Andy Stanton has written eight books about Mr Gum, along with further successful fiction and picture book titles. He was overall winner of the Red House Children's Book Award in 2007 for You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum! and in 2008 won the inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize for Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear. He has twice won the Blue Peter Book Award for Best Book With Pictures, and been shortlisted for a host of other awards.

Adam Blade is in his late twenties, and was born in Kent, England. His parents were both history teachers and amateur artists, and Adam grew up surrounded by his father's paintings of historic English battles - which left a lifelong mark on his imagination.

He was also fascinated by the ancient sword and shield that hung in his father's office. Adam's father said they were a Blade family heirloom. As a boy, Adam would spend days imagining who could have first owned the sword and shield. Eventually, he created a character - Tom, the bravest boy warrior of them all.

The idea for Beast Quest was born. When Adam grew up and decided that he wanted to be a writer, he was stuck for ideas - until he remembered the old sword and shield, and the imaginary boy he had created when he was young.

Adam decided to bring Tom fully to life so that readers could go on the kind of adventures that he always wanted to when he was that age... And still does, even though he's grown up! When he's not writing Beast Quest books, Adam enjoys visiting museums and ancient battle sites. His main hobbies are fencing and football.

He also spends a lot of time at home running around after his two exotic pets - a tarantula named Ziggy, and a capuchin monkey named Omar. These little rascals were the inspiration for two of the Beasts that Tom faces on his Quest - Arachnid and Claw. Sadly, Adam does not have his own Fire-Dragon or Horse-Man. But he really wishes he did!