John Steinbeck and Carol moved back to Pacific Grove, California, to a cottage owned by his father, on the Monterey Peninsula a few blocks outside the Monterey city limits. The elder Steinbecks gave John free housing, paper for his manuscripts, and from 1928, loans that allowed him to write without looking for work. During the Great Depression, Steinbeck bought a small boat, and later claimed that he was able to live on the fish and crab that he gathered from the sea, and fresh vegetables from his garden and local farms. When those sources failed, Steinbeck and his wife accepted welfare, and
John Peterson (author) Episcopal church. John Peterson (author) John Lawrence Peterson (February 10, 1924 – November 2002) was an American author of children's books. He is best known as the creator of "The Littles", which began as a series of books in 1967, later adapted into an animated cartoon series by DiC Entertainment. Peterson was also the author of "The Secret Hide-Out", a popular Scholastic Books title in the 1960s and 1970s. Peterson was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania on February 10, 1924, and attended Pratt Institute before volunteering and serving as a paratrooper of the 11th Airborne Division in World War II. After