I'm proud to announce that The Nine Lives of Summer, my 10th published book, and my 4th cat book, came out in paperback/ebook worldwide  on 1st March 2023.

Reviews have been excellent - in YOUR CAT magazine and others, plus genuine reviews on USA Amazon, NetGalley, are mostly 5 and 4 star. As have sales worldwide, paperback & ebook.

March was the 10th anniversary of the publication of the first, A Cat Called Dog, which is still very popular - it spawned a shorter child-friendly version and a sequel A Cat Called Dog 2 - The One with the Kittens (2017) - which, for some unknown reason, is borrowed from UK libraries a lot (2nd of my borrowed books; SOMEWHERE IN EUROPE is number 1). Film rights/options interest for all of them.

That is what is great about books - they are born & remain. A bit like paper children who go on to live lives of their own, which you, the mere author/birth parent can't control even if you want to, just as you can't decide what meaning readers read into your stories..

Books LAST and are there for evermore. I love that. I am SO proud to have published 10 books since 2010, well over half a million well-written words, bought & read by diverse readers worldwide (esp USA, Germany, and Scandinavia for some reason). Plenty of famous fans too: politicians (MPs, lords), household names (David Attenborough sent me over 10 letters, Vera Lynn emailed me when she was 101 years old, Lady Anne Dodd, Julia Baird - John Lennon's sister...). The largest creative agency in LA even got in touch. Yup, Hollywood! And...I've just received a lovely contact from a reader/fan in the Far East inviting me to visit, which is great. Japan, South Korea, more. Watch this space for news. I had NO idea I had even readers there until today! So my next book tour probably, next year.

Also, my books all sell, collectively THOUSANDS since 2010. THE NINE LIVES OF SUMMER has sold well, as I mentioned (the average sales for a first novel incl from major publishers is just 400 and 70% books lose money, incl those from the big publishers, as do 2/3 films); my 2021 quote book THINKING TIME has sold loads of ebook copies and still sells every year with NO PROMOTION from me or adverts; my poetry debut THE LOVED ONES has sold too, but sales are not THE focus of a quality poetry collection of course (the former Welsh national poet only sold 150 of her last collection, with all that backing and PR). Great reviews for all from most readers and all honest ones.

I KNOW when reviewers online are lying, however, as I am publisher so have access to ALL sales data, ebooks, page reads - a nasty malicious one star review for that by someone with a grudge who only read a SAMPLE, 12 pages on the data graph. 12 pages. SO that is a lie REVENGE review, a fake malicious hateful review, which I can prove, with IT data, in ANY context (legal, court, media - and thanks Goodreads for confirmation of the hater inciting third parties to join a hate campaign against me - that exposes the lies of my abuser). WHY do people do such things? Ill? Deranged? Psychopathic? SAD!

So I put it to my fans, friends, enemies, cyberstalkers a scenario: if a deranged hatemonger hijacks an author's book page on Goodreads, (as wlel as leavingly provavly fake nasty malicious reviews for the author's other books out of pure hatred and revenge), incites third parties to get the author banned from Goodreads, then spends the next 4 months posting numerous comments, 5000-7000 words of bile, just vile abuse, false accusations, disgusting allegations, provable lies and defamation - is the author somehow in the wrong? WHO is the abuser? OK so who has posted thousands of words of abuse at whom?  Even if the author responds where they can, on any blog etc, is that wrong? If so, why? Face it, some mailicious obsessive loon hellbent on revenge has hijacked the author's bookpage on Goodreads and incited third parties to join in the bullying and targeting of him, to trash his reputation, try to destroy his career and life. THAT IS HARASSMENT, surely? Malicious intent. Just SO nasty, snide, spiteful, malicous, twisted, bullying, mental obsessive, psychopathic really. Posting 10,000 words of abuse in all, incl the hateful reviews, over 4 months and more. WHAT SORT OF PERSON DOES THAT? Hijacks an author's book pages to spew abuse at him for 4+ months. All after the abuser has ensured the author CANNOT RESPOND to the abuse on his own Goodreads author page. That is beyond bullying or  sheer malice. That is out and out PSYCHOPATH HATE OBSESSION from an individual with a very twisted mind and someone who may well be dangerous, I think.

Who is in the wrong here? Well for me it is the hater who has hijacked the author Goodreads book page out of sheer malice and vengeance, because they have a grudge and have been triggered by something. The author is the VICTIM. The deranged hater who hijacked his book page (in fact posted on 4 of them on Goodreads) is the ABUSER not the vgictim. Unless you care to disagree. But what if the cyberstalker plays the abused victim and GETS BELIEVED by, say, the police who side with the abuser. What then? What would YOU do as the targeted abused author? Remember, the police are corrupt and on the abuser's side, biased against the author, truth and justice. So, what to do? IMHO best then to contact the press = yes, send them ALL the 7000+ words of abuse by the cyberstalker so THEY can investigate for the future when the abuser can be exposed - in public, when legally possible, in ALL national media, TV, the lot, as much as possible. They can call people, do interviews, doorstep people, name and shame - EXPOSE THE LIES AND CORRUPTION which the free press is so good at (think the post office scandal where corrupt police destroyed so many lives). Or would you do something else? Answers on a postcard...Or email (see left)... Thanks to the members of the media/press who have already been in touch. TRUTH WILL OUT. 

Anyhoo, I SHALL NOT BE SILENCED like that hypothetical author whose Goodreads page was hijacked by a seriously malicious deranged crybully hatemonger with serious issues, who is SO obsessed with hating him, because the grudge is SO large, that they will stop at nothing to try to malign, hurt and destroy him - all because he called out their moronic ignorant pathetic uneducated review of his book. What these loons want is TOTAL free speech FOR THEM and SILENCE for the victims of their abuse - it is a real psycho power trip really. They want TOTAL power to silence others. AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.

I SHALL NOT BE SILENCED. Got that? 

Watch this space for news of media and press developments. This is gonne be quite a ride. I CANNOT WAIT. The truth will out. 

Anyhoo...

My poems are in UK national collections and are there for evermore, out in the world, being read, studied, recited, laughed over. Many readers tell me they LOVE them in all their intelligence, humanity, humour and diversity - and they are unique, not sentimental slushy drivel (like SO many Covid poems). Some poems are emotional but the most popular mix that with dark humour too, which intelligent readers love and many poems have been read at memorial services and funerals, because most people understand the concept of 'black humour'. For example, my poem 'HE'S DEAD' references Carol Ann Duffy and the Wizard of Oz, and is classic dark humour about death as seen in Monty Python etc (intelligent readers will get it). Any reader offended by such things who claims to need a trigger warning needs a trigger warning themselves! And quite possibly strong medication, or hysteric therapy. LOL. I dislike slushy, twee, overly-sentimental stuff & would never write that, in poetry or any fiction.

My poems are actually in the Covid collections of the National Library of Wales & the Museum of London, and Strawberry Field (sic), the new hub for education/training in Liverpool - John Lennon's sister Julian Baird (who wrote the book Nowhere Boy, which became the film) emailed me to say THE LOVED ONES poetry collection is in their library, and may well be used in sessions. Even The Queen wrote via her Lady in Waiting in early 2021 to say how she found my poem TWENTY-TWENTY - A YEAR IN THE LIFE, "poignant". It is, and it was part-inspired by The Queen's perfectly judged Covid message broadcast in April 2020. I am honoured. Truly. No need for a bauble.

SO onwards and upwards, to the future! 

I have lots of plans for writing and publishing - my completed Nazi Crime Thriller is a cracker, the first of a series, with a real story behind it & loads of accurate research - I know my stuff. I shall not self-publish or need to. An agent/publisher will take my author journey to the next level, with this novel, the first of a best-selling series which, I am sure, will make them (and me) a good chunk of money while not compromising on quality. Watch this space. 

I'm also working on TV scripts, including a multi-ethnic multi-lingual very diverse and hopeful short (25min) Christmas film set in Cardiff, plus a script on police corruption and a deranged psychopath who manipulates them and others to try to destroy the life of an innocent man she is obsessed with, which may well find its way into a novel instead. I have not decided yet, but female bullying is little explored, especially the way many play the victim to weaponise their fake tears - the sort of nasty individuals who go round saying 'BE KIND' and 'BE NICE' when they are actually the WORST snide malicious nasty bullies of all. Butter wouldn't melt. CRYBULLY is a word to describe them. Psychopath may be another. VICTIM-SIGNALLER is a great neologism. Shakespeare knew the type, those who weaponise tears and play the pity party victim constantly to get what they want, and that includes revenge, when he said "women's tears are quickly dried". Most crime fiction readers are women (80%+) actually, so maybe these readers want male baddie killers and innocent lamb female victims - though TV critics who whinge about murder victims in TV drama often being young pretty girls are also mostly women. Odd contradiction. Anyway, there's room for far more interesting stuff. My lived experience means I have PLENTY of material to portray a malicious, mendacious, manipulative, malevolent, vengeful, vindictive, victim-posing, obsessive, deranged psychopath woman in fiction. Stephen King's book/film MISERY has done that best to date, though in snowy isolation with a 'biggest fan'. There are MANY more contexts/options to have fun, SO look forward to writing and publishing this 'VICTIM-SIGNALLER' 'PSYCHO-WOMAN' tale. And I shall. I'M LOVIN IT!

This novel/script will include corrupt police who, as ever, always believe the woman no matter what a liar she is (that is why women weaponise lies - IT WORKS, because people fall for it). I have already covered that and the way the UK seemed to be sleepwalking into a police state in my 2020 novel SOMEWHERE IN EUROPE actually, in horrible detail. It is worse now. Much.

Just watch the wilful blindness of police to disgusting displays of anti-Semitism on London anti-Israel marches in the last few months - that has really changed me, for sure, made me determined to expose them and to act. Police in the UK are now arresting people for DEFENDING Jews against anti-Semitic mobs online on the grounds of, errr, being racist - even when reported by those vengeful hatemongers with a grudge and a clear track record of hating Israel/Jews on their own social media accounts. Gosh. REMEMBER, with bad laws, and more on the way always, this country is sleepwalking into a police state where truth-tellers are being bullied into silence. IT ALL GOES IN MY FICTION! And it is MY RIGHT to write it and use whichever names I want for my characters too. I assert it, and shall fight for that, always.

I also see it as my CIVIC DUTY to expose that injustice and the vile anti-Semitism which so many UK institutions are riddled with - in any context. And I like a fight. When I know I am right, I never lose.

YOU MESS WITH THE CAT, YOU GET THE CLAWS!

And I do so love cats.

JUST TO SAY: Many thanks to the organisations and individuals advising me - Society of Authors, Free Speech Union, CIEO, Jewish organisations, several journalist colleagues/contacts and more. Much appreciated.

ANYHOO, back to MY LIFE AS AN AUTHOR not a civil rights champion.

I also now have some more short stories to add to the 30 or so I have written (8 or so published). Prepping 3 or 4 to submit to major competitions in the next couple of years. Completed a cracking one this year, 21 drafts done to tweak in, so that will be submitted to the biggest national competitions in future. I tend to avoid short stories - which is always where new writers start and which writing magazines & courses are obsessed with. WHY? Impossible to get em published, except in compilations no-one reads that many authors actually pay a fee to be included in, like all those horror trash short story collections from the USA (a secret they never share). I've won awards for some  of mine, of course - see the other tabs to read three or so. THE PRAGUE VIOLIN won me two cash prizes actually. Love it.

I have put my children's writing on pause for the time being but have two excellent middle-grade stories done and dusted, which received positive feedback from 2 publishers and 3 agents just before the pandemic. They will be published one day, for sure. I have at least 3 decent middle grade books sketched out too - I am never short of ideas. But I detest the sort of ISHOO-led preachy kids' books landscape of now - they are so mediocre, and fail to lift the literacy of kids which I think is almost criminal. They should try to WISE UP not DUMB DOWN.

Also, kids' books can and MUST contain important issues, such as death and pain - and no, they do NOT need trigger warnings, and nor do old Disney films like Dumbo, Bambi and 101 Dalmatians. Anyone demanding a trigger warning needs to be put in a see-through platic room full of plastic colour balls and left there while the rest of us behave like people used to be behave - NOT LIKE BABYBRAINED MORONS, in other words. Kids are seriously stunted and abused really these days by being overprotected by hysterical ignorant people (women mostly) who think treating them like toddlers until teenage years is good. Not, it is bad andthe CAUSE of great anxiety, dpression and mental illness in kids who have NOT been allowed to go through the normal stages of childhood. As a result they lack all resilience and cannot cope. These kids are SO hurt by their ignorant mollycoddlers.

So many new children's books PREACH sermons as their first purpose - much like Nazi/Communist propaganda kids' books which I saw in USSR in 1979 (yes, really). It is why those books exist - TO PREACH a message and brainwash. YUCK YUCK YUCK! Who wants to read that drivel? Kids do not - it is FORCED on them by brainwashing abusive adults actually. By the way, I know all about the Nazi period from my extensive research for my novel, and also my family history (my father was arrested by the Nazis in 1943 for slave labour, and even though his Flemish family was Catholic, his probable father was Jewish German, so I have Jewish heritage too, which makes me enormously proud). And I have recently been accused of being racist for defending Jews against against anti-Semitism and supporting Israel - accused by a racist moron who hates Israel/Jews it seems from their social media posts. How utterly vile, sick and disgusting. What a racist moron Nazi to accuse someone defending Jews against anti-Semitic mobs on Twitter of racism.  Sick. And it will SOON by a national news story - I have already given archive interviews for it. A storm is coming and I AM THE STORM. Got that, cyberstalker haters?

SO my advice to all writers is: Just TELL A STORY WELL! THAT IS IT.

That is what good books (and films) do. They do not start with a list of ISHOOS to tickbox and please the latest pc woke committee. I HATE books like that. They are, in a word, crap - dangerous crap too.

Talking of crap, one thing I detest about the internet is how TOTAL non-entities such as non-author no-nothings set themselves up as 'experts' on being an author online (the usual online Goodreads/ Amazon, same amoral US corporate business actually) issuing advice to others when they are NOT authors themselves! Just BS self-appointed 'top reviewers' (basically unemployable saddos who get free ebooks and write loads of reviews for Amazon/Goodreads). IGNORE these BS-merchants - they're SO full of crap. They talk of 'building a fanbase'. I know NO serious author who talks like that. Not one. Writers of trash crap ebooks, sure -  self-published mass ebook genre trash. That world is not mine, thank goodness. I plan to expose these shysters and charlatans when I can, in public, in the news - via the wonderful FREE PRESS we have in the UK. Sadly, Goodreads and Amazon (same company) enable such scammers. Just wrong. It is a POWER thing really, an egotrip - an unqualified uneducated ignorant non-author sets themselves up to give advice to new authors, and the POWER TRIP of dominance over those who defer to them is why these dodgy people must do it. Sick, really. Twisted. Dishonest & wrong.

I am an AUTHOR of 15 years' standing, have won awards, published 10 books which are in libraries worldwide and studied at universities, and have sold THOUSANDS of copies worldwide - AND I give FREE ADVICE to authors when they ask me (as they do). FREE ADVICE. I do not charge. FREE ADVICE - from me - a well-educated, experienced, talented, accomplished author, expert in the field. Also, I have a degree in English from a top uni and have read the literary canon from Chaucer on (plus Old English saga and poems), so know how to READ, unlike BS merchant morons who leave trash fake FRAUDULENT 1 star reviews for my poetry book (stick to low-level stuff, cyberstalker, of your own mental age - THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILAR maybe?). One new author emailed me a short story to read the other day. Fine, I had time to read it so gave FREE advice and told her NOT to use babynaming books to choose names - the WORST thing anyone can do. Some non-author online blagger had advised her to do that. Jeez, it is like an unqualified person giving advice about doing your own electrics when they are totally unqualified themselves (OK so no-one gets electrocuted if they take advice from BS liars online re writing BUT they can lose money - and a lot). Names of characters need to be AGE-SPECIFIC  - right for the generation. That is big mistake number one, so a babynaming book is for babies born NOW and utterly inappropriate. See what BS the advice for fake author blaggers is? So, only younger men are called Josh and Oliver, Alfie and Archie, Williams and Harry etc; 40+ are called Phil, Richard, Trevor, Barry, Matthew etc.(Vanessa Feltz reading out that advice from my email 2 or 3 years ago on BBC Radio 2. Have the recording somewhere - with 500 other radio mentions. I shall catalogue the sound files one day...) Social class matters too MASSIVELY, and that is the second BIG mistake of new writers - someone called Shauna or Kelly or Carly is likely to be lower socioeconomic class (CDE). For more intelligent higher class women, think proper names, Lucy, Sophie, Rebecca. So, purlease, BURN THE BABYNAMING BOOKS together with the ISHOO-laden kids books. Save on heating bills LOL. I would not usually recommend book-burning, but... FACT is, these non-authors offering advice JUST DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. They are BS-merchants all. Scammers, Frauds. AVOID. That is my advice to new authors. 

I remember when I was teaching TEFL/ESOL evening class and asked the students (all ages) what they wanted to do in future, MOST middle-aged women said 'write a children's book'.  If I had a pound for every one that said that, I'd be a very rich man! I think this is because people think it's easy to write children's books (the same people would never spend years writing a full 100,000 word novel as I have). And yes, writing a few words in 32 pages for a children's books is quick and easy to do - badly. Pro authors of such books write several a year, often hired by publishers and paired with illustrators (think The Gruffalo). My SANTA GOES ON STRIKE also shows what can be done in that format, re originality, quality,wit, empathy, meaning (& that started as a poem read every Christmas for 5 years to great acclaim locally, with laughs and applause galore SO I knew it worked as I had roadtested it!). But get this straight: writing a really good children's book, at any level, is HARD - not easy. The world does not need more dreadful picture books for kids or Middle Grade ones. And the world really does not need yet more woke preachy boxticking children's books either; it needs far FAR fewer. Sadly, modern kids' books are riddled with ISHOOS and hace tickbox preachy agendas. So, actually, I always advise parents now to look to the archive for great children's books - especially Scandinavian authors from 1980s, 1970s or before that. Also, the Littlenose books (by Grant), Professor Branestawm (by Norman Hunter who signed my copy of one), WOOF!, Journey to the River Sea etc. Books which JUST TELL THE STORY WELL. No sermons, lectures, ISHOOS. Back to the classics!

Anyway, I write. If you are an author, you write. You create. Always. That is who you are. That is who I am. People like me do not retire. And I shall never - NEVER - be silenced.

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS!

The Nine Lives of Summer is a heart-warming tale ideal for both children and adult cat lovers of all ages. 

It is the purr-fect book for fans of A Street Cat Named Bob and A Cat Called Dog, as well as stories about refugees such as The Boy at the Back of the Class.

“A heart-warming tale with a life-affirming message.”

“Often funny, sometimes sad, always full of hope.”

One cat, nine lives and a quest to find a way home

Summer is a cat living happily with ten-year-old girl Sami and her family in Syria. Then the war comes.

Sami and her parents are forced to make the heart-wrenching decision to flee as refugees, leaving Summer behind.

On her journey through nine lives in a dozen countries, Summer discovers her purpose – to find Sami again.

The quest leads Summer all over the world, meeting diverse people from a vast array of cultures and backgrounds, through exciting adventures and heart-break, desperate struggle and survival. But she never ever gives up hoping and searching.

Will Summer ever find Sami, and be reunited with her family in her furever home once again?

ISBN  978-1-3999-4432-8 - Published by Two Fat Cats Publishing, 1^st  March 2023

Price £7.99 paperback; £3.99 eBook.

Available from Amazon and bookstores worldwide.

Author website: www.vanston.co.uk ; Twitter: @9LivesofSummer

ALSO I am making the first 50 pages or so, 8 chapters, available here FOR FREE: https://www.book2look.com/book/rpoTIljtSb

ENJOY!

Well here they are, the result of 15 years' hard work, almost half a million words, 10 books including a collection of poetry, 3 satirical novels, 4 cat novels/stories, a non-fiction quote book, and a Christmas poem picture book.

Thousands of hours' work; thousands in investment in myself and NOT a penny of public subsidy. I would have earned more on minimum wage stacking shelves, frankly.

Was it worth it? Yes and no. Yes for the enormous satisfaction of authoring and publishing real high-quality and worthwhile stories; no, financially and for the energy it has taken from my income-earning projects and business. BUT that is what dedication means.

It will be if the Nazi Crime Thriller novel ( a very psychological and original speculative story) I have just completed (1st draft) gets signed up by an agent/publisher for a series, with TV/film rights, for sure. It'd make a great movie - actually, my writing is all very cinematic so most of my books would make great films too (animation maybe for the cat stories).

But yes of course, it is a MASSIVE achievement and I am proud of the originality and high quality of all my books. Tbh despite sound commercial arguments, I have no interest in churning out genre ebooks in production-line-crime or romantic escapism genres as some do - but whatever floats your boat... They can work their side of the street, and I shall work mine.

All my books are in public libraries and The British Library. My pandemic poems are in the National Library of Wales and Museum of London 'Covid' archive collections for evermore...

I am pleased to announce the publication of my debut collection of poetry, THE LOVED ONES - A COLLECTION OF PANDEMIC POEMS ABOUT LOVE AND LOSS, by Jem Vanston, on 9th April 2022.

There are 54 poems in the collection, including 10 song lyrics - 9 have links to online demo recordings of the songs, so it's a real multimedia project! Most were written in 2020/21.

It's a diverse collection of poems, some darky funny, others very moving. Lots of poems about grief, bereavement, loss, death but also love - and hope.

Quite a few war poems here - First and Second World War poems, a Falklands poem (song), Viking, Roman, ancient warrior themes. Inspired by the war on Covid really but now sadly and tragically very timely as the war in Ukraine rages.

Two poems here are in the National Library of Wales Covid Collection - POEM OF THE PLAGUE YEAR and TWENTY-TWENTY: A YEAR IN THE LIFE (read them on the NEWS page of this website). The latter was also featured on That's Swansea Bay TV on November 5th 2020 (anyone interested can scroll back on Facebook to that clip), and also praised as 'poignant' by a representative of Her Majesty the Queen. It is most unusual for replies from royalty to include an opinion, so maybe the poem was read by our monarch. Who knows?

The paperback costs £8.99 - feel free to email me if you want to order a signed copy (acatcalleddog@hotmail.co.uk). The eBook is £3.99 - and the songlinks work better on there.

Here is the Amazon.co.uk link to the book (copy and paste):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loved-Ones-Collection-Pandemic-Poems/dp/1399918087/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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1st SEPTEMBER 2021

I am proud to announce publication of my book of quotes:

'THINKING TIME: 365 inspiring, amusing and thought-provoking quotes to get you through the year'

£7.99 paperback - the perfect Christmas present!

Great for quotes for lessons, lectures, services, speeches. Also useful for developing 'Intelligent Mindfulness' - a quote a day for a year for a daily mindfulness focus. And you'll learn something!

Plenty of quotes from Ancient Greece/Rome/China; plenty of quotes from authors, artists, politicians, actors, musicians, film/pop stars too - as reflects my education and interests.

Lots of wise and witty quotes, and great fun too!

Plenty of quotes from people of all nationalities, faiths, races and women. But ALL quotes are there ON MERIT ALONE. I vehemently oppose the patronising racism/sexism of race/gender quotas + only included quotes I feel are worthy of inclusion in my book.

Glad to get fellow Dartford boy Mick Jagger there on his birthday in July, and Freddie Mercury on his birthday 5th September.

Other pop stars include John Lydon, Annie Lennox, Keith Richards, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon also in there, reflecting my musical background, and film stars such as Charlie Chaplin there too. Women include Amy Johnson, Victoria Wood, Oprah Winfrey and many, many more. Loads of authors and poets in there too, and various politicians, historical figures and thinkers.

I dislike slushy, schmaltzy, spiritual motivational quote books and there are so many other there, so avoided such huggy-wuggy touchy-feely fluffy slushy quotes! Though there are some quotes by saints - St David on 1 March - and plenty by various philosophers from all of human history and around the world.

Some have quotes on the day they died such as Dylan Thomas, Prince Philip, Amy Johnson and many more. Some readers may notice the clever choice of quotes for significant dates; others will not. It does not matter - the book still works if they do not!

Anyway, enjoy your THINKING TIME!

I promise this will be a book of quotes you go back to time and again over the years, because the quotes are so diverse, witty, wise, fun and classic - and for every occasion.

*******************************************************

MARCH 2020 - SOMEWHERE IN EUROPE, my Swansea Campus Novel.

I am proud to announce that my new campus novel SOMEWHERE IN EUROPE was published on 28th March 2020.

Set in an unnamed and fictional university town in South Wales, my tale has a great deal to say about the education system, woke snowflake censorship, New Puritan culture, gender politics, Brexit and Remain issues, the EU, the state of the nation. Available from bookshops (though they all closed on 24th March!) and the usual online sellers (though there may be a delay in lockdown).

The BEST place to buy it is direct from the publisher who can fulfil orders quickly at any time, lockdown or no: 

https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/contemporary/somewhere-in-europe/ 

Somewhere in Europe is also available to buy direct from me - signed copy - for cover price + £3 postage, or from publisher website, or to buy or order from bookshops, or, if you must, Amazon (who snaffle 60% of cover price but at least stock books by smaller writers, unlike most bookstores). 

This novel has been called 'The Lucky Jim of now'. Or, as it says on the back cover, "It's like a cross between Catch-22 and Lucky Jim for the Brexit Generation". It is dark satire and laugh-out-loud funny at times too, but with some very moving scenes and characters too.

Worried about where education is going and how freedom of speech is under threat these days? Then this is the novel for you!

The novel predicts BLM and the taking down of statues and portraits of white men too - it has already happened in The Town in the story.

As of 2024, this novel is borrowed more from UK libraries than any other of my books, just loads of lends - which suggests it may be on a booklist or two at universities really. I love the way this novel triggers those people it lampoons too, those smug self-righteous types who claim they are 'progressive' all while yelling slogans to destroy Israel and all Jews on the streets of London. The lack of self-awareness is just stunning. Regressive, intolerant and illiberal is what these bigots are, yet always accuse others of racism - well, they need to be challenged (watch this space on that).

Any reviewer or media person wanting any further information can contact me via this website or the publishers. Many thanks.

MEANWHILE...

My Christmas poem SANTA GOES ON STRIKE was published on 30th September 2018, as a colour-illustrated paperback and ebook. (Repromoted for Christmas 2019 with WH Smith book store signings! Maybe in the run-up to Christmas 2020 too...)

It's a funny, heart-warming, meaningful poem picture book with WONDERFUL illustrations (based on my specifications) for both children and adults, and ideally is to be read aloud by families at Christmas. A fitting tribute to my late mum Marjorie who loved my poem and used to read it aloud to her friends at the many Christmas lunches she used to go to every year. It always went down a storm! (I now have it translated into French too, for media in France/Canada).

Paperback widely available online, but eBook not available on Amazon (they do not support fixed-file layout for some reason) so only available on Kobo or Apple or the online bookshop of the Cardiff publishers:

https://www.rowanvalebooks.com/book/santa-goes-on-strike

PERFECT for a Christmas present for both children and adults!

"A modern-day classic!"  "A real gem!" "delightful"

Please see the REVIEWS page (top menu) for all the wonderful reviews and feedback for SANTA GOES ON STRIKE - which includes some very famous people too! Thanks to them for their replies! Much appreciated. Odd that strangers show more interest than local media or bookshops here in Swansea, but I guess that explains why we didn't win CITY OF CULTURE for 2021. Well done Coventry - you deserve it.

I shall be promoting SANTA GOES ON STRIKE in the run-up to Chrismas 2019 due to popular demand and the wonderful reviews. Signings at branches of WH Smith, definitely - updates nearer the time. But probably Swansea, Llanelli, Carmarthen, maybe Cardiff, possibly even branches in England. Watch this space.

Out 31st August 2017, A CAT CALLED DOG 2 - THE ONE WITH THE KITTENS was finally published.

If in the UK, buy it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cat-Called-Dog-One-Kittens/dp/1786293382/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1504178160&sr=8-7&keywords=Jem+Vanston

Or here: http://www.austinmacauley.com/book/cat-called-dog-2-one-kittens

Suitable for both children and adults. No need to read the first book to understand and enjoy this one. Excellent reviews in Cat World, The Bookbag, NetGalley etc.

Or order from your bookshop. ALSO available at UK libraries - after SOMEWHERE IN EUROPE this is my most borrowed book from them, in the 2023-24 year (just got my PLR stat form!)

If in USA or outside UK, your own country's Amazon will be stocking it.

Jem Vanston AKA PJ Vanston is also author of the satirical campus novel Crump (Troubador:2010), cat lover novel A Cat Called Dog (Troubador:2013), plus the illustrated children's/crossover version of A Cat Called Dog (Austin Macauley:2015) - and A Cat Called Dog 2 (out 31/8/2017). Occasional writer of short stories and winner of prizes too. Author of Christmas picture book (for all ages) Santa Goes On Strike (2018).

I'm also a published song writer (music and lyrics) and musician (piano/keyboards/bass guitar), and have written over 100 songs. Listen to some of my demos here: https://soundcloud.com/user-217675148

PJ Vanston is the author of a new scathing satire on the television industry, the BBC and reality TV: Rasmus - a television tale (Troubador: October 2016). This may soon be optioned by the biggest film agency in the USA. Order via Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rasmus-Television-P-J-Vanston/dp/1785893610/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470389533&sr=1-1&keywords=rasmus+a+television+tale

http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=4061 (author page)

REVIEW (4 stars!) here: http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=Rasmus:_A_Television_Tale_by_PJ_Vanston

And here: https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-d232-Satire-on-reality-TV-puts-the-gross-in-engrossing#.WUOP_uRK1PY

To order the illustrated children's version of A Cat Called Dog by Jem Vanston, please use the following information:

Paperback (£6.99)  ISBN: 9781784559595

Hardback (£12.99) ISBN: 9781784559618

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cat-Called-Dog-Jem-Vanston/dp/1784559598/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440484462&sr=1-1&keywords=a+cat+called+dog

Also available in all decent national book shops now.

The original 2013 edition of A Cat Called Dog can be purchased here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cat-Called-Dog-Jem-Vanston/dp/1780885598

To hear radio interviews click on the sound files on the left side of this webpage:

http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=2177

My first novel - a dark campus satire called Crump - is sold out of paperback (hurrah!) but still available in e-book format + still selling:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crump-P-J-Vanston/dp/1848762852

A sequel will be out in 2020/2021.

Here is my author page on one of my publishers' websites:

http://www.austinmacauley.com/author/vanston-jem