News & Events

Here's the lowdown of what's happening




Keeping to my goal of releasing book 23 in the year '23, the early hours of December 31, 2023 saw my latest book Revamp An Existing Layout go live on my publisher's website. Talk about cutting my self-imposed deadline fine!


Of course this follows my announcement back on May 26th, that 2023 would see me calling time on writing as Phillip Overton. It was equal parts sad, exciting and perhaps a little expected, given my time as a full-time writer has bounced along since 2007, largely driven and self-funded by myself.

There have been Author events, book store signings, award nominations and even book tours that saw me travel Australia's east coast promoting my early novels. During that time, my wife and I have raised two children, saw them both marry and move out of home, and recently welcomed our first Granddaughter into our growing family. Yet the time has come to step away from it all, after letting each of my previous books consume so much of me both mentally and financially.

In some weird, final bit of writer's analogy, setting the goal of reaching book 23 in the year '23, just so happened to be Michael Jordan's number and as close to perfection that I could relate to in my lifetime. It meant so much to me personally to see my last book come to fruition before the year was over.

Having just completed a 12 month project on how to Revamp An Existing Layout, it seems ironic that I now take an extended break to revamp myself. A new project and new career goals will likely forge a new identity through wherever they lead me. The time of writing as Phillip Overton is now over.



Revamp An Existing Layout becomes my final new release, and a fitting book given that it also touches on the psychology of what a model railway represents, what feelings they can evoke, and the financially daunting task of building something that provides so much enjoyment, while also consuming so much of your time and money.

That, in a nutshell, is life!

While I will keep my model railway ramblings continuing for the foreseeable future over on my Philden Model Railway blog, the days of updating this blog have slowly drawn to an end over the past 12 months. Dwindling readership and a series of now irrelevant holiday updates, writing advice and positivity blogging, has seen so much of what I once poured my heart and soul into erode into obscurity like a Twitter post from 2010. While a re-release of my earlier novels is something that is on the cards over the coming years, it is a project that I won't come along for the ride with. My time ends here.

So to all of my past readers who will no doubt re-stumble upon this blog in the years to come, thank you for being there for the real journey, in the years before TikTok, Insta and anything else that I just haven't managed to keep up with. You were the sweet ingredients that made for a great recipe of my life. I wouldn't have reached book 23 without you.

Cheers, and all my best!
(December 31, 2023).

Here's my scrapbook of past achievements and news headlines


  

From my nomination in the 2015 Global eBook Awards, to an 11,649 km Book Tour of Australia's east coast, appearing in over 30 major regional newspapers, and even having my hobby feature on the cover of a national model railway magazine, you can't say I haven't tried to get my name out there...



  • Australian Model Railway Magazine (book review) - December 2023
  • Keynote Speaker - British Railway Modellers Convention - September 2023
  • Will James's Australian Model Railway News (book review) - August 2023
  • Will James's Australian Model Railway News (book review) - June 2023
  • Will James's Australian Model Railway News (book review) - February 2023
  • We'll still make do (poetry/short film) debuts on YouTube - October 2022
  • Will James's Australian Model Railway News (book review) - September 2022
  • Will James's Australian Model Railway News (book review) - January 2022
  • Australian Model Railway Magazine (book review) - August 2020
  • Australian Model Railway Magazine (book review) - October 2018
  • Australian Model Railway Magazine (cover & feature) - August 2018
  • ABC Radio Southern Queensland, Breakfast with David Iliffe - 2 August 2017
  • Kiama Independent, NSW - 17 April 2015
  • Niume - Online Travel eZine - December 2014
  • Destinations Magazine - Issue 78, Winter 2014
  • New Age Mama, USA - 11 September 2012
  • Caloundra Buzz Magazine, QLD - March/April edition 2012
  • Sunshine Coast Weekender Magazine, QLD - 23 March 2012
  • Kingborough Chronicle - Margate, TAS - 10 September 2011
  • Caloundra Weekly, QLD - 27 April 2011
  • The Coffs Coast Advocate, NSW - 20 April 2011
  • The Daily Examiner - Grafton, NSW - 20 April 2011
  • Ballina Shire Advocate, NSW - 20 April 2011
  • Northern Rivers Echo, NSW - 20 April 2011
  • The Northern Star - Lismore, NSW - 20 April 2011
  • Byron Shire News, NSW - 20 April 2011
  • Daily News - Tweed Heads, NSW - 20 April 2011
  • Gold Coast Mail, NSW - 20 April 2011
  • The Warwick Daily News, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • The Toowoomba Chronicle, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • The Queensland Times, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • The Ipswich Satellite, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • The Ipswich Advertiser, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • Gatton, Lockyer & Brisbane Valley Star, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • The Logan Reporter, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • Coolum & North Shore News, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • Noosa News, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • The Gympie Times, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • Fraser Coast Chronicle, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • News Mail - Bundaberg, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • The Morning Bulletin - Rockhampton, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • Daily Mercury - Mackay, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • Central Telegraph - Biloela, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • Central Queensland News, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • Whitsunday Times - Airlie Beach, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • The Observer - Gladstone, QLD - 20 April 2011
  • Sunshine Coast Daily, QLD - 17 April 2011
  • The Soul Saloon with Rena Reese, talk radio show, USA - 9 March 2011
  • Glasshouse Country News - Beerwah, QLD - 15 December 2010
  • The Cessnock Advertiser, NSW - 15 September 2010
  • Redcliffe City News, QLD - 24 August 2010
  • Sunshine Coast Weekender Magazine, QLD - 13 August 2010
  • Polka Dot Banner book website, USA - 6 October 2009
  • Bayside Bulletin, Redland, QLD - 26 June 2007
  • The Foster Mirror, VIC - 11 April 2007
  • Central Coast Express Advocate - Gosford, NSW - March 2007

  

   

 
 
 
 

   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 



Here's some of my past milestones & achievements


 

  • 2023 Blurb Bestseller List selection, Model Railway Scenery Secrets
  • 2022 Blurb Bestseller List selection, Model Railway Trackside Tips
  • 2015 Nominee Global eBook Awards, Train Tripping Coastal Queensland
  • 2015 Featured Author on BookWorks - The Self-Publishers Association
  • 2010 2nd round selection, Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, A Walk Before Sunrise
  • 2009 Polka Dot Banner featured author of the month
  • 1991 Poem Travel by night appeared in Heartland Magazine, Australia
  • 1989 Winner Foster High School Writing Award for poetry, VIC Australia
  • 1988 Winner Foster High School Writing Award for prose, VIC Australia
  • 1987 Winner Foster High School Writing Award for prose, VIC Australia

Here's a look back at my past Book Tours


2022 Railway Modellers Club of Queensland Open Day.

Nine years since making my last public book appearance, I was out in force on Sunday 6th November 2022 at the RMCQ Open Day and Buy and Sell in Brendale, Brisbane. I feel pretty blessed to be able to combine my two favourite interests, model trains and writing, and after a long break since novel number four became a disappointing eBook only release, I'm pictured here holding a copy of my book Model Railway Trackside Tips, which is my 13th railway book and made my publisher's bestseller page for the month of October. Thanks to a very successful day, I'm now planning to make a book appearance at a model railway club open day an annual event.


After 7 years of touring the East Coast of Australia with my books, I made my final public appearance for the foreseeable future at the Maleny Celebration of Books in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland on 26 October of 2013. I was signing books for one last time before the curtains fell on the end of an era that saw me travel 11,649 km while making a total of 41 appearances and visiting every capital city along the Australian East Coast. Due to the massive personal expense involved, tours like these will not occur again until the release of my next novel and a return-to-print of my entire back catalogue of books.


2012 saw my first virtual book tour visiting 26 websites from the USA to the Philippines. Interviews, guest posts, reviews and lots of giveaways. This sure was one busy month! click to read more...


My third book tour in 2012 followed the release of my third novel, Last Wish of Summer. Launched locally in Caloundra, the tour was a local one, visiting 12 venues across the Sunshine Coast over the course of 9 months. click to read more...


My second book tour in 2011 saw me trek a total of 6,197 km while visiting 8 different locations between Tin Can Bay in Queensland, and Margate in far south Tasmania. It was my most ambitious tour so far, and one that probably will not be repeated for quite some time! click to read more...


My first book tour in 2010 saw me travel Australia's east coast from Pomona on the Sunshine Coast to Penrith, west of Sydney, visiting 13 different locations while covering a distance of 3,452 km. click to read more...


My earliest appearances as an author followed the 2007 release of my debut novel The Long Way Home, which was launched in Brisbane, Australia at Riverbend Books & Teahouse in Bulimba. click to read more...