Philip initially trained at University of Birmingham as a lawyer. Realising law wasn't for him, he pursued a career in advertising before finally becoming a journalist and novelist. He has now written over a hundred thrillers for adults, including the acclaimed Berlin Noir trilogy. Children of the Lamp is his first children's book.

Despite always wanting to write for children, Philip regarded the process as much more challenging than writing for adults. He was finally spurred in to writing Children of the Lamp, when his eldest son, William, shunned reading for video games and the television. In order to wean William off Playstation 2, Philip decided to write a book specifically for his children.

Hence when he first started working on Children of the Lamp, he thought he was only writing for an audience of three. By the time he had finished the book, it was still his intention to have it privately printed and commissioned an illustrator to brighten up the pages for his children.

In passing, he mentioned the book to his agent in Los Angeles who also had a son the same age as William. Before he knew it, DreamWorks had bought the film rights and Scholastic were not only publishing Children of the Lamp but had commissioned two more.

In his spare time, Philip enjoys reading Graham Swift, listening to Led Zeppelin, eating violet creams and watching Arsenal.

Children of the Lamp tells the story of twins, John and Philippa Gaunt, who live in New York . The early arrival of their wisdom teeth, aged 12, heralds strange dreams and a trip to London . There they meet their eccentric Uncle Nimrod. He tells them the truth about their background – they are born of a Djinn mother and as a result, they have extraordinary powers. Nimrod turns out to be a very important figure in the Djinn world and the children find themselves in the midst of a titanic battle of good and evil set across three continents.