Neil Griffin is a husband, father and grandfather who lives in the North East of England. As a teacher he has found himself in settings from mainstream comprehensives to high security prisons. As a musician and entertainer he performed with his band "The Fabulous Wildon Brothers" on stages from the "Blood tub" workingmen's club, Stockton upon Tees to the Royal Albert Hall in 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 the mayoral robes was replaced with fake fur and he became nicknamed the "Veggie Burgher" by the UK's national press. After the success of Martha's Vineyard, his first novel, Neil has given up teaching to write full time. His latest novel, The Church Across the Street, was released on August 1st 2013.