Ant Inspired

Pacific Palisades Author John Sharer Publishes First Children’s Book

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Even for someone with his vivid imagination, John Sharer admitted that the inspiration behind his latest book came from an unusual source: The trial lawyer and part-time author was at home working on his computer only to be distracted by, of all things, a tiny but brave insect.

“I was writing a legal brief on my laptop when an ant crawled across my screen, stopped right in the middle and stayed there for several minutes,” Sharer said, describing the ant’s brazen behavior. “The exact same thing happened for the next three or four days. After that, I never saw it again. However, it gave me the idea for the story and it evolved from there. This book only took me one month to write.”

Titled “Ants Don’t Talk, Do They?” and published in August, the book is Sharer’s third overall and his first written for children.

The story is about a lonely boy quarantined in his bedroom because of his infectious disease who is befriended by an ant belonging to an organization called ASK (Ants for Sick Kids). Although it looks like an ordinary ant, the boy discovers that it does wondrous and seemingly magical things, yet is always kind and gentle, and gradually, it helps the boy get well.

“I drafted the story a few years ago, before the coronavirus pandemic began, but its progression through to publication was delayed because, at that time, I was involved in a lengthy and complex trial and some other legal matters,” he explained.

Considerably shorter than his previous two books, which were both about 400 pages, “Ants Don’t Talk, Do They?” is 70 pages, including the colorful, comic book-style images of illustrator Jay Mazhar, whose name also appears on the cover.

“Most authors write books based on their own experiences, and that is certainly the case with me,” Sharer shared. “The book sort of writes itself—you’re just the vehicle for the thoughts that pour out onto the page. Many times, I don’t even know what’s going to happen next until I sit down and start writing.”

Sharer’s first novel, a historical fiction called “Honors Know No Borders,” was published 10 years ago and took him 10 years to write as he juggled that project around trying court cases. It is loosely based on his childhood in London during World War II, when boys entered buildings to collect pieces of shrapnel from German bombs.

Five years later came his second novel, “The Cockney Lad and Jim Crow,” a fictionalized story of Sharer’s own life as a young man when he first arrived in America from England in the 1950s. Set in Jackson, Mississippi, the book examines many of the harsh realities in the segregated South before the civil rights era.

The son of a British officer who commanded a POW camp in North Africa, Sharer was 18 when he came to the United States, and initially, he wasn’t planning on staying.

“I was here on a permanent visa and was eligible to be drafted in the American army,” he recalled. “I thought the American uniforms were sharper, so I did. When I got out of the service, I had the GI Bill. I went to Santa Monica College and that’s where I met my wife. We were in the same class.”

Sharer is still active in the law. He is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine Law School, where he teaches trial advocacy (how to cross-examine a witness, how to pick a jury, etc.).

After becoming a U.S. citizen, Sharer graduated from UCLA as an undergraduate and continued there for law school, graduating in 1961. He played on the Bruins’ soccer team under coach Jock Stewart and also played cricket on campus.

“I even played a little rugby there, though I didn’t like it much,” Sharer recalled. “I’m a skinny little guy.”

Growing up, Sharer was a goalkeeper on his club soccer team in London, Hackney East. He is a lifelong supporter of Chelsea F.C. of the Premier League, England’s top division.

He started his law career at Gibson Dunn in Los Angeles, which has since grown into one of the largest firms in the world with more than 1,400 attorneys in 20 offices worldwide.

“When I started our office was in downtown LA and there were only 60 lawyers, which was a lot for those days,” Sharer said. “Now we have offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, South America … all over.”

Sharer married his wife Margie in 1960. She grew up off El Medio Avenue and was bused to University High, where most local students went before Palisades High opened in 1961. The Sharers have lived in the Huntington neighborhood since 1967. Both of their two daughters used to live in Europe but are now married and residing in the Palisades.

Older daughter Jane and her husband Alexander, whom she met in Bulgaria, have lived for over five years in the house Margie grew up in. Younger daughter Katie and her husband Mark live in the Via Bluffs and have two teenage children—Amelia, an avid surfer, and Chet, a Junior Lifeguard at Will Rogers State Beach.

Sharer named the main character in his new book Chet and the boy’s sister Amelia, after his grandchildren.

“People will really relate to this story given what’s going on right now,” Sharer predicted. “Parents and doctors who come into the little boy’s room have to wear masks and surgical gloves in order to keep from getting infected. I hope readers enjoy the story I’ve created and that it might bring a smile to children during this trying time.”

For more information or to purchase the book, visit johnhsharer.com.