Andy Owens lives in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and works as a housekeeper in a care home.

He has written ten previous books on the paranormal, travel humour, travel guide, true crime and biography. He left school in 1983 and has worked in around 100 jobs: all of them unskilled and low-paid. A couple of friends suggested he write a book about these experiences, and this attempt became Urban Slave. He also enjoys long-distance walking, and his first journey of this kind is recounted in Walking on Aire. In 1996, Andy and a friend survived a horrific shark attack in Brighton and a photograph of the event (not for the squeamish) is displayed on the contact page of his website www.owensandy.com