John A. Love was born and brought up in Inverness. He studied at Aberdeen University for ah Honours degree in Zoology, followed by three years postgraduate research before going to live on the Isle of Rum National Nature Reserve in 1975 before taking up a position with Scottish Natural Heritage as Area Officer for Uist, Barra and St Kilda. He lives on South Uist and retired in 2006 to concentrate on writing, drawing and lecturing. He has written a number of books including Rum: A Landscape Without Figures, also published by Birlinn.
David Hamilton was educated at George Heriots School in Edinburgh and gained his pilot’s licence at seventeen. Joining the RAF straight from school, he qualified as a fighter pilot and flew Lightnings and F-4 Phantoms, including from the deck of HMS Ark Royal, as well as commanding a Tornado F3 squadron and air base. He supervised and flew with the Red Arrows. He held staff appointments in the MoD, NATO HQ and as air advisor to General Sir Peter de la Billière after the First Gulf War, before taking early retirement and spending twelve years with industry on the Eurofighter project.