Jamey O’Donnell has lived several lifetimes and should have died many times over, but by the grace of God, he is still standing and able to tell his tale. Born in Chicago and raised in Southern California, he eventually made his way to Denver and has been there ever since.
In his younger years, he chased the brass ring by creating and singing in rock and roll bands Exit and Rembrandt in the 80s LA music scene, opening for bands such as Johnny Winter, and Black Oak Arkansas, with Poison opening for his band twice.
Because of their drug addictions, they could never get that brass ring but did manage to release an album that did fairly well in the LA area.
He shot methamphetamine from his early 20s until age 45 but stopped when he took sole custody of his 1-year-old son, putting meth in his rear-view mirror.
He finally loved someone more than he hated himself, and he needed and wanted to be the best father he could be for his son.
His life today is centered around his son, who is now entering his Senior year at Benedictine College in Kansas, studying for his degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
His education is made possible by athletic and academic scholarships, plus a grant he is receiving for being a finalist in a national essay contest.
He is also a Double Silver Palm Eagle Scout.
Jamey began writing during the Covid pandemic in the summer of 2021 and has written 5 novels since.
He usually wakes around 3 AM, and after having coffee and a cigarette, he sits down at his computer and begins writing.
He never writes an outline, instead writing from his hip, never knowing exactly where he’s going to go in the story.
Most times it’s a sentence, or maybe even a paragraph, then he gets up to walk and think, then repeats the process over and over again.
His goal is to write a chapter a day because it’s like a book in itself.
He believes that not finishing a chapter in one sitting leads to scattered thoughts and ideas.
At this pace, his start-to-finish time is usually around 3 weeks, not including editing.
Jamey’s dream is to one day buy a piece of property in the Rapid City, South Dakota area, settle there with his two cats, Goatis and Paulie, and write the Great American Novel.
His website is www.jameyodonnell.com