TOMMY KENNEDY IV | OFFICIAL WEBSITE THIS WORK BEGAN INSIDE THE GENERAL PENITENTIARY, KINGSTON. 'NIGHTMARE IN JAMAICA' IS A TRUE ACCOUNT, THE FIRST OF MANY BOOKS, NOW ARCHIVED IN THE BRITISH LIBRARY.

TOMMY KENNEDY IV | OFFICIAL WEBSITE THIS WORK BEGAN INSIDE THE GENERAL PENITENTIARY, KINGSTON. 'NIGHTMARE IN JAMAICA' IS A TRUE ACCOUNT, THE FIRST OF MANY BOOKS, NOW ARCHIVED IN THE BRITISH LIBRARY.


https://youtu.be/Tu0TW9kBIM0?si=-pc1Zko7lZi7Zj0a



Tommy Kennedy IV is a Warrington-born writer who carries the scars of a life lived. He did not find his stories in an office; he found them building walls, breaking laws, and roaming the world for fifteen years across Europe, India, South East Asia, and America. Before he began studying for his Creative Writing degree, he was a bricklayer, a hustler, and an outlaw who learned the price of every choice up close the night a Kingston warder slid the bolt and left him holding a toothbrush sharpened into a spike. The story starts there, not in a classroom.

Tommy writes in a gritty noir style, crafting narratives soaked in working-class pride, resilience, and dark humour. His prose blends raw, lived detail with the rhythm of real-life reflection, ensuring every page feels earned. The unvarnished truth found in his work, including the memoir *Nightmare in Jamaica*, has earned his three books a permanent place in the British Library.

He deleted social media to focus solely on his craft. New stories and reflections arrive regularly on his blog.





 


















 























Books

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Nightmare in Jamaica

From the series: JUSTOMMY

Tommy Kennedy IV’s extraordinary life began against the backdrop of the northern town of Warrington. In this honest autobiography, Tommy describes a chaotic childhood where home is variously in a caravan, a convent and care homes. His parents are childlike and irresponsible, and his life is unpredictable and unstable. Without any parental...

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Notting Hill Ponces (Justommy Book 2)

From the series: JUSTOMMY

Tommy Kennedy IV’s final autobiography enters the millennium years with energy, pace and sincerity. Immediately, we are swept into the heart of London’s Notting Hill and into the hypnotic centre of its vibrant music scene. Tommy’s management of the bands in his care is in equal measure affectionate, creative and dedicated. Characters such as Big...

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Ossie Clark

Ossie Clark came from a modest, diligent working-class family, an ordinary boy who went on to do extraordinary things. He was born in Liverpool and raised in the industrial Lancashire town of Warrington, famous for its factories and the birthplace of Lewis Carroll. The author never knew Ossie, but they attended the same technical school,...

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NIGHTMARE IN JAMAICA

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GRITTY SHORT FICTION

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Other Writing

Latest Updates

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Tommy Kennedy IV Talks Nightmare in Jamaica on Shaun Attwood’s YouTube

Shaun Attwood, known for his “Locked Up Abroad” series, interviews...

DELETED FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM  0k8uisyou4zraj9p7t28ui9bdqvn 351.21 KBWhy I

0k8uisyou4zraj9p7t28ui9bdqvn 351.21 KB
Why I Deleted My Social Media Apps and Built My Own Author Platform

I deleted Facebook and Instagram from my phone. No more noise, no more...

HELL AND BACK  yf1jo8dugnnfq12yrvhrteoy3ln1 351.21 KB I nearly lost

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I nearly lost everything in Jamaica — smuggling drugs, running from danger, and facing the consequences of my choices. Nightmare in...

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Blog

January 9, 2026



High everyone,

It's January 2026, new term's just kicking off, and I'm sitting here in London thinking F..., how did I end up doing a degree in...

January 9, 2026

The King, The Convict, and The Long Shadow

I have always believed in destiny.

Not the fairytale kind where everything works out because it is meant...

January 8, 2026


A raw interview back in 2017 with Tommy Kennedy IV on boxing, family, and staying real in a fake world. No polish, no PR. Listen to the exclusive...

January 8, 2026

Survival, Identity, and Hostile Environments
Reading Nightmare in Jamaica alongside Ossie Clark
Both Nightmare in Jamaica and Ossie Clark examine...

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