Paul's books cover a wide range of subjects, from whether the Romans ate crisps to how to build the world's best skatepark, but he writes mostly about sport.

Whether you are interested in swimming or cycling, snowboarding, surfing or another sport, Paul has probably written something that will inspire you to get out and give it a try.

Paul writes in a shack by the beach, which he shares with his one-eyed surf dog, Daisy.

Mark Ruffle was born near Bristol in 1973. He graduated from the University of the West of England with a degree in Graphic Design in 1995.

After leaving college Mark worked as a visualiser, then in 1997 started working for Oxford University Press as an Art Buyer. Mark has been freelancing since 2000 and has enjoyed working for a wide variety of clients including Aardman, producing illustrations for Flash.

He has designed and illustrated web content for the BBC to accompany television programmes such as Hustle, Holby City and Bleak House. Mark works in Adobe Illustrator and is equally happy drawing illustrations for books, packaging, advertising or animation.