Darran spent a decade as children's bookseller in Durham. He studied crime scene and forensic science at university. It's handier than you'd expect. He collects useless facts, and writes about lots of subjects - especially science. He is passionate about stories, music, and will talk about octopuses at great length. Kristie Pickersgill was born and raised in Yorkshire, where she developed a love of animals, nature and the great outdoors. After studying Chemistry at the University of York, she worked as a school lab technician before making the leap into educational publishing.