Gavin Whyte

Gavin is an author and public speaker based in the UK.He was a postman with Royal Mail for ten years. In that time he got himself a long-awaited recording contract with a record label in London. He headlined venues throughout the UK and had a couple of releases on 12″ Vinyl, but quickly realised that his passion for music had left.As he says, “I just outgrew my desire. I had dreamed of signing along the dotted line of a recording contract since I was fourteen. My dream was realised just under a decade later – but to my surprise, and trust me, I was surprised, I didn’t want it anymore. It was this experience that later became the backbone for Happiness & Honey.”He turned his attention to writing in 2009 when he wrote Waiting for Wings for the family of one of his best friends.“He was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2007,” says Gavin. “One day, when I went to visit him, he said he woke up to see an angel at the side of his bed. There and then I told him I would write a book about it. Initially it wasn’t written to be published, it was just a gift. But because of that push I haven’t stopped writing since.”On writing, Gavin says:“I was one of those kids that lived in my imagination. I will openly admit that I was still playing with toys when I was thirteen. The world I created with my little plastic figures and toy cars was far more exciting than the world of going to school and having a paper round. Writing gives me permission to go back into that world again, where all I do is play with my characters.”Gavin is an active spiritual seeker, having meditated since he was a teenager. He has written for magazines such as Kindred Spirit and Watkins Mind Body Spirit.He helped run the first Death Cafe in his hometown of Huddersfield. Its sole purpose was to shine a light on an area of living that is often taboo; an area he is passionate about.“Yes, I’ve had a serious interest in death and dying since I was around six. Not in a dark, weird kind of way, but in a very beautiful, accepting way. For when we accept death and dying and invite recognition into our lives, something truly remarkable happens: we start perceiving life differently and we begin to live more authentically.“You’ll see the reoccurring theme of death, dying, spiritual growth and personal development running throughout most of my books. Some of it’s dark, some light. My first non-fiction piece, A Little Note to Myself – A Short Reminder That Could Change Your Life Forever, is all about seeing who we really are so we learn to perceive death and dying in a whole new light – a light that isn’t so dark.”Gavin has also presented talks on spirituality and happiness.“It’s funny,” he says, “when I did a talk at an event for the International Day of Happiness, they weren’t expecting me to talk about death. I’m pleased to say nobody looked suicidal when I finished; they were in fact smiling. I took it as a good sign.”His homepage can be found at: www.gavinwhyte.co.uk where you can read his blog and join his readers group. When you do, you’ll receive a copy of his book, Happiness & Honey.“It’s just my way of honoring my readers. I really appreciate their support, and the fact that I can get to know them via my newsletter (which I ask them all to reply to, to voice their opinions and share their ideas) makes the relationship I have with them more intimate.”“It’s a very special thing, the relationship between a writer and their readers. Most of us aren’t even aware of it, but think about it; the writer expresses their imagination in the form of words, and then the reader comes along and gobbles them up like Pac-Man. Of course a bond is going to be formed.”Follow this link to his Facebook page.He tweets at: @Gavinwhyte45Follow this link to his LinkedIn page.