Paul Hess was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1961. He went to art college in Sydney and then worked as a graphic designer and Art Director for various companies both in Sydney and London from 1981 to 1991. He has worked as a freelance art director and illustrator since then. His books for Frances Lincoln are Death in a Nut, Nail Soup, Cow on the Roof, Dragon of Krakow, Hidden Tales from Eastern Europe, The King with Horse's Ears and The King and the Seed. He lives in Northumberland.