The answer was pretty obvious - I'd want to read something with an interesting plot, plenty of action, good characters and with a few laughs thrown in for good measure!

It took a long time - two years in all! I wrote it while travelling abroad, on long train journeys and at home in my flat (often really late at night when I should have been in bed!). In fact, I worked on it whenever I had a spare few minutes. Eventually, however, I finished it and I'm really happy with how it came out. And if, like me, you like an interesting plot, good characters, action and laughs, then I think you'll enjoy 'The Sons of Rissouli'!

I've always enjoyed writing; everything from postcards to blogs to articles for magazines, but this is my first book. I've also been a lifelong fan of reading, particularly of adventure stories. As a boy I loved 'Biggles' and 'Swallows and Amazons' and that sort of thing. As I got a little older, I loved to read true stories of adventure - books like 'Escape from Colditz', 'Skis Against the Atom' and 'Kon-Tiki'. I still love to read these books, 'Biggles' and 'Swallows and Amazons' included.

It's difficult to spend your childhood reading about adventure, without wanting to see a bit of the real thing for yourself. I love to travel and I love the outdoors and have a particular soft spot for the mountains. My first love, (from an adventure point of view!) was mountaineering and this remains my favourite thing in the world. There's nothing quite as satisfying as trekking hard all day - to find yourself at the the summit of a beautiful mountain!

I'm not just a fan of climbing mountains. I like to snowboard, ski and mountain bike in them too. Perhaps my favourite thing is to pitch my tent really high up, somewhere close to the summit, and spend the night at altitude!

I find the draw of foreign countries irresistable and particularly enjoy travelling to them over land - whether by train, motorcycle or car (although, I have to admit, the motorcycle is my favourite!). There is nothing like travelling to a place over the surface of the earth to make you realise how enormous and varied the world is. And there is nothing like meeting people from lots of different countries to make you realise that we are all pretty much the same!

If you'd like to read some articles I've written about my own adventures, then have a look at the articles in the menu on the left. I've never done anything as grand as climbing Everest, discovering a lost civilisation or, for that matter, chasing gun-runners across the Sahara, but you might find them entertaining! You can also read a blog I wrote about a motorcycle trip I did a few years ago, by clicking here. I'm also on Facebook.

And if you are wondering if there are any more stories about Danny and Angus, then I have good news for you - I'm writing their next adventure right now!