Sunderland author swaps embalming for writing

Chris Wright has self-published his debut novel, Casey’s Game, which is available in paperback or online.

Chris, 29, of Goldlynn Drive, East Moorside, qualified as an embalmer more than two years ago.

“I have lived and worked in Sunderland all my life - I have been in the funeral industry for eight years,” he said.

“When I was about 18 or 19, I had left college and was not sure what I want to do.

“I just put my CV around a few places and had a call from a funeral director asking me to do part-time work, washing the cars etc.

“Then I went to the British Institute of Embalmers website, were I joined and I passed my exams about two-and-a-half years ago.

“I have now left the funeral industry to pursue a new thing.”

The former Farringdon Community Academy pupil has deciced the time has come to turn his passion into a career.

“Writing is something I have always wanted to do - I have been writing on and off for about eight years,” he said.

“I went down the self-publishing route and it has received a lot of very positive feedback from people who have read it.”

The result was Casey’s Game, Chris’ first novel: “If you put it into Amazon, it will come up with my pen name Max Flood,” he said.

“It is a psychological thriller, about a husband and wife who have recently split up and been divorced.

“He has returned to work, where there is a new member of staff on board. She is very beautiful and very intelligent but also has a bit of an ulterior motive.

“She is a bit of a character without limits - she has no real idea of what is acceptable in society.

“She just does what she does.”