Robert Philip is an independent New Zealand author. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1945. After a career in the advertising business he began freelance writing in 1983 and has been a self-employed writer ever since. Gradually he reduced his commercial writing to dedicate himself to his own writing, preferring to write and publish his own work which is mostly (but not only) about New Zealand and New Zealanders. He has travelled extensively throughout New Zealand, Australia, Britain (where he lived and worked), Europe, Asia and Japan, as well as the United States (where he worked in advertising). He says he loves all good literature from all eras. His other interests lie firmly in the arts: art, music, opera, ballet and the theatre. He plays the saxophone and the ukulele. On the other hand he also loves rugby league and has supported the Warriors since their foundation in 1995. He lives with his wife in Greenlane, Auckland. Robert welcomes comments and feedback and is happy to speak about his writing and his books to schools, book clubs and writing groups within a convenient reach of Auckland.