As a teacher, Neil Griffin has found himself in settings from mainstream comprehensives to high security prisons. As a musician and entertainer he has performed with his band the Fabulous Wildon Brothers on stages as diverse as the “Blood tub”, Workingmen’s club, Stockton on Tees and the Royal Albert Hall, London. As a local politician he has served as a member of Arts Council England and as Mayor of Durham City. A role which brought vegetarian, Neil to the attention of the nation’s media when the fur on his mayoral robes was replaced with fake fur. As a result he became nicknamed the “Veggie Burgher” by the national press. A 52 year-old, husband, father and grandfather this is his first novel.

Aspiring novelist and English teacher Bob Hazzard’s only real friends are Sally, a colleague from Fletcherford Community College’s English Department and the eccentrics who attend his Writers’ Group. The surprise discovery of a deceased aunt sends Bob on a pilgrimage from the comfort of his humdrum life in Northern England to the exotic home and vineyard of the estranged Martha where he resolves to put down his own roots and write the ‘perfect holiday novel’. However her life and in particular, that of her Greek husband Uncle Dimitri, prove to be more sinister than they, at first, appeared and the dark secrets of Martha’s vineyard transform Bob’s life irrevocably. As Bob absorbs himself into this new community he unearths some dangerous and brutal truths from his own past. A past that means his future will never be the same again. This is a story of belonging, ambition, self-discovery and betrayal. Through its pages readers will discover new things about who they are and how they think. Packed with humourous insights and observations it will appeal to all who dream of writing, of travel and of different futures. It will also appeal to anyone who has been or is intending to visit Greece.

My Novel

Virtual Book Launch
Some reviews and the complete first chapter of my novel, "Martha's Vineyard"