THE STORY SO FAR

Born in Palmerston North, New Zealand, P.J. spent the first nine years moving around the country as his father’s contracts required. Spending 4 years in Huntly, attending Rakaumanga Primary School, he grew up as a minority amongst the Maori. Here much of his philosophy relating to tolerance and acceptance was born. The second half of his childhood was spent in Upper Hutt, where the inspiration for his first play, U.H.S. came from. Moving to the Wellington C.B.D. he was inspired by the rich artistic diversity of the capital and began his first literary works, shared to much praise in local performance venues.

In 1999 P.J. quit his role at Telecom and studied acting at Wellington Performing Arts Centre. After touring U.H.S. he decided to pursue his writing career, modifying the touring van into a mobile home and creating new works there including his first feature film, Jumbolia. The van was later sold to fund a year long trip through the United Kingdom where the love affair with a beautiful Kurdish woman inspired his epic poem, Love’s Plot. Returning to New Zealand heart-broken, he continued to develop the lifestyle columns he had begun while dating the ‘City Girl’ lifestyle columnist, and soon set himself the task of his first novel. What began as an exercise in writing from the perspective of a Hindi woman soon become an obsession and Like Vodka & Coke
was born.

Moving to Melbourne, Australia he acquired a bungalow in Williamstown where he completed his novel, as well as the 3 Davey series of children's picture books. Many other works have been completed along the way, some of which can be viewed on this site. P.J. currently resides in Newport, Victoria where he is completing the sequel to Like Vodka & Coke.