Simon Drayton

Simon Drayton

Simon Drayton is the author of the book, "Gone with the Sun", which was awarded with the 5 Star Review Seal on Readers' Favorite and the 5 Star Award on Readers' Choice Book Awards. Simon was born in New York and raised in South Carolina. Ever since he graduated from High School, he has enjoyed the art of writing. He especially enjoyed reading and writing stories based in the 19th century and ones about mystery. Simon also enjoys photography and some of his book covers showcase his work. His favorite authors include Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Jules Verne. Simon currently lives in Arkansas with his family and their cat, Skittles. 

Books

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Gone with the Sun (The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Book 1)

On April 8th 2024, Genesis Owens disappears during the darkness of the total solar eclipse. The authorities investigate without success and barely a clue as to what happens. With no leads and no answers, the case grows cold. Six months later, eighteen year old John Smith moves to Little Rock. Recovering from past difficulties, John hopes to...

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The Cardinal Crime (The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Book 2)

During the winter in Northern Arkansas, an elusive criminal is preying on the customers of an unlikely establishment. Teenage Detective John Smith of the Noble Detective Agency is assigned to take on this daunting case. Working alongside him is Detective Yang, a more experienced private investigator. The Cardinal, a five star restaurant in the...

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The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Shorts Books 1 to 5: The Starter Collection


Five Cases. One Young Detective. No Shortage of Trouble.

Eighteen-year-old John Smith is the youngest detective at the Noble Detective Agency (NDA). He might have a “basic” name, but his cases are anything but ordinary. From stolen gems to sabotaged bike races, John must use his keen eye for detail and unwavering principles to solve the seemingly...

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Series

Gone with the Sun (The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Book 1)
The Cardinal Crime (The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Book 2)

The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith

The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith is a clean young adult mystery novel series that follow the eighteen year old John Smith as he solves cases with the Noble Detective Agency (NDA). The cases he takes on can be complex, unusual, and seemingly impossible to solve....

The Australian Shepherd Scheme: The American Shepherd Scheme (The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Shorts Book 1)
The Cookie Kingdom Crumbles (The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Shorts Book 2)
Diamonds are simply not forever (The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Shorts Book 3)
Don’t Give a Dog a Bad Name (The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Shorts Book 4)
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The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Shorts

From the author of the Mysteries of Just Another John Smith novels comes a new short story series. This series follows eighteen year old John Smith, the youngest detective of the Noble Detective Agency (NDA). These stories are around 10,000 words or less, making for a...

Under the Crags (The Voyages of Simeon Carter and Peter Truman Book 1)
The Queen Fisher’s Quest for the Sun (The Voyages of Simeon Carter and Peter Truman Book 2)
My Voyage on the Floating Leaf (The Voyages of Simeon Carter and Peter Truman Book 3)
Time and Time Again Part One (The Voyages of Simeon Carter and Peter Truman Book 4)
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The Voyages of Simeon Carter and Peter Truman

“The Adventures of Simeon Carter and Peter Truman” is some of the first stories Simon Drayton has ever written. Although they are newly published, they were written before the “From the Tropics of Britain”, the “From East to West” Series, and “the Mysteries of Just...

Latest Updates

A New Short Story Series, The Voyages of Simeon Carter and Peter Truman I

I am pleased to announce that I will be releasing a new series starting in April. This book collection is an MG/YA short story series Although I am just publishing these...

Gone with the Sun and The Cardinal Crime is now enrolled in Kindle

For the last few months, Gone with the Sun and The Cardinal Crime have been available on Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books. However, my experience has indicated that the...

The Cookie Kingdom Crumbles is now on Kindle Unlimited and no longer

Ever since I began releasing each of my stories in the series, The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Shorts, each one of them have been on KDP Select, with the exception of...

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Blog

Simon Drayton’s Writing: Behind the Scenes My name is Simon Drayton and I

My name is Simon Drayton and I am the author of the From East to West series, the Mysteries of Just Another John Smith, and the Voyages of Simeon Carter and Peter Truman. I am an indie author who started publishing in July of 2025. If you have read my stories, it is my hope that you’ve enjoyed them. You may wonder about the process of how I write or how I am able to release so much material in a small timeframe. I would like to show all interested the strings behind the scenes.

Timeline of...

Classic Books that everyone should read at least once People have been

People have been writing books for thousands of years on countless topics. Many great literature have been written in the 19th century. Here are some that I have found interesting and a worthwhile read.

  1. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

This is a play written by Oscar Wilde and it is about the size of a novelette. The story is humorous, lighthearted, and witty. The two main characters, Alegernon and Jack, pretend to be the same person, Ernest Worthing. This confuses matters when...

Five wholesome stories you may not have heard of…yet!   Sometimes it

Sometimes it can be hard to find a good book to read, especially if you like clean literature with no profanity or other mature content. Besides my own books, I would like to recommend these following stories you may not have heard of yet. Most of these books were just released within the last 4 months.

1. Such an Odd Word to Use by Carl Goodwin

This book was released in October 2025 and is a good read for people who enjoy a slow burning, psychological mystery. It is about a man in the UK...