Mark Hebden, who died in 1991, was one of the pen names of John Harris, author of The Sea Shall Not Have Them and Covenant with Death. He also wrote adventure stories under the name of Max Hennessy.

Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a sailor, an airman, a journalist, a travel courier and a history teacher. During World War II he served with two forces and two navies. Hebden is a master of his genre, and his writing is as timeless as it is versatile and entertaining.

Gyles Brandreth is a former Punch contributor and lifelong admirer of the work of A. A. Milne. A friend of Christopher Robin Milne, Gyles wrote Now We Are Sixty with the composer Julian Slade in the 1980s, a play celebrating A. A. Milne, in which the young Aled Jones starred as Christopher Robin.

Tom Shakespeare CBE is a sociologist and ethicist who works at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where he leads teams researching disability and mental health in Africa and Asia. Tom has presented programmes and documentaries on BBC Radio and has written for publications including the Guardian and The Lancet. He has been a stand-up comedian, an actor, a dancer, and an artist. He has an enthusiastic social media following.

After the death of her father, Mark Hebden, creator of the quirky French detective Inspector Pel novels, Juliet Hebden took over the mantle of crime writer and has completed 8 more books in the series. In addition to writing, Juliet is a mother of six children and lives in France.

Steve Williams is a critically-acclaimed Welsh comedian and writer, recognised as one of the most exciting and electrifying minds of his generation. He has performed all over the world, on TV, radio and (written and) starred in BBC’s Russell Howard’s Good News, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow and ITV’s Tonight at the Palladium. He currently resides in Surrey with his family.

Corinne Holt Sawyer is the author of the bestselling Benbow and Wingate mystery series. Born in 1924, she gained a BA in 1945 and PhD in 1954. For many years she worked in radio and television, serving as director of broadcasting at WNCT-TV in North Carolina. She also taught English at Clemson University.

Patricia Moyes (1923-2000) was an acclaimed British mystery novelist, best known for her long running series featuring Inspector Henry Tibbett. The tenth book in the series, Who Saw Her Die?, was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe award, and Moyes was inducted into The Detection Club, presided over by Agatha Christie, in the same year. Her early career also included work as a radar operator in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force; as a screenwriter – with credits including the Robert Hamer film School for Scoundrels and Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected –; as an assistant editor for Vogue magazine; and as a translator.