Richard is a full-time author, and has written more than 60 (mostly) non-fiction books. Smugglers’ Britain was his first book on a maritime subject, and since then the sea has become a recurring theme: he has since written several books on piracy, men-of-war, and shipwrecks.

Richard has appeared in a Meridian TV series on smuggling, and on the BBC’s Inspirational Britain slot, talking about Romney Marsh smugglers. He has also taken part in BBC radio’s Kaleidoscope and Word of Mouth, as well as many local radio broadcasts. More recently, Richard worked as a costume consultant for the Disney feature film Pirates of the Caribbean II.

Much of Richard’s writing is for children. He has won a Blue Peter award and a silver medal in the Smarties prize for his work.

Not all of Richard’s work is aimed at children. He has also written: TV documentary scripts; corporate brochures; advertising copy; restaurant reviews; museum panels; interactive CD-ROMs and general-interest articles on topics as diverse as management and witchcraft.

Richard lives with his wife in Kent, England.