About - Alex Griffin
Alex Griffin is an author, pastry chef, and barista. He is autistic, a fact he did not discover until his early adult years. Much of his writing reflects this autistic perspective, giving his work a distinctive edge. Above all, his writing is not only enjoyable but also informative, and the emotional impact he brings mentally is what makes his writing one of a kind. He has recently decided to publish his brand-new book, “Good Night Diary,” which tells the story of Felix Jones, an ordinary young adult who struggled deeply with his mental health. The book is written in a diary format, which helps us connect with Felix and his story more emotionally. In Alex’s early stages of adulthood, he went through some difficult times, which led his mental health to deteriorate and made him resort to coping methods, which he did not want to disclose. Felix is a character Alex created. However, parts of Felix” ‘s journey resemble part of Alex’s life and experiences.
Alex grew up in a small village on the outside of London he never thought he would be a published author because once he graduated school, he went to culinary school to study the art of patisserie and chocolate work. From a young age, he always wanted to become a chef because, since the age of eight, he has been attending a local cookery school called Good Cooks, which he now works for and has grown a lifelong friendly relationship with the cookbook author and Good cooks owner Sally Gerrard. Still, to this day, part of his life will always love being in a kitchen, but writing is a sort of peace and solace for Alex, a place where he feels he can truly be himself with no input from the rest of the world.
Alex can’t remember what actually made him want to start to write; I think it is because the work he writes is based on books that he wished he had when he was at his worst (rock bottom). Overall, that is what he is trying to send across in his work “HOPE”. This is something he believes we all need, and once we find it, we will not ever lose it. That is why he has decided to share his moments of peace with the world. Alex’s overall dream is to spread hope to the world and share his story.
Some final word of wisdom from the creator himself Alex Griffin
“YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE MEANT TO BE, AND NEVER FORGET THAT THERE IS HOPE ALWAYS”.
About - Tracey Adkins
IIgniting the Imagination creates INSPIRATION = POSITIVE ENERGY
Many years ago, my childhood was filled with art and sport, they were the things I excelled at and had passion for. However, back then I was told neither of those subjects I could get a 'proper job' from, so forced to conform I learnt how to type, my first employment was an office job.
How things have changed... If I were young now I could be a footballer !!
Over the last 30 years, having lead a very 'adventurous' life, in times of need my creativity has put the roof over my head, fed me and most importantly, kept me sane. It has also provided me with a 'tool' to connect, communicate and guide myself, and others.
A couple of years ago, after lockdown and the fact I was nearing the big 60, I decided I was going to spend the rest of my time on this earth doing the things I love, sport and art. I joined a local Womens Walking Football Team and started a project called Xquisite Corpse, with a friend Claire Pattinson. I also started playing poker and it was there Alex caught my attention, I text him to meet for a coffee and from then we spiralled into each others lives and created
Good Night Diary...
I refer to him as my multi-faceted, neurodiverse ball of pure sunshine
I gave him INSPIRATION and he ran with it...
About - How Alex Met Tracey
The creators of “Good Night Diary” are two very talented people, which you will already know as Alex and Tracy. They would love to share the story of how two people from different generations and walks of life come together to create “Good Night Diary” Let’s go to the very beginning: Alex was going through a difficult time in his life, which made him want to self publish a self-help book about self-acceptance.
He was trying so hard to better his life, which led to him joining a local poker club where all walks of life come down to the local pub on a Monday to play some poker. On his first day at his new club, he made loads of new friends. However, there was one person at this club Alex resonated with and could both make others giggle over nothing. Her name was Tracey, a person who is kind, thoughtful, ambitious and, most of all an amazing poker player.
As the weeks went by, Alex decided to tell everyone that he self-published a book about finding your true self. This was a big achievement in his life because he did not like being the centre of attention. Most people at the club bought the book and personally messaged him to congratulate him on this achievement. Tracey bought a copy of his book to support him and his work. She read the entire book and was flabbergasted at how amazing this work was and the fact that it was written with such emotion and passion. Tracey sent Alex a private message saying,
“Hi Alex, I wanted to text you outside of the poker group because this is private between you and me. Your book that I just read was so raw and yet presented so eloquently, clear from the heat and just being yourself. Most of my art is driven by mental health, and just like you, I use my creativity to stay away from the big black hole. Anyway, I would love to meet up outside of poker to just have a chat and get to know each other and maybe have a little collaboration. For no other reason than creativity and a feeling I have. I will explain when we meet. What do you think?”
Eventually, they both found a date when they could meet and just be themselves. From the first meetup outside of poker, it was like a spark just went off. Alex proposed a thought that he could not get out of his head. That was a young boy with mental health who started to write a diary day by day and learned things like love, friendship, and self-acceptance. Tracey loved the idea and the emotional impact this idea could bring to the world. She was adamant that she wanted a part of this journey that I was about to create, which led to Alex bringing her on as CO creative director of what is now “Good Night Diary” This shows the power of being your true self can lead you down many in life some good and some bad, however, it can also lead you to victory. So never forget to be your true self
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