Scott Mariani grew up in Scotland. He studied modern languages and film studies at Oxford University and went on to work variously as a translator, language teacher, professional musician, pistol shooting instructor and freelance journalist before becoming a full-time writer. Scott had the idea for the Ben Hope series one day in 2007 while out walking with his dogs in the Welsh countryside. The first draft of the first novel was written in just three weeks, and its original hardback edition sold its print run in less than two months. The Avon imprint of HarperCollins then bought the paperback rights and offered Scott a four-book deal, launching the series in ea