a first time writer could write from a woman’s view in her review of Daughters of the Outback.

“That was me from my feminine side,” he says.  “And Oxford at Woga Woga was me as Crocodile Dundee in reverse.”

If you are looking for an enjoyable summer time read, any of his books are worth the time but Saving Elvis is a fun adventure story which takes the time to explain some history that many readers may not know about China, Japan and New Zealand.

Meikle said that writing is what he does for fun and his books illustrate his love and joy for everything “Outback” but he also has taken on the task of giving back in gratitude for his life as well.

Because of his history, Meikle chooses to give back to those in need.  He has chosen the Learning Alliance to be his focus cause when he takes on his term as the next President of the Vero Beach Rotary Club.  Meikle is also the overseer of operations at the Daisie Hope Center which was started by a co-worker.

“It makes me feel good when people recognize me as a character in my books,” said Meikle.  “I am always the good guy,” he says with a laugh.

On paper as in real life.