Phil Latham was born in the twentieth century, a turbulent period in which millions endured the Second World War and then, later, the Spice Girls. Neither was his fault.
Phil grew up in Cheshire, the county famous for its smiling cat. His home town of Macclesfield nestles in the foothills of the Pennines and is best known for Joy Division, its silk heritage, and its damp, drizzly climate.
After a comprehensive education that was not, Phil embarked on a career in drugs. Validating IT systems for pharmaceutical manufacturers is a complicated and time-consuming process that sounds dull, but do not let that fool you; it is dull. However, his work minimising patient risk helps save lives. Yes, really. During the wretched COVID-19 years, Phil worked directly with two vaccine manufacturers. No one died.
Phil was inspired to write after reading a so-called humorous novel that contained no humour. Void was Commended in the Marlowe and Christie Novel Prize and was a Killer Nashville Claymore Award Finalist for Best Comedy.
Away from writing, Phil loves cinema, photographic hikes in the Peak District, and never listening to jazz. To avoid the double horror of junk mail and Jehovah’s Witnesses, Phil lives in the sun-kissed vista of mid-Cheshire, which is neither damp nor drizzly.
Phil fritters away his days handcrafting these potted biographies, of which this is number 17 from a series of 73. He does not drive a black BMW X5 (new shape), eat couscous, or vote for deluded politicians who insist they know best.
Phil’s master plan is to inflict even more suffering upon humanity in the form of a second novel.