Books

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The Dangerous Shipment (The Cogs and Gears of the Cosmos Book 1)

In the vast reaches of the Nebula, the 21st century looks nothing like Earth. There are no computers, no digital screens, and no artificial intelligence. Instead, humanity has conquered the stars with the hiss of steam, the roar of magma boilers, and the intricate perfection of clockwork gears.

Welcome to the birth of a new subgenre: Concurrent...

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The Secret Saboteur (The Cogs and Gears of the Cosmos Book 2)

The sequel to The Dangerous Shipment.

This story follows up from the first one, after Godwin is appointed as Ship Inspector. In this installment, Godwin is informed by Captain Joanne the Shipmaster that there is a spy onboard the
Game Changer, trying to steal the specs of its confidential Gear System.

Using his access to the ship and his unique...

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Gone with the Sun: The Second and Expanded Edition (The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Book 1)

On April 8th, 2024, the world went dark. When the light returned, Genesis Owens was gone.

During the total solar eclipse, Genesis disappears without a trace. Despite a federal investigation, the leads dry up and the case grows cold. Six months later, eighteen-year-old John Smith arrives in Little Rock, Arkansas. Haunted by his own past and...

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Series

Gone with the Sun: The Second and Expanded Edition (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 Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Shorts Books 1 to 5: The Starter Collection
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)
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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

Read my Readers’ Favorite Review for the Dangerous Shipment Reviewed by

Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite

The Dangerous Shipment is the first book of The Cogs and Gears of the Cosmos series by Simon Drayton. In the near future, humanity...

Glossary and Timeline for the Cogs and Gears of the Cosmos  In order to

In order to help you understand the history and the logic of this series, please take note of the charts below:

  • A Space League is equal to 3x the speed of light
  • 1 Armman Degree...
A New Release for June 2026: The Dangerous Shipment  I am pleased to

I am pleased to announce the release of this milestone book, The Dangerous Shipment. This book is not only the first book of my new sci fi series, the Cogs and Gears of the...

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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...