Born in Dartford, Kent, I now live in Swansea, UK, where I am slave to two rescue cats, Bumble and Honey Cat. I am a former English teacher and occasional freelance journalist and film producer, and also run my own editing company. I am also a published songwriter (free listening to some of my songs on Soundcloud.com on the Jem Vanston page). My books include Crump (2010) by PJ Vanston and A Cat Called Dog (2013) by Jem Vanston. A child-friendly illustrated A Cat Called Dog (2015) and its sequel A Cat Called Dog 2 - The One with The Kittens (2017. Plus a dark satirical novel about reality TV called 'Rasmus - a television tale' by PJ Vanston. 'Santa Goes on Strike' - an illustrated Christmas poem picture book for both kids and adults - by Jem Vanston, was published in late 2018 to great acclaim, and looks like being a Christmas regular. 2020 saw a sequel to Crump published - 'Somewhere in Europe' has been called the 'Lucky Jim' of now. Set in a town very much like Swansea too. Gower, Caswell, Mumbles and Cardiff mentioned by name. My first non-fiction book 'Thinking Time - 365 inspiring, amusing and thought-provoking quotes to get you through the year' published in late 2021. A perfect reflective read for all ages. Good for mindfulness. In April 2022, my 9th book and first collection of poetry was published: 'The Loved Ones - a Collection of Pandemic Poems about Love and Loss. Very proud of that. Some poems are available to read for free on www.vanston.co.uk The Nine Lives of Summer, my 10th book, was published on 1st March 2023. It is a moving, funny, emotional-rollercoaster of a diverse adventure with a cat living 9 lives (which means 8 deaths) in over a dozen countries around the world. For children age 7+ and adults.