Vanessa's first play was written when she was seventeen and resulted in her being expelled from school. Since then she has tried her hand at many jobs with varying levels of success. She has driven a lighting truck through Spain with the James Bond crew, squelched under London in pitch-dark sewers, traded antiques and sold hot chestnuts.

She is the proud guardian of three chickens, two boys and a cat. Her short stories have been featured in numerous anthologies, websites and publications including the Evening Standard. She has told her tales in many venues including theatres, farms, ships, hospitals, and pubs. She regularly leads story sessions for two primary schools in Southwark.