Raised by parents with a passion for amateur dramatics, Cheshire-born Christopher Holliday was enthralled by theatre from an early age. His enjoyment in make-believe was furthered by a passion for exotic gardens in adulthood. He first discovered the Lake District as a place to live during a number of peculiar years in hotel management where he felt somewhat out of place.
His life changed when he settled permanently in Grange-over-Sands, where he was inspired to create a Mediterranean garden. Re-training as a garden designer, he also became a freelance garden writer. He once spent two days in the rain being filmed for five minutes of airtime on BBC's Gardeners' World. His love of borderline exotic plants was demonstrated in Sharp Gardening (Garden Media Guild Practical book of the year, 2005), and his enthusiasm for historic houses can be found in Houses of the Lake District, both published by Frances Lincoln.
He has since lived in Grange-over-Sands, six miles from the southern tip of Windermere, for most of his adult life, and shares similar interests as his characters.
