Philip Davis 
Plot Twists, Persistence, and a Passion for Storytelling 

Story by Gail Parsons | Photography by Leidy Lester 

Philip Davis never planned to be a novelist. For nearly a decade, a half-finished manuscript sat untouched on his computer. But when he finally returned to it, the passion he uncovered set him on a path that has carried him through three books, a traditional publishing contract, and a newfound identity as a mystery writer rooted in Georgia. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget it,” he said. “It was the summer of 2014, and I was just bored out of my mind. I opened up a Word document and started putting thoughts down. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I probably put down 5,000 to 6,000 words in a few weeks, and for the next eight years, I didn’t open that Word document.” 

Life, work, and everyday demands got in the way. But the story never left him, and the spark that was lit that day quietly flickered in the background of his thoughts— until the day his wife Ruby encouraged him to revisit those pages. 

“One night in 2022, I was sitting there, and my wife was like, ‘You know what, you’re bored, why don’t you revisit the novel you forgot about?’” he said. 

 Finding a Publisher 

With the final chapter written, it was time to find a traditional publisher. He could have gone with self-publishing, which has become more mainstream in recent years. Pride kept him from that route, even after dozens of rejection letters. 

From that point, the little spark burst into flame. In five or six months, he finished what he had started eight years earlier. 

His determination eventually led him to Auctus Publishers, a Philadelphia-based company that took a chance on a first-time author. 

“It’s a blessing,” he said. “They took an option on an unpublished and unknown guy, and that was really exciting.” 

Stories Rooted in Georgia 

Davis’s novels blend classic suspense with a distinctly Georgia sense of place. 

“They are murder mysteries, my first two, and now I have a third one that is with the publisher,” he said. “The third one is not so much a murder mystery, but a mystery in and of itself.” 

All three books are set in Georgia. The first one starts in Brunswick and takes readers on a suspense-filled journey around the world. The second one carries the storyline across the United States. 

While his first two books fit squarely in the murder mystery genre, Davis’s third novel touches on a topic in the headlines: human trafficking. 

“I wasn’t by any means trying to glamorize it, but just trying to show how human trafficking impacts not only those poor people that are directly impacted and their families, but also a gentleman who was unknowingly trafficking individuals, and how he and his law enforcement friends set out to take down the syndicate,” Davis said. 

To capture the reality behind the fiction, Davis turned to both research and personal connections. One of his most valuable resources came from closer to home. 

“I have a nephew who is a deputy down in South Georgia,” he said. “He had encountered criminals who were trafficking humans, and he was an excellent source of information.”

Writing mysteries, Davis said, wasn’t an accident.

“They’re just something that has always been my passion,” he explained. “I love mysteries of any sort. It’s the genre I’ve chosen to write.”

Unlike many authors, Davis doesn’t rely on strict outlines. He begins with a clear beginning and an envisioned ending, then lets the middle unfold as inspiration strikes.

“I’m probably not your traditional writer who starts with an outline,” he said. “I might jot down notes in a separate document, but most of the time I just write as it comes to mind. I may write twenty pages in a day, then go six months without writing a single word.”

That flexible approach leaves plenty of room for discovery and surprises.

“It gives me a lot of room for plot twists,” he said. “I enjoy a good plot twist. I like the old Perry Mason shows, Andy Griffith … anything with a twist.”

Even classic television feeds his imagination. He recently revisited the George Peppard detective series Banacek on Prime Video, watching every episode and taking note of the clever twists and surprises that continue to inspire his own stories.

Family as Inspiration

Behind Davis’s writing is the steady encouragement of his wife, Ruby.

“She is just what you hear about, the prototypical 100% support for whatever endeavor I’ve chosen to tackle,” he said. “In her mind, she’s probably thinking, ‘This is not a good idea, Philip,’ but she sincerely supports whatever endeavor.”

Davis said his wife seems to have an intuitive sense for when he needs a lift. Without being asked, she’ll stop by, offer a smile, and say something simple like, “You’re doing a good job. We’re proud of you. Keep pushing.”

Those moments, he said, mean more than she probably realizes. People tell him all the time what he already knows—she’s his rock, and his biggest fan.

His love of storytelling also comes from his mother.

“I can remember my mom and I sitting down when I was a young child and not able to read yet,” he said. “She was an avid reader, and still is an avid reader. At 83 years old, she would sit and read to me for hours on end.”

Davis said his mother first introduced him to reading the way many children of his generation began—with Dr. Seuss and other childhood favorites. But she didn’t stop there. Whatever she happened to be reading at the time, she’d share with him, regardless of genre. Mystery, romance, adventure—if a story captured her attention, she’d read it aloud. That time together, he said, is where his love of stories began.

“My brother’s the real reader in the family,” he added with a laugh. “He goes through at least two books a month. If I read one a year, I’ve done well.”

Still, the foundation was set early, and that love of storytelling stuck.

A Writer’s Routine

Davis may not read as voraciously as some authors, but he has found a rhythm and a process that works for his writing.

“When I start back writing, it’s two hours a day when I get home in the afternoon, and my Saturday afternoons and my Sunday afternoons consist of sitting in front of the computer,” he said. “I don’t want to lose the ideas that I have because I’m my own worst enemy by not putting these thoughts in an outline form on a Word document.”

For a man who once left a manuscript untouched for eight years, Davis now writes with urgency and joy. His mysteries may unfold slowly on the page, but the story of his writing life is already full of unexpected twists—and more are surely ahead.

When Davis isn’t writing, he works for Konecranes in Savannah, sourcing hard-to-find parts for overhead cranes, which involves a little detective work. When his sales team is searching for a part and coming up empty, they turn to Davis.

“Thank goodness for Google, but Google doesn’t always save you,” he said.

It’s no surprise that a man drawn to unraveling mysteries in fiction thrives on solving puzzles in real life, too. ■