AUTHOR VISITS
I’m an author who didn’t grow up loving books.
At school, I wasn’t the kid reading novels. I preferred comics and short stories—things that got to the point and stuck with me. What I did love, though, were words. The way they sound. The way they work together. The rhythm they create when you have the right syllables and consonants in the right place.
I started my career as a teacher, spending ten years in schools in London and Kenya, so I don't get nervous facing a group of students (well, maybe a little). I gave up the classroom for the boardroom, where strategies, contracts, proposals and presentations became my creative writing.
I never thought I'd write a book, but semi-retirement gave me the time to try. At first, I approached the writing tentatively, but as my confidence grew, I looked forward to opening up my laptop and giving more life to my characters. I am currently working on the sequel to The Hornets' Nest, A Sting In The Tail, and have discovered I'm pretty addicted to the storytelling process.
I chose to self-publish The Hornets' Nest because I wanted to maintain control… and I like a project! It's forced me to understand the entire publishing process, which has given me some very interesting insights that I love to share!
School Visits
The Hornets' Nest and A Sting In The Tail are young adult action/adventure novels that explore friendship, identity, self-discovery and creativity and persistence. I am available for author interviews, talks and workshops where students will gain:
-A clear understanding of how my stories are built
-Practical tools for creating compelling characters
-Insights into plotting and structuring a story
-An honest look at the writing and publishing journey
Neil answered questions and gave readings from his latest novel, captivating students with his storytelling and encouraging them that they, too, could be storytellers. The whole morning was a real celebration of the arts – Neil is a seasoned musician and songwriter as well as being a prose writer. He encouraged students to create their own art in whatever format that might be – whether through music, songwriting, painting, playwriting – the list goes on. One of the highlights of the visit was the creative writing workshop delivered to all KS3 students. The sessions were interactive, imaginative and highly engaging, giving students the opportunity to develop their own ideas, experiment with writing techniques and build confidence in their creative abilities.
Louise Hobson, Head of Arts, Rockport School
Libraries And Events
I provide a behind-the-scenes look at my journey to writing and publishing The Hornet’s Nest. I offer insights in the following areas:
-A candid look into the writing process - from idea to finished manuscript (via many drafts!).
-The realities of self-publishing, including the money side of things
-how I developed my characters
-Why is my plot what it is
-Mistakes and lessons learned from writing and releasing a debut novel
Neil's visit to Portaferry Library was informative and engaging. He discussed his attraction to comics and short stories as a teenager and later his love for words and lyric writing. His explanation of the self-publishing journey was as fascinating as the story-writing one. A very interesting hour!
