Craig Phoenix
As a child I was always writing stories and poems, at school I loved to be creative; I was never the most academic student, but art and creative writing were what I enjoyed the most.
I remember writing one story I wrote when I was 12, about a train, that my english teacher, Mr Hennebry, tried to get me to work on and improve - alas, I was at the age when I was easily distracted; in fact even in adult life I find I have to do my creativity in small doses, so I always have many balls in the air. It also gives my imagination a chance to develop the ideas, I very rarely have writers block. It wasn't until 2002, after the break up of my band 'Carpe Diem', and being well into rehearsals for 'Copacabana', which I was doing at the Empire Theatre in Southend-On-Sea, that I really started to focus on my writing. Afters years of writing songs I wanted to expand on the ideas and to that end I wrote 'Soulshadow'; inspired by the ghost stories that had been recounted about the theatre, which was over 100 years old.
The Empire Theatre is an amazing building which had unfortunately spent the best part of the previous 30 years empty, and rotting; a decaying monument to those times when Dance Halls and Theatres were all the rage in most small towns. Yet, for a 10 year period, we, The New Empire Players, were the in-house group of the Robertson family, putting on up to 10 show, plays, reviews a year to keep the dream alive. And it was successful! 'Soulshadow' was on sale there, as it was rich with the atmosphere of that goliath of a building that used to be the focal point of Southend entertainment.
Encouraged by feedback from strangers who took the chance on my books, I continued to write have since written 4 more books, available here, on Amazon; Soulshadow, Ushered, Toby:Thyme Cottage, Shelbourne, and now, Stasis - which has taken the longest time to write, involving lots of research.
I ma currently working on Toby:Michael & Isobel, the 2nd part to the saga, and will head straight onto part 3 afterwards. before allowing them to rest before editing whilst I go back tot Redsands. I hope you enjoy my books.
