John I.John I.

John Isaac Jones is a retired journalist and novelist currently living at Merritt Island, Florida. For more than thirty years, "John I.," as he prefers to be called, was a reporter for media outlets throughout the world. He is the author of eight novels, two short story collections and five novellas. His most recent work is The Bird of Time, the story of life-long friends Johnny and Jesse.

Origins of the Poe Book

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I have been a writer, a scribe, a man of letters, a guy who puts words on paper for as long as I can remember. I have been a reporter (for about a million years) and a fiction writer since around 2012. I denote that special year because that was when I completed Alabama Stories, a collection of short stories about my years in my native Cotton state. It got some good reviews and won a couple awards. That was encouraging. Then I floundered through the next eight years writing all manner of different fictional genres. There was romance, a book about tabloid reporting, a murder mystery, a romantic comedy, several horror stories and ghosts and the supernatural, two novellas of family fiction and a couple of romantic sci-fi yarns. The sales were okay, but not as good as I would have liked. Finally, in the fall of 2018, I undertook to write a biographical novel about the life of Edgar Allan Poe. I had been a big fan of Poe since the eighth-grade when I first read the words: “For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams of the beautiful Annabel lee; and the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes…” At the time, I thought those were the most beautiful words of poetry I had ever read.” Further, I felt he would be a good subject I could relate to since we were both Southerners, he a Virginian and I an Alabamian. In late June of 2020, two months shy of two years, the novel about Poe’s life, A Quiet Madness, was completed. After my editor read the manuscript, she said: “You have found your niche! The only thing you should ever write is biographical novels.” And she was right. I had a wonderful time writing the book and it has sold well. Now, I’m in the middle of my second biographical novel which has a working title of A Sagebrush Soul: a biographical novel of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, also known as Mark twain. That book is about 55 per cent written. I’m not sure how long it will take me but I’m shooting for this fall. The Poe book took me almost two years to research and write it. On the other hand, Mark Twain’s life experiences were much more varied and expansive than Poe’s, so I think it will probably take me a little longer. Like I said I’m shooting for this fall to complete it. Will keep you posted!

 

Tembo Makaburi now available on audio!!

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For all of my fans who like narrators with British accents, this one’s for you. My British narrator and friend JD Kelly did a killer job of bringing this story alive in all of its grisly, horrific details.

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Tembo Makaburi, the Swahili term for “elephant cemetery,” is the stuff of which dreams are made for ivory hunters. This is the story of a greedy man’s quest for riches and glory as he relentlessly pursues a dying, bull elephant, and his valuable ivory tusks, across the arid, heat of the Serengeti plains. A chilling tale of greed and revenge!

Lonely Magnolia now on audio!!

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A shy, lonely computer genius tries to find love in the digital age. He would never be the same! The story of Pygmalion for the 21st century!

Computer genius Dr. Carl Wingate has spent his life programming software and shaping the digital world. A widower in his 50s, Carl tries to find love again but no one sparks his interest. When his daughter suggests online dating, Carl decides to join Southern Singles and meets a special woman with the handle Lonely Magnolia.

“This is a clever short story about technology and love. You could take this as a commentary on the detached way we as a modern society make friends and start relationships online. Or you can just enjoy it for the interesting listen that it is. I expected it to end differently, but John Isaac Jones is always unexpected. The narration was immersive and fit the story well. It’s a good way to spend an hour, and worth the listen.” Audible reviewer

Latest Review of For Love of Daniel

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For Love of Daniel

For Love of DanielLatest review of For Love of Daniel

For Love of Daniel
by John Isaac Jones (Goodreads Author)
5 Stars *****
Tam’s review Sep 24, 2018
An amazing story…

This poignant, charming novella warmed my heart more than anything has in a LONG time. It had a distinctly fairytale-ish feeling to it and made me smile all the way through. I loved the underlying theme that families are not only something that you are born into but something you can build and create with unrelated people that you choose. And, the obvious message that something as simple as unconditional love can change and transform seemingly-unremarkable lives into special ones overflowing with fulfillment, a sense of completeness and beauty really resonated with me.

This had everything I have come to expect from a John Isaac Jones story. He always draws me in and makes me feel REAL emotions for his imagined characters. ALWAYS.

 

R.I.P Burt Reynolds

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I see Burt Reynolds has passed on over to the other side. Right now, somewhere up there in heaven, just east of Eden, ole Burt is doing 130 mph in that Camaro and running from Jackie Gleason. He was one of many celebs I chased back in the day.

In the late seventies, Burt had a beautiful ranch near the coast up at Jupiter, which is in Martin County, the next coast county north of Palm Beach. The ranch was little more than a staging area for his sexual conquests. He had all the toys that bachelors of the day needed. These included a beautiful home with a full bar, a swimming pool, a pool table, horses and a king-sized bed with a mirror.

Near Burt’s Ranch, less than five miles away, was a state park, Johnathan Dickinson State Park, where you could rent and stable horses. During those days, I usually stabled a horse there and became friends with the employees at the stables. One of the employees was a young blonde kid who said he worked at Burt’s Ranch during the week selling hay. He knew I worked for the NE and I told him, if would call me when Burt and sally were at the ranch, I would make it worth his while. He agreed.

Two weeks later, he called and announced that Burt and Sally were at the Jupiter ranch.

So, the following day, Ron Caylor, the editor on the story, told writer Bob Smith (an always smiling, fast-moving guy with a salt-and-pepper beard), to let me use his old pickup and go up to Jupiter to Burt’s ranch and buy some hay. While I was there, I should nose around and see if the famous couple were about.

So I drove up to Jupiter and, when I pulled into the ranch driveway in Bob’s old pickup, the ranch manager came out. I told him was there to buy three bales of hay.
“I’ll open the gate and you drive back to the barn,” he said.

So I drove back to the barn and waited for the guy to come load the hay. From that vantage point, I see the entire rear of the ranch house, The curtains were pulled and I could see no motion through the sliding glass door from the pool deck. As he was loading the hay, my eyes were scanning all directions, but no sign of Burt and Sally.

Just seconds after he had loaded the hay and was about to slam the tailgate, Sally, in a bathing suit, came out with a drink in her hand and took a seat in a poolside chair.
“That will be $6,” the man said.
I handed him six dollars.
“You can move on now,” he said. ‘I’ve got another truck waiting.”
I looked. Another truck was waiting to be loaded, but I had only done half of my job. I had seen Sally, but I hadn’t seen Burt.I started to get back into the truck then I knew I had to do something to stall for some more time.
”I think my tire is low.”
I stopped and knelt on the ground and pretended to check the air in the left front tire. Then….. suddenly hallelujah!! Under the bottom of the truck, I could Burt coming out of the sliding glass door to join Sally at the pool. Quickly I got back into the truck and started the engine. Now, through the windshield, I could see Burt and Sally sitting by the pool, drinks in hands, soaking up the rays.
I turned back to the ranch manager.
“Thanks!” I said. “Have a good day!”
Ron Caylor was smiling from ear to ear when I got back to the office.
I miss those days!!!

Latest review of Tembo Makaburi…

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By Tammy Windsor

5 Golden Stars!!!!

Format: Kindle Edition

Grandfathers now available on audio!

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Grandfathers

Grandfathers

“I like talking to you, Granddaddy,” the child said.

“I like talking to you, too, little boy,” the grandfather said.

Suddenly, the child burst into tears and ran to his grandparent.

“Oh, Granddaddy,” the child sobbed, leaping into his grandfather’s arms. “I love you! I love you! I love you!”

For a full ten seconds, the child clung to the grandfather’s neck with all his might, shedding huge tears.

As the grandfather and grandson held one another in a tight embrace, it was if the future was trying to hold on to the past. In his heart, the child knew that someday the big wheel would stop turning in his grandfather’s life. The grandfather also knew that. He knew this child would someday stand over his grave and weep for him even as he had for his own grandfather. That was what made it so terribly sad. Both knew instinctively that nothing could stop the eternal transition from the old to the new. The forward movement of the big wheel was an undeniable certainty. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could stop its forward progress.”

 

 

 

 

An Old Cowboy remembers how he fell in love….

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The Last Cowboy

The Last CowboyThe Last Cowboy now available on audio!!

When the Lazy B Ranch is sold as a victim of the computer age, it seems that J.L. Crockett’s way of life as a cowboy in the United States is finished. So he decides to pack up and move to Argentina, where ranches are still run by human beings.

As J.L. begins a cross-country journey to Miami so he can board the ship to South America, he meets Karina, another soul chasing after an elusive dream. The two join together in a wild and crazy trip where they encounter evangelists, con artists, thieves, ghosts, and drug lords as they bond together over hardship along the way.

Will J.L., with Karina, make it to his next destination or will he really be The Last Cowboy?

Tembo Makaburi now available as Audiobook

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Tembo Makaburi Now Available on Audio

Tembo Makaburi, the Swahili term for “elephant cemetery”, is the stuff of which dreams were made for ivory hunters.

Come along on the story of a greedy man’s quest for riches and glory as he relentlessly pursues an aging bull elephant and his valuable ivory tusks across the arid heat of the Serengeti plains.

A chilling tale of greed and revenge!

 

 

The Writing Life: Part I

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The Hand of God

The Writing Life: Part I

The Hand of GodWhere do you get ideas?

Funny how people always seem to ask me that. And it’s a fair question. I can remember, as a young writer, asking that question myself. First, ideas are everywhere, but you must exercise caution in choosing them. You might get an idea from some an experience, an observation, some artistic influence, some snippet of conversation, just a few words from a TV program or even a passing photo you saw on the internet. The main thing is to always be on the lookout for a good story idea. If you’re watching, you’ll find them. Once you find one, jot it down so you won’t forget it!!

And you never know when one will pop up. They come out of nowhere. I got the idea for my short story The Old Indian during a conversation with a distant relative at my aunt’s funeral in Alabama. Many years ago, while I was in high school, I watched a construction worker have an affair with a woman who lived near the construction project he was working on. Many years later, I wondered what happened to the man and woman after the project was finished. In 2015, I wrote my novel The Duck Springs Affair.

In 1975, when I was a try-out reporter with The National Enquirer I heard the story of the famous Chillingworth murders in Palm Beach County, Florida. At the time I was fascinated with the story.  One summer night in 1955, Palm Beach Judge Curtis Chillingworth and his wife Marjorie disappeared from their beach home at Manalapan, Florida and were never seen again. Preliminary evidence indicated they had been kidnapped, taken out to sea and murdered. It was a tale which, at the time I read it, I knew I would never forget it.

Over the next 42 years, from 1975-2017, that story marinated deep within my subconscious mind, shaping and reshaping itself until I had the plot for a novel. In 2017, I wrote The Hand of God, a historical novel based on the Chillingworth murders.

So, from the initial germ of the idea until the actual work was written was 42 years. That’s a long time for an idea to grow in your mind before it becomes a published work, but that’s how it happened.

Many times, stories have grown out of incidents which occurred in my life. My short story The Old Men grew out of an incident which occurred when I was a teenager at my father’s grocery store. My novella Boone was based on an incident which happened to me as a young child.

The important thing to remember about ideas is they are everywhere, but you must be very selective about which ones you choose to write about. That’s why, if you’re a serious writer, you should have a notebook with you at all times and, when you see a promising idea, you jot it down. Many times, these ideas will produce nothing at first but, after your imagination works on them for a while, a full-blown plot will suddenly pop up out of nowhere. You don’t know how it happened or why your imagination put that particular cast on the idea, but it happened.

Remember that story ideas are everywhere. The main thing is to always be on the lookout for them. And once you find one, make a note then let your subconscious mind work on it. Before you know it, you’ll have the making of a solid literary work. That’s the creative process!!