James E. Hamelton Jr writes immersive fantasy, unsettling horror, and grounded Midwestern stories that bend reality without losing sight of the people at the center of the storm.
James E. Hamelton Jr is a storyteller with a foot in the real Midwest and a mind that rarely stays there. His work blends small town reality, folklore, and quiet psychological dread into stories that feel both familiar and slightly tilted, as if the world you know has shifted a few inches to the left.
When he is not writing, he builds websites and projects that expand those story worlds online, from interactive fiction to dedicated book sites like Connable Road.
A haunted vision of Keokuk where the river, the dam, and the town itself remember more than anyone wants to admit.
Deep in rural Illinois a lonely road divides farmland, woods, and something that does not want company.
A loose collection of stories and novels set in and around Keokuk and the Mississippi River. The cycle blends real town history with supernatural echoes, urban legends, and the quiet dread of being trapped in a place that feels like it watches back.
Centered on a real stretch of road in Hancock County, the Connable Road stories explore what happens when ordinary people drive into places that ignore the rules of daylight and distance.
From enchanting standalones to quiet speculative one offs, these stories live outside the main cycles but echo the same themes: complicated people, thin places, and the dangerous comfort of staying where you are.
The umbrella company that supports the books, sites, and creative projects.
For appearances, interviews, rights inquiries, or reader questions, use the contact options on the main author website or connect on social platforms linked below.