Brian Jacques, who celebrates his birthday on June 15th, was born in Liverpool, England. Going to an inner city school, with the playground on the roof, he dreamed of adventure. He also wrote stories and read a great deal, saving up to buy The Iliad and The Odyssey when he was fourteen. At fifteen, he became a merchant seaman, traveling to distant ports all around the world. His writing career began with several plays, which were performed at the Everyman Theatre. He wrote Redwall for the children at Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool, filling it with descriptive language so they could "see" the story. The Redwall series now numbers fourteen books, with more on the way. Mr. Jacques hosts a weekly radio show on BBC Radio. He has two grown sons living in Liverpool.