As a child Phil harboured dreams of becoming a professional footballer, only for his career to be ended by an addiction to Frazzles, as well as an all-round lack of ability. Instead, at the age of 26, he got a job in a bookshop and fell in love with children’s fiction. Eighteen years on, he is the author of fifteen novels, and delights in unearthing stories from everyday, innocuous events. He lives with his three children, on the side of a very steep hill in West Yorkshire.
