James Hewison thought that making up tales to tell his two young children was just something fun to do at bedtime. The stories were supposed to help them sleep but, to his accidental delight, encouraged them to do the exact opposite. "Tell us another story," they would cry, or "can you tell it one more time... please?"

A few years later, his daughter-by now a voracious reader-wanted to read a short story with a difference and suggested he should write one. One story idea quickly became two and the ideas for more kept popping into his head. His first book was a 200 page middle-grade fiction novel called Behind the Twisted Fence, published in July 2018.

Hewison's next novel, written for a slightly younger readership with the working title The Great Monster Hunt, is expected in early 2019.