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Meet Jamie Potter: Writer, Illustrator, Musician and Bartender
Meet Jamie Potter: Writer, Illustrator, Musician and Bartender
By Joe Motheral
When J. R. “Jamie” Potter was eight years old and growing up in Connecticut, one day his father brought home a library copy of “The Mummy, The Will and the Crypt” by John Bellairs, clearly a life-changing occurrence for his young son
Potter, 49, who now lives in the Middleburg area, writes and illustrates children’s books and also is a professional musician, playing the guitar and performing with his vocalist wife, Amy. And three days a week, you can find him tending bar at Middleburg’s Thaiverse restaurant.
“Growing up in a household of readers, books were always available,” he said. “I’m grateful to both my parents for reading to me from a very early age. It changed my life to become a writer and illustrator for the young.”
He’s written several children’s books, including “Thomas Creeper and the Gloomsbury Secret,” which was honored with the 2019 Kraken Award for middle-grade fiction. It’s the story about a 13-year-old boy in a family that owns a funeral home.
These days, he’s been promoting his latest books, “Thomas Creeper and the Purple Corpse” and “Ragtag City of Ash and Fire.” An upcoming book, “The Unfussable Boy,” is about a boy in a family of what the described as “perpetual fussers.”
As an illustrator, Jamie has a contract with “a great educational publisher, Pioneer Valley Books,” he said. “Full color illustrations about cowbots—cowboy robots living on Mars.”
His work as an artist comes from what he described as “a comic book cartoon background…as well as a love of fine art through my parents and older brother, all of whom went to art school. (Illustrations) are just one way of amplifying what’s being communicated on the page.”
As a musician, “I play both as a solo artist and with The Crooked Angels, the band I share with my wife and partner, Amy. We play a mix of Americana—classic country and blues, some bluegrass—what I sometimes call ‘secular gospel.’”
With The Crooked Angels, “we’ll play as a paired-down duo or as a full band with bass, drums, electric guitars, and pedal steel, depending on the needs of the gig. Our favorite performances are intimate parties and house concerts when you get to have a close connection with your audience.”
They have several performances coming up this fall and winter, including an every-other-month show at the Horse Shoe Curve Restaurant in Bluemont.
As for his bar-tending, he said, it’s “a great way to earn supplemental income and to receive inspiration for characters and song material. I love making Manhattans and catching up with old and new friends at the bar.”
He also loves living in the Piedmont region.
“I feel overwhelmingly blessed to live in this ever-changing theater of nature,” he said. “I would just like to express my gratitude for this beautiful land, for this open space and the richness of flora and fauna that bring me back to a deeper reality every day.”
