About the authors:
Sally was born in Berkshire, fortunately her parents got her out of there as soon as they could, and she spent her formative years in the sedate surroundings of Devon. After three and a half years roaming the globe, she finally ran out of countries that would let her in and returned to good old Blighty for a solid city job.
A marketing guru by trade, Sally soon realised she was too honest for such a cut-throat profession and side-stepped into organising inspirational music events for children back in Devon. Her first taste of wackiness ended in complete humiliation when she sank twice in the Mountain Bike Bog Snorkel, but has since come agonisingly close to greatness at Snail Racing and Nettle Eating.
With her good looks and sparkling personality (perfect for a career on the radio), she is ready to spread the word of Wacky Nation and offer her services as an event organiser or after dinner speaker, although it is doubtful anyone will believe a word she utters. Sally and James do not wish to be held responsible should the book precipitate a sudden swing in the sanity of the British public.
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Where as Sally provides the brains, good lucks and personality of the team, James is devoid of all common sense (a job pre-requisite), and happily supplies his limbs for any torture going! James was born, raised and dropped on his head a few times in a non-descript northern town, dangerously close to Stoke on Trent. James gave no clue at all to his future vocation as a serial lunatic, spending too many years ensconced in academic institutions, even earning a degree, appropriately enough, in Waste Management, before seeing out the ‘unwild’ years in the civil service. Perhaps after one too many filing duties he experienced an epiphany at an impromptu visit to the mountain bike bog snorkelling contest. Ever since, life has taken a somewhat weird turn and having found his forte James competes in as many foolhardy and ridiculous sports and contests as possible.
James is currently writing the second Wacky Nation book on crazy British contests (which will be even more stupid than the original) for release in 2009 if anyone out there is mad enough to publish it. He then aims to hit Ireland, Europe and the rest of the world (as long as someone else pays for it!) until he chokes to death at a hot dog eating contest or something equally vile. James is already in training for cow chip tossing and anything else that’s thrown his way. Whenever James runs out of wacky contests to enter, he can be found sea swimming off the coast of Devon, practising in front of the mirror for yet another Air Guitar Championship or training for a Garlic eating contest (fancy a snog anyone?). James currently lives in Tiverton (somebody has to) stands by his motto: 'life's too short to be boring!'
In their non-existent spare time James and Sally seek out the coldest water in Devon (is their no end to the self-inflicted cruelty) for a spot of sea swimming and subject themselves to a sport of cryotherapy, substituting a car heater for a more appealing sauna. Although for James its more about crying than the therapy!