Born in the East Midlands, UK, Phillip D. Curwood had a working-class upbringing. By his mid-forties, he was manager for a printing firm before redundancy called, and he took on the more rewarding role of full-time carer for his severely disabled daughter.

Phillip had always wanted to be a writer, but as is usual, life got in the way of those dreams. It wasn’t until 2013, and many long sleepless nights, that he started laying down ideas that would eventually become the supernatural romance, Arabella: A Picture of Beauty. Since then, the 56-year-old author has written two more novels, which lend themselves to the alternative, more unusual type of paranormal and Sci-fi novel. His next book, Time Light, has a more ‘Jason Bourne’ feel to it, which he hopes will keep his readers hooked.

You can visit Phillip on Goodreads, Twitter, or Facebook.

What motivates you to write and how did you get started?

An interesting question, Sandy, which could be answered in just one word – Music. Yes, I grab my inspiration from other sources too, but music motivates me to think up the characters and the landscape. When I hear certain types of music, a story begins to play out, like a film in my head… if that makes any sense, writer to writer?

What’s most rewarding about writing?

Simply being able to create worlds and people that exist in them. You know, I still get a kick out of knowing my books came directly from my inner-most thoughts and dreams.

What’s your favourite genre and why?

I have two favourite genres – the Supernatural. I say the supernatural because of my personal experience. I once actually lived in a haunted house, Sandy. For 13-years I witnessed things that were and still are unexplainable. It fed my curiosity over the years to an extent that all I wanted to do is express it through writing.

The other genre high on my list is Sci-fi and the author James Blish. It was his descriptive writing that fed my appetite to want to do the same from a very young age. He created amazing worlds and characters, thought-provoking ideas on technology – he was ahead of his time. In turn, the genre introduced me to the likes of Asimov and H.G.Wells… Oh yeah, from the age of about 10, I most definitely caught the writing bug.

Where do your characters come from?

In my debut novel, Arabella, the protagonist, Lady Arabella Lytefoot came right out of a portrait of the once Lady Jane Smijth, which I stumbled across at a museum. I was so smitten by the way the artist, Sir Godfrey Kneller, had created such an animated and altogether beautiful lady, I just had to bring her to life somehow. The writer, Nathan Rothwell… is me.

Lytefoot was a combination of classic Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, combined with a few ghost hunting colleagues I once had the pleasure to know back in the mid-nineties when I dabbled in professional ghost hunting. With a little bit of imagination, I’d created a stand-alone sequel to my debut novel, Arabella!

The Heather in May characters derived from little known ‘70s TV programmes I grew up with, and Katie Moorland is just my take on ‘Wuthering Heights’ romantic interest, Cathy Earnshaw, without all the complexities that came with that brilliant story.

Who is an author who inspires you and why?

There are many? Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, James Blish, H.G.Wells. The list goes on…

What do you look for in other people’s books?

The feeling of emotion and that of description. If the story is deadpan, you’ve completely lost me I’m afraid.

What are you writing now?

A complex novel entitled Time Light. Without giving too much away, the story is based around the mysterious Time Agent, Trevalyn Scurr. Through this action-packed, dimensional time-hopping story, we shall discover more about this character. Watch out for the antagonist, Noonian Garmard! She’s a tough lady that gives Trevalyn a run for his money.

What kind of book would you like to be known for?

A scary, heart-stopping blinder of a novel.

What has writing taught you about yourself?

I discovered through the character Nathan Rothwell, in Arabella (who was me in disguise) how little I knew of myself. It’s funny, when planning the character; I discovered I had an altogether wild side, an emotional drive. I never knew deep within what I was about until I dug it out of me for the sake of the story… Crazy to think that I like fast cars too!

How has your life experience influenced your writing?

It hasn’t? In fact, it’s the other way round.

What encouraging advice can you offer new writers?

Three important words – Never Give Up! In addition to that, don’t let anyone pull you down. Readers and writers alike tend to be too analytical on occasions. Yes, it may teach you to write better in the end, but to some extent, it can be damaging to the ‘Rookie Scribe’. Writing is a learning curve, so only listen to those who will offer you good advice, not those who go out on a limb to step on you, for no good reason.