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John C.A. Manley

Goodreads Author

Born

in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada

Website

https://blazingpinecone.com/

Twitter

JohnMan54880915

Genre

Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Influences

Harper Lee
Charles Dickens
Mark Twain
Hugh Howey
Steven Pressfield

Member Since

August 2022

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I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1978 to Thomas and Barbara Manley. It wasn’t easy on my mother. It took three doctors, one C-section and lots of morphine. The doctors' names were John, Clark and Anthony. Soon after being born I peed in Dr. John’s face. To make it up to him, my parents decided to call me John. Clark and Anthony became my middle names. I’ve always felt relief I didn’t pee in Clark’s face (as I’m not fond of the name), and rather regretted I didn’t aim for Anthony.

My ancestry dates back to the first European settlers in sixteenth-century Canada, carrying a blend of Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and French genes (with a little First Nation from my great grandmother). I was raised Catholic, disliked school, and have been wri I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1978 to Thomas and Barbara Manley. It wasn’t easy on my mother. It took three doctors, one C-section and lots of morphine. The doctors' names were John, Clark and Anthony. Soon after being born I peed in Dr. John’s face. To make it up to him, my parents decided to call me John. Clark and Anthony became my middle names. I’ve always felt relief I didn’t pee in Clark’s face (as I’m not fond of the name), and rather regretted I didn’t aim for Anthony.

My ancestry dates back to the first European settlers in sixteenth-century Canada, carrying a blend of Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and French genes (with a little First Nation from my great grandmother). I was raised Catholic, disliked school, and have been writing speculative fiction since I was nine years old.

Graduating a year early from high school, I moved to a Hindu monastery in the mountains of Southern California, where I studied Eastern philosophy, practised yoga meditation and was almost eaten alive by a mountain lion.

Three years later, I moved to Italy, where I trained as a fine artist at an academy in Florence. Two years after that, I found myself back in Canada, where I struggled as a portrait artist in downtown Toronto.

In 2001, I married my first wife, Nicole, moved out of the big city and into a small town. I began work as a freelance ghostwriter and copywriter, while penning short stories, collecting rejection slips from publishers and raising our son Jonah.

In 2018, I began writing my first full-length novel, an urban fantasy set in Stratford, Ontario. But when the lockdowns began in 2020, I set that project aside to pen a short dystopian story about where I saw these so-called “public health” measures going. That short story grew into the full-length novel, Much Ado About Corona , which I self-published in 2023.

In 2024, I published my second novel, All the Humans Are Sleeping — another dystopian tale about a farmer, a robot and the end of the world.

I’m currently working on a prequel to Much Ado About Corona, while living in the Netherlands with my son Jonah, second wife Ina Backbier, and my two step-sons. My first wife, Nicole, passed away on September 20, 2022 (you can read more about her life and death on the Sunflower Page).

Get free samples of my philosophical fiction — which readers describe as "so completely engaging that you find yourself alternately laughing, gasping, hanging on for dear life" — at BlazingPineCone.com. ...more

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Combine Editions
John C.A. Manley’s books

Average rating: 4.45 · 20 ratings · 12 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	All the Humans are Sleeping 4.09 avg rating — 11 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Much Ado About Corona 4.89 avg rating — 9 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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186 posts
John C.A. Manley's Blog

The 2026 Prometheus Nominations: When reality went dystopian, fiction writers got busy

All of the nominations are in for the 2026 Prometheus Award for the best pro-freedom sci-fi and fantasy novel of 2025.

There are fourteen books in total — nine of which are written by authors nominated for the first time (including my story about a farmer, a robot and the end of the world, All the Humans Are Sleeping).

"With so many authors new to our awards," writes Michael Gloosberg, co-founder

John is Currently Reading

John C. A. Manley is currently reading

Powerless

by Harry Turtledove

bookshelves: currently-reading, dystopian-fiction, alternative-history

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Feb 26, 2026 12:37AM

John C. A. Manley is currently reading

Leaves of Grass

by Walt Whitman

bookshelves: currently-reading, poetry

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Oct 28, 2025 12:49AM

John C. A. Manley is currently reading

Dignity & Decency: Rhapsodic Musings of a Modern Anarchist

by Sterlin Lujan (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading, philosophy, politics, society

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Sep 22, 2025 02:20AM

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John’s Recent Updates

John C.A. Manley wrote a new blog post The 2026 Prometheus Nominations: When reality went dystopian, fiction writers got busy All of the nominations are in for the 2026 Prometheus Award for the best pro-freedom sci-fi and fantasy novel of 2025. There are fourteen books in tot Read more of this blog post »
5 hours, 44 min ago · like
John C. A. Manley made a comment on Ryan’s review of Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice " Sounds like a horror story. Does her memoir mention anything about cannibalism within the Epstein circle? "
Feb 26, 2026 01:28AM · see review
John C. A. Manley is now following Dave Freer Author of The Forlorn
Feb 26, 2026 12:58AM · like
John C. A. Manley liked Laura Montgomery's review of Storm-Dragon: "All the good things! This is a story for all ages--from 10 to 105. The displaced farm boy who finds a baby storm dragon and the equally displaced computer whiz kid form a strong bond that first allows them to confront the adversity they face at school" Read more of this review »
Feb 26, 2026 12:56AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Storm-Dragon by Dave Freer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Storm-Dragon by Dave Freer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John C. A. Manley made a comment on Laura Montgomery’s review of Storm-Dragon " You're right — farm boy teams up with computer whiz kid — was a good combination. It oddly blended so well that sometimes I felt they were the same pe ...more "
Feb 26, 2026 12:56AM · see review
John C. A. Manley is now following Harry Turtledove Author of The Guns of the South
Feb 26, 2026 12:53AM · like
John C. A. Manley made a comment on Allan Vega’s review of Reportage: Essays on the New World Order " I agree, I did find it an excellent entry point, and thought the Chessboard essay was one of the strongest pieces, along with the Up/Down Politics. A ...more "
Feb 26, 2026 12:45AM · see review
John C. A. Manley rated a book really liked it Reportage: Essays on the New World Order by James Corbett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 26, 2026 12:39AM · like
John C. A. Manley is currently reading Powerless by Harry Turtledove	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 26, 2026 12:37AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Powerless by Harry Turtledove. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Powerless by Harry Turtledove <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John C. A. Manley rated a book it was amazing V for Vendetta by Alan Moore (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The V for Vendetta graphic novel has been on my "why haven't I read this yet" reading list for many years. Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd in 1989, its fame doubled with James McTeigue's 2005 film adaptation, written and produced ...more
Feb 26, 2026 12:36AM · like · see review