Wilbur Smith is a global phenomenon: a distinguished author with a large and established readership built up over fifty-five years of writing with sales of over 130 million novels worldwide.

Born in Central Africa in 1933, Wilbur became a full-time writer in 1964 following the success of When the Lion Feeds, and has since published forty-one global bestsellers, including the Courtney Series, the Ballantyne Series, the Egyptian Series, the Hector Cross Series and many successful standalone novels, all meticulously researched on his numerous expeditions worldwide. His books have now been translated into twenty-six languages.

The establishment of the Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation in 2015 cemented Wilbur's passion for empowering writers, promoting literacy and advancing adventure writing as a genre. The foundation's flagship programme is the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.

Wilbur Smith passed away peacefully at home in 2021 with his wife, Niso, by his side, leaving behind him a rich treasure-trove of novels and stories that will delight readers for years to come.

Keith Chapman is a television writer and producer, best known as the creator of children's television programmes Bob the Builder and PAW Patrol. Keith originates from Norfolk, East Anglia and currently resides in Monaco.

Steve Cole is the best-selling author of over 150 books of which sales exceed three million copies. His works include the hugely successful Astrosaurs series, original fiction titles for Doctor Who, the Young Bond series and Swarm Rising co-authored with astronaut Tim Peake. Steve lives and works in Buckinghamshire.