Welcome to Overtown
Here's what's making news in Overtown
Whether it was my writing or photographs that led you to this blog, you'll notice that I always tried to keep this site fresh and interesting. However, with so much accumulated material since my first entry appeared in 2011, I needed a page to index them all. Welcome to Overtown, my very own page of archived work. Sit back and put your feet up. You could be here a while!
Since 2011, four years after the release of my first novel, I've been sharing through this blog what has worked with my writing career, and what hasn't. From organising a 6,197 km long book tour, to a Guinness Book of World Records attempt, there's a lot more that happens outside of the covers of a book than between them. Ultimately these are the stories that shape the writer and perhaps person that you become. Staring disappointment in the face often calls for staying positive. I'd rather think of it as being 'Positively Phill,' and staying true to myself. So without further fanfare, these are my stories.
#1 Thoughts on book touring ~ #2 On the road again ~ #3 Going for the record ~ #4 Other Side of 40 ~ #5 Adding some local flavour ~ #6 The Online World Tour ~ #7 Starting out somewhere ~ #8 Fictional or realistic settings ~ #9 End of the world ~ #10 Sports cheats and plagiarists ~ #11 Judging books by covers ~ #12 Giving stories second chances ~ #13 Is Social Media working? ~ #14 Beware of the snakes ~ #15 Does Crowdfunding really work? ~ #16 What's a long time? ~ #17 Where travel writing fails ~ #18 Is blogging still relevant? ~ #19 Ending a career positively ~ #20 Retiring a good series ~ #21 Twenty Twenty Twenty One
Who knew that taking a break after novel number four would inspire me to write most of what you read on this blog? From growing up in Gosford, to moving north to Brisbane where I married my wife Denise, and all throughout Australia's east coast. In all I wrote 100 articles from some pretty far flung and long forgotten railway lines Down Under.
Ardglen, NSW ~ Ballarat, VIC ~ Belgrave, VIC ~ Bowen, QLD ~ Brighton Beach, VIC ~ Broadmeadow, NSW ~ Bundaberg, QLD ~ Burringbar, NSW ~ Byron Bay, NSW ~ Cairns, QLD ~ Casino, NSW ~ Carrington, NSW ~ Central, NSW ~ Circular Quay, NSW ~ Coffs Harbour, NSW ~ Colebrook, TAS ~ Coonabarabran, NSW ~ Coramba, NSW ~ Cunningham Pier, VIC ~ Devonport, TAS ~ Dunbible, NSW ~ Emerald, VIC ~ Flinders Street, VIC ~ Foster, VIC ~ Geelong, VIC ~ Gembrook, VIC ~ Glenreagh, NSW ~ Gosford, NSW ~ Grafton, NSW ~ Gympie, QLD ~ Gympie North, QLD ~ Hamilton, NSW ~ Hawkesbury River, NSW ~ Helidon, QLD ~ Ida Bay, TAS ~ Ingham, QLD ~ Innisfail, QLD ~ Katoomba, NSW ~ Kawerau, NZ ~ Kempsey, NSW ~ Kiama, NSW ~ Korumburra, VIC ~ Landsborough, QLD ~ Leura, NSW ~ Lismore, NSW ~ Mackay, QLD ~ Macksville, NSW ~ Mamaku, NZ ~ Margate, TAS ~ Matamata, NZ ~ Maydena, TAS
Melbourne, VIC ~ Menzies Creek, VIC ~ Middle Brighton, VIC ~ Mooball, NSW ~ Mooloolah, QLD ~ Moree, NSW ~ Mullumbimby, NSW ~ Murwillumbah, NSW ~ Muswellbrook, NSW ~ Nambour, QLD ~ Nambucca Heads, NSW ~ Nana Glen, NSW ~ Narrabri, NSW ~ National Park, TAS ~ Neath, NSW ~ Ngongataha, NZ ~ Parkes, NSW ~ Pelaw Main, NSW ~ Point Clare, NSW ~ Port Melbourne, VIC ~ Puffing Billy, VIC ~ Raleigh, NSW ~ Roma Street, QLD ~ Richmond, VIC ~ Richmond Main, NSW ~ Robina, QLD ~ Rockhampton, QLD ~ Rotorua, NZ ~ Sandringham, VIC ~ Sawtell, NSW ~ Scenic World, NSW ~ Seymour, VIC ~ Singleton, NSW ~ South Brisbane, QLD ~ Southern Cross, VIC ~ St James, NSW ~ St Kilda, VIC ~ State Rail Authority of NSW ~ Stokers Siding, NSW ~ Tauranga, NZ ~ Tirau, NZ ~ Toowoomba, QLD ~ Townsville, QLD ~ Tully, QLD ~ Warrnambool, VIC ~ Wauchope, NSW ~ Westerway, TAS ~ Wright, VIC ~ Zig Zag, NSW
Somewhere in between writing novels and compiling this blog, I managed to become a better photographer. While I've long been photographing old railway stations and whatever trains I've been lucky enough to stumble upon throughout my life, it was only when I began curating my Railway Reminiscing stories that I tried experimenting with different camera angles compared to other more traditional railway photographers that I am familiar with. Setting my photos to poetry, or perhaps vice versa, for my Last Train books led to even more experimentation in my search for originality. The below entries and photos provide a sneak-peek at what you can expect in my books.
#1 Warwick, QLD ~ #2 Wyreema, QLD ~ #3 Gympie, QLD ~ #4 Amamoor, QLD ~ #5 Ballarat, VIC ~ #6 Wright, VIC ~ #7 Flinders Street, VIC ~ #8 Lakeside, VIC ~ #9 Imbil, QLD ~ #10 Allora, QLD ~ #11 Willowburn, QLD ~ #12 Kandanga, QLD ~ #13 Quirindi, NSW ~ #14 Muswellbrook, NSW ~ #15 Ardglen, NSW ~ #16 Rotorua, NZ ~ #17 Glenapp, QLD ~ #18 The Risk, NSW ~ #19 Dunbible, NSW ~ #20 Mullumbimby, NSW ~ #21 Byron Bay, NSW ~ #22 Shannon Brook, NSW ~ #23 Ulong, NSW ~ #24 Lowanna, NSW
Thanks for taking the time to visit!
