Russell Punter was born in Bedfordshire, England. As a boy he enjoyed writing and illustrating his own stories. He later trained as a graphic designer before entering publishing. Since then, he has written over ninety books for children, including original fiction and adaptations of classic novels

Fred never wanted to be an astronaut or drive a train when he grew up. Right from the beginning he knew he wanted to draw silly pictures for a living. Some decades later, he's living the dream! Fred has worked on all manner of projects, including editorial, advertising and designing animations for the BBC. He now works mostly in children's books, including his own Captain Falsebeard and the Knightmare series with Peter Bently.