Alumnus celebrates latest book
14th February 2024
Virtual learning became second nature for former soldier and security consultant Phil Halton, who is celebrating the launch of his third novel, and fifth book.
Phil, who lives in Canada, finished his MA in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Gloucestershire in 2021, returning two years later to start his PhD in English Literature and Creative Writing, which he hopes to complete in 2027.
After finishing his postgraduate certificate in Creative Writing at Humber College in Toronto, he found that although overseas, the University was the perfect fit.
“I was looking for a writing program that focused on the ‘work’ rather than classes,” said Phil, “and that would pair me with a mentor. The University of Gloucestershire is one of the few places in the world offering this kind of focused program.”
“My experience as a student was entirely virtual, and I had little exposure to anyone in the program other than my mentor. This was great for staying focused, and because it was during the pandemic, perhaps it didn’t seem unusual either. But as things opened up again, I was able to travel to the UK for my graduation – where I met my mentor and other students from the program. It was great to make that connection in person, to see the campus and walk around Cheltenham. It was a wonderful way to wrap up what had already been a very rewarding experience.”
Phil was already a working writer before he started his degree, but he wanted to ensure he continued to develop professionally.
“The novel that I worked on as part of my Master’s degree has since been published as part of a three-book deal,” he said. “Because of my experience at Gloucestershire, I’m expanding my professional practice to include other aspects of writing and literature.”
Now a book coach, who also runs a small publishing company, Phil embraces the variety of his work.
“I enjoy having a mix of things to do, as it keeps everything feeling fresh. And so, the fact that right now I am writing a novel under contract, working on a PhD, running a company and coaching clients doesn’t feel daunting, it feels right.”
Phil’s new novel, Red Warning, is set in Afghanistan, a place that Phil often returns to in his writing, partly because it played such a formative role in his life.
“It’s also because it is a tremendous backdrop to the kinds of stories that I like to tell, which focus on issues of ethics and morality when people are faced with impossible situations. I’m fascinated by how people differentiate between right and wrong when there is no higher authority, like a central government, to make the distinction for them. This is often a theme in dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories, but we actually don’t have to make up scenarios where this is the case – they exist in real life, in recent history.
“And so Red Warning is set at a time in Afghan history when the government was corrupt and people were looking for alternatives. The choices that they made had unforeseen consequences that eventually shook the world – and I wanted to examine why those choices were made, and how it looked from the ground level.”
For anyone thinking of going to university, or adding to their education in some way, Phil believes a holistic approach – rather than a traditional one – can benefit anyone of any age.
“I think that sometimes people see education and work in a very linear way – that you go to school to be trained to do a specific job and then you have a career. I’d suggest that they see it in more of a cyclical way – that there can be multiple rounds of education and work in one’s life, and that education need not be vocational.
“It can also just expand the circle of people you know, expose you to new skills and knowledge, and widen the range of things that you are capable of. But how you mix your skills, knowledge and experiences together into your working life is unique to you, and isn’t a process that leads to a point where what you do has to be fixed.”
Photograph by Scott Munn