Armed with a MacBook Air and the miracle of the Internet, Paul lives and writes at a secret location somewhere on the west coast of Europe. You can be pretty sure that keeping his feet warm under the writing table is his one-eyed surf dog, Daisy.As well as being a writer, Paul is a wanderer. He has lived in various countries - always in the high mountains, or somewhere near a good surfing beach. "Wherever I am, though, and whatever else I'm doing," he says, "I follow Ray Bradbury's advice: 'Write, every single day.'" Paul writes about many subjects, but his books are mostly to do with sports, the world's different peoples, places, and animals, or the weird and wonderful.

• 1: Designing the world's best roller coaster2: Dream design3: Wood v steel4: The lift hill5: The plunge6: Tunnel twister7: Fog city8: Special seating9: The accelerator10: Zero G11: Water world12: The run-off13: The world's greatest roller coaster14: The world's top roller coasters15: Glossary16: Index

Excellent ... shows how the combination of imaginative ideas and practical research can transform a fantasy design into an actual dream product