Musician guitarist John Stamp lives in Derbyshire and for the last few years - "until the world changed shape" - he spent lots of time in Islamorada in the Florida Keys. Married to Amanda for 36 years, with two children Abi and Josh and “blessed with the most joyful grandchildren, Aubin and Belle,” John promised himself that he'd write a book one day - now he has. ‘Snarky and Co’ by John Stamp was written for Aubin and is a remarkable achievement for one more used to song writing, appearing on stage and recording. The book is charmingly illustrated by John’s brother-in-law, Paul Taylor-Smith, an artist based in Houston, Texas. Says John: “After a phone call explaining what I was doing he was keen to start putting some faces to the characters.”
Sitting in her garden, letting the early spring sun of late March 2020 wash over her face, Alice was the picture of an elderly woman at peace with the world. Deep inside that brain, under the slightly battered baseball cap, lay a mind that plotted and schemed. Thoughts darted around like scampering monkeys chattering to each other. Alice was a master at herding them together and making them hatch a plan. A plan that would benefit Alice and maybe no one else. The tale of an unremarkable street in Derbyshire England.
It's March 2020, strange things are afoot, staying in is the new going out. Being aged ten is complicated enough for Alan and Jakub, but when you look out of the window and your elderly neighbour is, shall we say being dodgy, then someone’s gotta solve the puzzle!! The ghost of a war hero, the leader of the country, the hero who jumps through fire, all come together in this tale of small town crime and intrigue. Maybe you too will be pushed to shout: ”Oooooohsquiddlefips and flupper ships!"
About the author:
John Stamp is a musician, songwriter and performer. After a 25-year career as a children’s residential care social worker I he now spends his time song writing. Says John:
“Gospel and soul music sit as the bedrock of my influences. My first performance would have been for fifty of the finest English pence per week as a chorister in Saint Thomas's church Stockton Heath Warrington UK.
“I started my journey as a songwriter in the contemporary Christian music scene, mainly using music as a method of conveying a message. My writing has taken a broader road in the last 15 years. Sometimes it's wanting to say something that’s a warning or a message, mostly it’s a view through a camera lens. How I see the world.”
John feels Gospel music sits at the heart of most good pop, folk, funk, country, and the like. “It’s about reaching for something higher - could be a higher love or future. I connect with those songs that nod to gospel music and take you out of the here and now. Could be BB King letting loose with U2 or Marc Cohn getting down with the Blind Boys of Alabama. Music where there isn't an agenda to be peddled but a pouring out of love for music and each other. That's the good news, that music and communion with each other through music is freely available.”
John lives in Derbyshire with his wife Amanda and their newly born twin boys Artie and Rex . His website is at: www.johnstampmusic.com
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