About Me

Meet author Phillip Overton


I've been writing since the age of nine, and obsessed with model railways for just as long. Somehow both of those things just get in your blood. Born within sight and sound of the railway line in Gosford, north of Sydney, Australia, I've since called South East Queensland home since 1991.

On my way to becoming the author of four novels, I never lost my love for anything that runs on rails. When a publishing deal came to an end in 2012 that could easily have spelled the end of my writing career, I turned to writing about trains instead. The 17 railway and model train books that followed saw me nominated in the 2015 Global eBook Awards, and twice land on my print publisher Blurb's Bestseller list, (2022 and 2023).

Sadly the trains, railway stations and relics from the past that I have been photographing from a young age, are quickly disappearing, confined solely to the pages of books such as mine.

After a decade of blogging my Railway Reminiscing adventures across Australia and New Zealand, and farewelling a railway scene that no longer resembled the one that first captivated me in the 1980's, self-producing my two Favourite Australian Railway books along with 2016's photographic memoir 30 Years Chasing Trains, was my way of leaving something behind for the next generation of train freaks.

In the years between releasing my first novel The Long Way Home in 2007 and my final release in 2023, I amassed 23 books across multiple genres. I also grew a little older, a little wiser and a lot more protective of my time. Gone are the days of touring Australia's east coast while promoting and selling my books. In its place is the desire to simply enjoy my time with loved ones and to indulge a little more in my hobbies.

Like rocker Rod Stewart, I too have graced the cover of a national hobby magazine with my HO scale layout Philden appearing on the cover of the August 2018 Australian Model Railway Magazine and even spawning its own blog Philden Model Railway.

Since 2007, I somehow averaged a little over one new release per year. There were years where I consumed more coffee than sleep, and times where I spent more money promoting my books than what they actually returned. From expensive self-published releases to a publishing contract that came and went. I've experienced it all, and it took until 2019 for my writing to finally return a profit, thanks solely to the model railway books that I've produced and published myself.

My wife of 30 plus years and biggest fan, still very much in love.

Those years became part of the fabric of who I am, and throughout them all, I've been fortunate to have had my wife Denise beside me for the journey. With our children now raised, married and forging careers of their own, we are now enjoying the travel, milestones and moments that come as emptynesters still very much in love. Without her I wouldn't have made it this far. With her I can't wait to see what life has in store for me.

Over the years, there have been plenty of faces I have met through my writing, Authors such as Matthew Reilly, Kevin J. Anderson and Craig Silvey were kind enough to spare a few minutes of advice when it was needed. James L. Rubart and Rene Gutteridge both took the time to write to me, while Louise Cusack spent part of 2009 mentoring me while I further honed my craft. Their words of encouragement I have endeavoured to pass on in return.

As successful as 2023 has been with my Philden Model Railway books, I've long sensed the end of this era approaching.

Creativity often evolves, and for myself it has been bubbling away in the background throughout the past 18 months. 2024 signals a return to full-time study and a desire to take my creative mindset in a new direction. While you can never say never when it comes to writing another book, throughout 2023 it felt like I was writing the long goodbye in the story of Author Phillip Overton. Thanks to a change of life, there is a new persona waiting for me on the other side, and a new creative field for me to become immersed in.

I hope the words I leave behind, both on this blog and through my books, will continue to make a positive impact on the next generation who are following in our footsteps. However small that is. Until we meet again.

Phillip

Represented by


Phillip Overton announced his intention to step back from writing and the public eye in 2024, 37 years after first having his writing published. All copyright, legal rights, media inquiries, marketing and representation are still held in perpetual trust of the author.

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Please consider leaving a comment on my blog page, or better still, leave a review if you'd like to share how much you enjoyed reading one of my books on the site you purchased from. Sadly no media requests or public appearances are possible beyond November 2023.


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