After the death of his close friend, John Cosgrove sold his physical therapy company in New Zealand and embarked on a journey through the Americas, researching his debut manuscript The Black Space Behind Our Eyes: a coming-of-age tale about a young atheist attempting to understand death through an array of Latin culture, shamanistic practices, and like-minded seekers.

John put the finishing touches on his manuscript while working with charity organizations throughout Central and South America, including sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica, reforestation projects in the Amazon Rainforest, and schooling projects in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Due to travel restrictions, John’s 2020 adventure from South East Asia to Africa has been put on hold, but after purchasing 25-acres of native forest in New Zealand, he and his wife have now diverted their attention to the protection and development of this land into a retreat aimed at bringing guests back to nature and themselves.

John is currently working on his second manuscript, The Stars Over Hacienda Napoles, a YA novel following four Colombian youths living in the shadow of Pablo Escobar’s jungle estate during the aftermath of his assassination in 1993.

When John is not writing, traveling, or working, he spends his time surfing, meditating, and practicing yoga.