ABOUT ME: AUTUMN 2026

Why Jammie’s Jottings?

My great-nieces all call me Jammie, as when the eldest one was a toddler this was her attempt at Janice. When deciding on a name for my website, it just felt right. 

Autumn Theme

Originally, I’d decided on a purple theme to match the beautiful sunsets in Malvern, where we lived. However, when I retired earlier this year my husband and I decided to move to South West Leicestershire to a cottage built in 1901. It is now autumn, the season of changing colours, and our garden has many different trees including a magnificent silver birch and an ancient copper beech. This is my favourite time of year and as I looked out at the garden, I was inspired to change my colour theme to one of autumnal shades and images. I’ve also a new profile picture of me reading in front of our built-in bookcase (a big factor for me in the house choice!). 

My Road to Writing

Like many writers, I’ve been reading books and writing stories from childhood. At the age of eight, I wrote a poem called ‘Peace’. When I was asked to read it out in school assembly, I was petrified, but now realise what a compliment it was to my writing. I wish I still had it, but it’s long gone.

My career has been varied, including working in publishing as an editorial assistant and picture researcher, in financial services as an accountant and company secretary, and finishing up in construction as environment and supply chain manager.

Back in 2018 I enrolled with the Writers Bureau and did the Proofreading and Copy Editing Course. This was for my own writing but also to help with one of many responsibilities for the construction company I worked for – the company newsletter. It was a great help for that and for editing a variety of policies and procedures. I became the ‘go to’ to make sure something was not only grammatically correct but also user-friendly.

I am an active member of the Let’s Write group with Esther Chilton The Writers Bureau. This is a fantastic writing group and very supportive.

Published Works (small though they may be)

• ♣In anthologies or as a runner-up in writing competitions – generally flash fiction.
• ♣Sustainability articles published in the construction trade press.
• ♣Environment pieces in Bear Environment, the quarterly newsletter of The Society of Environmental Authors and Journalists (of which I am a member).

I hope you enjoy exploring Jammie’s Jottings and, now I am retired, I hope to be far more active on here. Oh, and I am still working on my novels.

Janice Johnson (Jammie JJ), October 2026