John Shekleton is a writer living in Minneapolis. He is a former member of the Jesuits, a Catholic religious order. This committed society of men introduced him to the wonders of philosophy and allowed him to engage deeply with the world.
Shekleton has four published novels
- A Jesuit Tale (2000) See on Facebook
- Father Tierney Stumbles (2011) See on Facebook
- He Lands In Palm Springs (2014) See on Facebook
- Bellosio (2024) Now available as of October 14, 2024. Facebook/Bellosio
- Bellosio is a product of the Covid pandemic when I watched multiple Chinese epics about the birth and death of early dynasties. These TV shows influenced my view of court life in Bellosio. At the same time I wandered back to images from A Canticle for Liebowitz, in particular the opening scenes of the pilgrim bringing relics of the saint through a desert landscape. I also revisited the question of the existence of the soul, a discussion topic throughout the ages. I took a tiny kernel of that lengthy discussion from the thoughts of Rene Descartes who believed the soul lived in the pineal gland. And finally, during the pandemic I read what I would call historical fiction fantasies by Guy Gavriel Kay, an author I grew to admire from the first pages of Under Heaven.
In “Bellosio: An Age of Miracles,” destiny and divinity intertwine on a planet where life was seeded by the ethereal Cog. This ancient being nurtures three primate species, but skepticism among the human-like beings threatens their shared existence. Amid political intrigue and ancient prophecies, an inept emperor’s reign faces external threats and internal turmoil. His daughter, the unexpected heir, grapples with her destiny and an assassination plot. The abbot of the primary Cog abbey, bound by childhood ties to the emperor, finds himself at the heart of a power struggle that could ignite a civil war.
Bellosio is a finalist in the Foreword INDIES 2024 Book of the Year Awards in the fantasy category! (3/6/2025)
John F. Shekleton’s BELLOSIO: An Age of Miracles is a deeply imagined work of sci-fantasy that boasts effortless pacing, lush details, and very little hand-holding. -Jeff Somers for IndieReader (5/19/2025)
Link to IndieReader interview (7/8/2025)
Bellosio is now an Audible book!!
Bellosio won a New York City Big Book Distinguished Favorite Award for Epic Fantasy for 2025.
Bellosio was at the Bologna Book Fair (2025) at the Foreword Reviews Booth on the bottom shelf.
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Read the review at The Prairies Book Review.
When a Jesuit priest is taken captive by a Guatemalan death squad, two friends from the past rush to his aid.
A Jesuit Tale begins in 1968 when three young men, two straight and one gay, from different walks of life, meet in the Jesuit novitiate in St. Paul, Minnesota. Mark is seeking a worthy alternative to his professional ambitions. Tom is a fiery idealist, and David is an intelligent young man unsure of his sexuality and place in the world.
In the blink of an eye, everything has changed for Father Joe Tierney. He feels trapped. He needs to get awayfar away. Dressed in disguise, he opens the door of the STD clinic and runs until his sides hurt and he is gasping for air. Father Tierney, activist pastor of a large Catholic parish and closeted gay man, has just learned he is HIV positive.
A Catholic priest in free fall, newly out of the closet and HIV+
From impulse-or inspiration–Joe Tierney picks up and leaves his shattered life in the Midwest. He heads for what he hopes is a warm and welcoming gay society in Palm Springs
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John F Shekleton 