It all started when…

The youngest of three brothers, I was born and bred in Birmingham, UK. Qualified in two industries, Hotel Management (from Portsmouth Polytechnic) and Finance. Spent 30 employed years between the two trades, including five years aboard the five star Royal Viking Line cruise ships (RV Sea, RV Sky and RV Star) seeing and working a lot of the world, enjoying visits to fifty or so countries, ranging from Tasmania, Singapore, USA, Canada, Borneo, Vanuatu, Hong Kong & The Solomon Isles to some great transits, like The Panama, Kiel and Suez canals - awesome! A once in a lifetime opportunity, but you have to be prepared to work 7 days a week for 6 months!!

But there is still much to see and do!! Have enjoyed writing since my teen years, particularly poetry and short stories, and am just beginning to get them out and about!

I am now self- employed, freelance writing and offering GHOSTWRITING SERVICES  (see my ghostwriting page for more detail of 'The Garden House on the Corner.. the story of a Berkshire lad’ by Keith Howkins, available now from all booksellers, ISBN 978-1906631512).

I also continue to run our Art business after my wife, Professional Artist Cherie Wheatcroft, very sadly passed away in June 2023. The website to enjoy and buy is www.cheriewheatcroft.com

Music has also been a love of mine since learning the acoustic guitar with the patient help of my step-brother Tony Kelsey (currently playing with the great Robert Plant in ‘Saving Grace’ -he also played in the ‘Bev Bevan Band’, touring with Jasper Carrot and ‘Quill’), and have played in many different hotels, restaurants etc, often with my own songs as well as some of my own favourites. The late Dan Fogelberg was a big favourite, together with Simon & Garfunkel and the late Gordon Lightfoot -some of their songs earnt me many meals on the metros of Paris and on the streets of London!! I play under the name Climerjen or Love 40. I am finalising my third set of material from my own life adventures, and hope to have all available soon! For something unusual, people used to say I looked like Billy Connolly, so I did a stint of being 'Billy Conn' (soundalike and lookalike) with my banjo in tow, and did stand up in many venues including Dorchester, Corfe Castle and Bournemouth, entertaining from 14 guests to 500 !! A little intro I did is available on my 'Billy Conn' page! I now live on the south coast and my motto for each day - live it to the full!!