Clive Lawton was born in Surrey, England, on 3 October 1977. He graduated in English Literature from the University of Southampton in 2001 and received his PGCE from the University of London to teach English at post-compulsory level the following year.

After teaching English Literature and Language in West London, he went on to assist the learning and development of children with special needs before moving to Japan in July 2006. His first job in Japan was for a private Language School in the heart of Shinjuku, Tokyo.

In early 2008, Clive was again teaching English as a foreign language to international students in the UK. After some time working in Taiwan, it wasn't until the Spring of 2010 that he returned to Japan. Initially staying in Tokyo, he accepted a teaching position in the town of Tsuchiura in Ibaraki, about 50 miles north of the capital.

At the time of the earthquake on 11 March 2011, Clive was in Central Tokyo, but in the days following the disaster, managed to travel back into Ibaraki where there was a far greater level of destruction. His experiences and those of others he knew and met at that time, formed the inspiration for 'Flowers From Fukushima'.