Kidderminster millionaire gives up his old life to live in a caravan and write books

May 17 2010 by Zoe Chamberlain, Sunday Mercury

A MILLIONAIRE has revealed how he gave up his fortune after walking away from his family – to live in a caravan and write novels.

Jack George Edmunson suffered a Reggie Perrin-style mid-life crisis at the age of 47 after working long hours away from home as a logistics consultant.

But instead of quitting the rat race to spend more time with wife Melanie, 48, and their son Joseph, 12, he got a divorce.

Jack, 56 and from Kidderminster, then gave Melanie the family home, together with their Spanish property and most of his pension and walked away from his privileged life.

He then went on to pursue his dreams of writing a book called The Sun Sharer – the first of a trilogy – which he has self-published through funding from a friend.

“I have £173 in my bank account which has somehow got to last me until mid-July when I get my first cheque for books sold,” said the twice-divorced dad-of-three.

“Yet I used to earn £800 a day. I was a millionaire on paper.”

The Sun Sharer is a dark novel about a marriage breakdown and is shockingly explicit in its sexual and spiritual content.

It is more fiction than autobiography – but the author has used the name Jack George Edmunson to protect his family and himself from unwanted attention.

He said: “I wanted readers to be able to identify with Jack, and they have.

“It’s been amazing. I’ve had women emailing, wanting me to make mad passionate love to them! Other people have got in touch wanting me to answer their spiritual needs, having really identified with the spiritual side of the novel.

“It seems to have touched a raw nerve, especially in people my age.