My name is Dean Jones, I am a 43-year-old father of 6, from Barrow-in-Furness (now living in Cheshire) who found that writing stories and poetry brought him the opportunity to escape the real world - for just a moment.

I first discovered an interest in writing when I was 12. I was away on a school trip and we had a day sat beside a river running through Eskdale, Cumbria. My teacher had tasked us to come up with a poem that captured the river and the scenery it meandered through. I duly obliged and set about capturing everything I saw. The result was something I was proud of, but more importantly my teacher loved it and told anyone who would listen all about the poem I had written. It was placed in center stage on the notice board and she even took it with her when she left...