The Adventures of William Woodpecker

Brady Ridgway

Brady Ridgway is a South-African-born novelist, pilot and former casino executive whose writing career began with gritty articles on infantry weapons for Soldier of Fortune, Combat & Survival and Handgunner magazines. A dozen years in the gaming world followed—starting as a croupier at Sun City and rising to casino manager in the Czech Republic—before he swapped roulette wheels for flying charters and peace-keeping missions across Africa, and then flying Boeing 737s for a regional airline.

Adventure still calls: when he isn’t at his desk, Ridgway and his wife Nicky roam the Mediterranean aboard their aluminum Ovni 435 sailing yacht, accompanied by their dog Lola.

Ridgway’s diverse life fuels his fiction. His Noah Stark thrillers—Elements of Risk and The Horn Mansion—blend military detail with global intrigue, while his new middle-grade tale, The Adventures of William Woodpecker, channels his passion for wildlife and environmental stewardship into a heart-warming story for young readers. When ashore at their home in rural France, he divides his time between writing, photography and renovating a village house.

Lise Wessels

Lise Wessels is a Cape Town–based artist and former Boeing 737 pilot whose art is inspired by adventure, wild landscapes, and the people who thrive in them. Drawing from her love of climbing, surfing, and the outdoors, she creates vivid, character-rich illustrations and landscapes using oils, pen and digital tools. Her work combines clean lines with cinematic perspective and a deep sense of wonder.

Outside the studio, Lise volunteers as a pilot with the Red Cross Air Mercy Service, climbs the cliffs of the Western Cape and chases waves—living a life rooted in purpose, movement, and connection to the natural world.