I was a journalist and non-fiction author for 25 years before giving it all up in 2003 to become a dishwasher in a restaurant in the South of France. I didn't write much for a while until I had to give up cooking because of carpal tunnel problems in 2010. I became a TEFL teacher, still in the South of France, and now in 2018 I'm trying to get serious again about writing - fiction, this time. I did write a book about my experiences as a cook, in particular the year I spent at catering college in Avignon. I self-published it on Kindle, and even got some nice reviews. So far it's earned me about €17.36. So I've got that going for me.