About Chris

       Thanks for visiting my site and taking some time to find out a little bit more about me. My name is Chris Allton and I am an author, musician, teacher and dad (though not necessarily in that order). I am a dad to Layla - the thing I am most proud of in my life and she inspires me every day (often appearing in many of my stories). 

       I have been a teacher for over twenty years since I graduated in Liverpool in 1998. Over those years, I have seen the state of education change enormously, some areas for the better, some for the worse. The one thing that has remained consistent is the immense fun I have in the classroom with children when teaching, something I am still passionate about today.

       I have been a musician the longest; I learnt to play the keyboard when I was eleven and got my first guitar when I was fourteen.  Since that day, I have loved performing and collaborating with different musicians, always looking to learn and create something new.

       As for being an author, it is relatively new compared to the other things, but it is something I enjoy tremendously. My first novel, Steam, started as a short story that kept on growing and growing in words. I soon realised I was writing a novel and I loved every second of the writing experience. Having read hundreds of stories as a dad and a teacher, it was time for me to be on the other end, the author. I was hooked.

       I became an author in 2017 and published my first book in November of that year. As it was such a positive experience, I started my next story, Embarrassing Dad, almost immediately, releasing it in 2018. My experiences as a dad (and as a son) greatly influenced this with lots of stories I know all dads and children will relate to.

       In August  2019, I published Terrible Teacher, again, with some content based on true stories, not the terrible bit of course! 2020 brought us lockdown and a new way of teaching. I was still in the classroom, with key worker children, but the majority of the class were in small boxes on the computer screen. During this time I was busy working on mindful and well-being texts for all ages. I felt there were lots of children and staff suffering at this time.

      I published a book for children called Be Kind Kids, offering positive advice I have used in my career as a teacher and a parent. A series of well-being journals followed for kids, teachers, and anyone (everyone needs a bit of well-being, don't they). This, in turn, has led to a range of journals for all areas of life including walking, playing the guitar, watching TV or movies, travelling, bucket lists... the list goes on.

       In November 2020, I finally published a book I wrote over the summer entitled The Late Reindeer, a Christmas story, perfect for stockings. This was followed by Don't Lose The Plot, a book based upon experiences from writing lessons and tricks I have used in planning story plots. I have also published a book which, believe it or not, I have been writing for most of my life entitled Before I Finally Go Insane, taken from the song Layla, which includes lyrics to all the songs I have written.

      In May 2021, I published three different picture books entitled - The Visit, How Do Colours Feel? and @Red #Internet Safety. This was followed in June 2021 by Knight School, a tale of Adam and his desire to join the school for knights. Knight School II came next, closely followed by another Christmas story - Elvis the Elf. A new book entitled Parents V Teenagers takes a humorous look at the relationship between these two groups. A poetry anthology called My Teacher has a selection of poems, in a range of poetic styles followed next.

       In 2022 I completed the next book in the Knight School series, Knight School III, and a follow-up to The Visit called The Revisit. Frankenstein inspired Hank Einstein followed next, the tale of a young boy and his pet frog. After my Mum died from dementia, I decided to write What's Wrong With Gran? - a look at how to deal with dementia and the issues surrounding it. The Day The Dragon Came To School looks at starting a new school and fitting in somewhere new. I hope to complete Knight School IV before the end of the year and who knows what 2023 will bring.

       Though I have come to writing later in my life, I have found it extremely satisfying to use the skills and experiences I have developed throughout my life as a teacher, musician and dad in my writing and look forward to producing many more books and visiting more schools and libraries. 

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