Dennis Hardy

Dennis Hardy's Mediterranean odyssey was the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition. It was only after he retired that he found the time to achieve this. It was worth the wait – drifting from city to city, seeking out hidden gems, and spending evenings in little restaurants drinking red wine. The Mediterranean is certainly not the idyll one might imagine but it never fails to fascinate.
 

Dennis's earlier books include:​

• Alternative Communities in Nineteenth Century England (1979)

•  Arcadia for All (1984)

•  Goodnight Campers! (1986)

•  From New Towns to Green Politics: Campaigning for Town and Country Planning (1991)

•  Utopian England: Community Experiments 1900-1945 (2000)

•  Poundbury: The Town that Charles Built (2006)

•  Cities that Don't Cost the Earth (2008).

Jane Woolfenden

Jane Woolfenden is a freelance editor and proofreader. Her debut novel, The Journey's End, was published in 2013. Clearly a nomad at heart, Jane has lived in Derbyshire, Nottingham, London, Dorset, Marseille, Dubai, Adelaide and Seychelles. She is currently loafing around somewhere, trying to resist the beach and concentrate on her next work of fiction.

James Alix Michel

Prior to writing for Blue Gecko Books, James Alix Michel has authored previous volumes relating to his political life and his commitment to a sustainable future for our seas. These include:

• A Man of the People: A Collection of Speeches (London, UK: Rila Publications, 2010)

• Distant Horizons: My Reflections (London, UK: Rila Publications, 2011)

• Island Nation in a Global Sea: Making the New Seychelles (Seychelles: Office of the President, 2014)

• Rethinking the Oceans: Towards a Blue Economy (St Paul, MN, USA: Paragon House, 2016) 

For nearly forty years, Michel worked, first, as a government minister, then as vice-president, followed by the presidency of Seychelles. Three times he was elected by the people of this small island state to lead his nation, until, in 2016, he chose to stand down in favour of his deputy. In his most recent book, Legacy: New Millennium, New Seychelles, he records what he achieved in his twelve years as president: steering the economy through the turbulent days of the Global Financial Crisis, rallying international support to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia, speaking up for small island states in international gatherings, and always championing the cause of the marine as well as terrestrial environment. In his long and distinguished career, he has displayed that rare quality of being a visionary while at the same time always staying in close touch with the people he served.

Wang Dongxia

Wang Dongxia is Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Seychelles, a position she has held since 2016. She also has the position of Associate Professor at Dalian University in China, where she spent most of her prior academic career. She has carried out research and published articles in the field of linguistic pedagogy and on different aspects of Chinese culture, including cross-cultural comparison. She is also Division Head of the Indian Ocean Rim Research Centre for Island Countries, based at Dalian University.