John Jamison

John Jamison

Author/Storyteller at JamisonBooks/ImagiLearning, Inc.
Author, Content Creator, Screenwriter, Voice Actor, Narrator, Illustrator and Marketing/pr

Springfield, Illinois

Member Since:
February 2016
Last online:
> 2 weeks ago
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About John

How can I explain what it means to have grown up in a small town on the Illinois River back in the day that I could walk down Jackson Street on a summer morning with my rifle over my shoulder, heading to the river to shoot tin-cans, without being stopped by a SWAT team, tased a few times and ending up on some 'watch' list? And how in the world can I explain what it meant to have a father who was a riverboat captain who was home for a month and then on the river for a month, and a mother who was home, but was also a fairly crazy artist, photographer, writer, floral arranger...(list edited for brevity)? It was like living in a world that rebooted itself every 30 days...so the idea of thinking long-term was just not part of my reality. And while dad was captain of his boat, mom was captain of her home, when he came home and the house had an overabundance of captains...well, let's just say you kind of had to be there to understand it.

I grew up in a family of storytellers and liars, and now spend my time doing my best to keep the family tradition alive! It's all about stories, and how we have control of the final edit of our own story.

In short...I've published a half-dozen books with collections of stories, just published my third suspense/thriller novel "Disbelief!", my fourth children's book "Never Take the Skwerdlock to the Doctor!". Novel #4 and a list of children's books are in-the-works, along with a series of short mystery stories I haven't decided what to do with yet.

Just gotta keep telling those stories!

Unique traits: Breathes in oxygen, converts it to carbon dioxide and then releases it. Oh, wait...that's not all that unique. How about...stands erect balancing upon bipedal appendages. No, that doesn't quite do it either. Maybe...has a neural cavity overflowing with ideas and craziness and is always dreaming-up some new creation. Rats, everyone in here is like that. Hmmm, let's try...wakes up each morning determined to change the world, listens to old time radio, watches old movies, plays games, tends beehives, spoils grandkids, designs game-centric eLearning activities, plays guitar, paints, constantly reminds himself that the first draft of chapters of his novel don't have to be good...they just have to be written, and when he is not writing he is trying to dream up something really awesomely cool to do with his wife for their 50th anniversary next year. Yeah, I'll go with that one.

Badges

Credits

  • Disbelief!

    Disbelief! (2019)
    Print by ImagiLearning, Inc. Author Agent Emily Graham is who she is today because of her family, her friends, and colleagues, and because of her absolute belief that everyone should be treated fairly. She sees it as her role to make sure those who do unfair things pay a price. She is a woman being true to her beliefs. But, what happens when someone decides that their beliefs are the only acceptable ones, and everyone else, including Emily Graham, must bow their heads and surrender to them? What happens when, one by one, those things Emily believes in are shaken: her belief in family, her belief in friends and colleagues, and even her belief in her role as protector of fairness? Emily Graham has faced difficult times before, but in this third book of the series, the greatest battle is a personal one. Will she bow? Will she survive? If she survives, who will she become? In this third battle with a powerful enemy, Emily Graham is faced with completely redefining her life, as she finds herself living in a world of…Disbelief!

  • Never Take the Skwerdlock To the Doctor!

    Never Take the Skwerdlock To the Doctor! (2019)
    Print by ImagiLearning, Inc. Author/Illustrator The Skwerdlock would never do anything to hurt anyone or to cause any problems. But sometimes, just having a Skwerdlock means that strange things can happen. This little story is a friendly reminder of what can happen when a Skwerdlock is around. It’s not that the Skwerdlock is bad. It’s just that the Skwerdlock is curious. Like we are. And all those times when we say, “I wonder what would happen if…”, the Skwerdlock just does it. A little picture-book story for early readers and listeners, meant to cause a smile and maybe a laugh. Suitable for couches and recliners wherever they may be found. Pops says, the Skwerdlock has been very special in our family for a long time, and I hope others will have the same kind of fun. This is a fun story to read together, and especially fun when your young readers can read it to you! There is no moral, no lesson, just a fun story to relax and enjoy!

  • I Saw the Skwerdlock!

    I Saw the Skwerdlock! (2018)
    Print by ImagiLearning, Inc. Author/Illustrator As "Pops", John shares the stories he told his daughter years ago, and now tells his grandchildren today. Stories of fun and wonder, sometimes crazy, but always with a smile. "I Saw the Skwerdlock" is the second Skwerdlock story created to help spark a love of books, help learn a few words, and just have an excuse to sit in the recliner and enjoy time together. Pops says: The Skwerdlock has been very special in our family for a long time, and I hope others will have the same kind of fun. This is a fun story to read together, and especially fun when your young readers can read it to you! There is no moral, no lesson, just a fun story to relax and enjoy! Children are filled with great stories, and I want to encourage them to write those stories down, and bring them to life with their own pictures. If they end up looking really, really great, that’s just fine. But if they end up looking like mine do, that’s perfectly OK too!

  • Distraction

    Distraction (2018)
    Print by ImagiLearning Author There have always been people warning us that technology could not be trusted. “Someone might use it against us!” they said. “Someone might find a way to take the things we have created to serve us, and use them as a way to destroy us!” they said. Today, it looks like those people may have been right. A small group of men with the power to do anything they desire, has chosen to use that power to make their empires even larger. After ten years of preparation, the attacks begin. But, something goes wrong. Once again, Agent Emily Graham finds herself in the role of having to uncover the truth of what is happening, who is behind it, and how to stop it. And once again, she discovers that, sometimes, what you see and hear is not reality. It is just…Distraction!

  • Meet the Skwerdlock!

    Meet the Skwerdlock! (2018)
    Print by ImagiLearning Author/Illustrator It began with a song at 2:00am some 38 years ago, and it's not over yet.

  • I Can't Paint My Dog!

    I Can't Paint My Dog! (2017)
    Print (Family) Author/Illustrator What can you do when you love to paint everything, but your dog just loves to run? A fun little story for early listeners and readers. My first children's book.

  • Disruption

    Disruption (2017)
    Print by ImagiLearning, Inc. Author In the midnight darkness north of New Orleans, the towboat’s routine trip up the Mississippi River becomes something far more deadly. Captain Charlie Graff is suddenly thrust into the middle of one of the most twisted domestic terrorist plots ever conceived. He has to use his skill as Captain to protect his crew, his boat, his river, and his country. On land, already overwhelmed FBI agent Emily Graham finds her-self thrust into the role of leading the pursuit of the terrorists. Her journey leads to dead ends and dead witnesses. She discovers her trust in her team-members is wrong, the terrorist are not who they say they are, and that the people who actually initiated the attack don’t even exist. This tense, fast-paced thriller is a thousand mile journey with more twists and turns than the river that carries it. A story that begins and ends with betrayal. Betrayal that has but one goal: Disruption.

  • Simple Stories

    Simple Stories (2016)
    Print Author eBook collection of original, faith-based old time radio scripts.

Awards

  • 2019 Purple Dragonfly Book Award for Children's Books
    (2019)

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