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Author Spotlight

August 2008 --- Michael Mehas

“I again face the very real threat of going to jail, for I have publicly claimed that I will never help the prosecutor in his efforts to bring death to Jesse James Hollywood, or anyone else.” – Michael Mehas

Based upon the events that made Jesse James Hollywood the youngest man to ever appear on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, Stolen Boy has become a platform for author and screenwriter Michael Mehas, as it has a success story.

“In 2003, I began researching the case against Jesse James Hollywood,” said Mehas. Hollywood's story is one interwoven with kidnapping plots, drugs, murder, and a flight from the law that eventually culminated with his capture in a Brazilian jungle in March 2005.

At the time Mehas was ready to publish his book, Hollywood was looking toward a battle for his life. This meant the former deputy public defender (whose third trial was a death penalty case that would become what was then the highest-profile case in the history of Riverside County, Calif.) couldn’t waste time getting his book out.

“iUniverse was the only big-name publisher who would agree to get my book out ASAP,” said Mehas, “For the most part, it has been a very good experience. iUniverse has wonderful professionals who have helped me put together a high-quality piece of work, and for that I am forever grateful.”

Earning the designation of an iUniverse Star Title, Stolen Boy served as the basis for the major motion picture Alpha Dog, starring Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis, and Sharon Stone. “At the time,” Mehas said, “I was considered the world’s foremost authority on the crime and its participants.”

Mehas’ role in the story, namely how he gained access to the Santa Barbara County confidential case file on Hollywood, has also led to Stolen Boy gaining even more prominence. This time it was in the judicial system.

“I’ve been subpoenaed three times in Jesse James Hollywood’s death penalty case,” said Mehas, “testified twice, been ordered by Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Brian Hill to turn over all notes and tapes of my interviews and faced the very real prospect of going to jail if I didn’t comply.”

A resident of Ventura, Calif., Mehas received his Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law in May of 1988, and passed the California Bar Exam on his first try in December of the same year. “In 1989, I graduated from the Academy of Justice School of Advocacy,” says Mehas. “I’ve practiced various aspects of criminal and family law since 1988.”

As the case against Hollywood continues to move forward in the California criminal court system, so too does Stolen Boy. Mehas is currently in the process of promoting the book.

When asked what we should expect next from the author, Mehas said, “I look forward to soon beginning a new book, but I am still unsure of which one it will be. It might include a sequel to Stolen Boy, and I might write a book about my incredible romantic experiences in China … a book that is sure to achieve global success.”