The author of the contemporary book The Great Outdoors, John Carstensen held his book launch successfully on 2^nd November 2019 at Poppies Bookshop in Hamilton, New Zealand. The event saw its fair share of attendees and many were quite keen to meet the author. As the author is a native kiwi so he decided to host the launch at his hometown in Hamilton. John also read some of his favourite passages from his book and it was a spellbinding event for many people in the audience.

The book is a highly original collection of short stories revolving around an eclectic mix of genres and characters. The stories are engaging and deftly filled with symbolism, irony, humour and pathos. The stories are carefully focused onto the cultural insights of New Zealand including both Māori and Pākehā language. Carstensen is a well-travelled individual and some of his stories were inspired by his experiences in Asian countries where he has lived and worked for some time.

John Carstensen is a Danish-born Kiwi and has also lived in Canada in his childhood. He is an English teacher by profession and has mainly worked in New Zealand for many years. He also lived in China and did brief work trips in Scotland and the Indonesian island of Borneo. He now writes mostly fictional stories, many of which have been published in various literary journals and competitions.