Neil has written several small items over the years, but he decided not to publish them. Upon becoming a father in 2000 he decided to start writing a children's book, which is still a work in progress. In 2012, though, Neil decided to write a novel that drew on his memories of his late father, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1989, and "Mr Robbins" was born. Originally written in only 25 days and published under a different title, Neil has edited it and polished it to within an inch of its life, and is now publishing it under a new title that ties in with the title of a feature film based upon the novel, that is due to shoot in 2015. Excited is not the word, even if Neil does realise that the closest he ever comes to a red carpet would involve being asked to vacuum it.