Going For Broke: Trivia

• I have two brothers - one older, one younger. You might say I was sandwiched by brothers. Sometimes that's exactly how it felt. I was always trying to keep up with them - running and jumping and crashing my bike. Although the boys in Going For Broke aren't actually based on my brothers, I'm sure I was drawing on those memories when I wrote it.

• The original title was Going For Broke: one world record, fifty-two tiny bones. We needed it to be shorter, though, so the subtitle had to go. If you read the book, you'll see where the "fifty-two tiny bones" part is taken from.

• My older brother was very keen on breaking a world record when he was very young. A few years ago, he finally managed it, in a crazy event called the Deca-Ironman Triathlon. He set a new record for the bike leg, which is 1800 km long. Although I have been known to do a triathlon or two in my time, I prefer more civilised distances, which can be completed in less than eight days, and which allow you to get a good night's sleep.

• I had to change some aspects of the manuscript because my publisher thought it was too dangerous and might encourage risky behaviour. They were probably right.

• This is the first time I have done chapter titles for a book. I thought it was going to be difficult, but it was actually fun. Some, but not all, of the titles are taken from lines in the relevant chapters.

• I have never broken a bone. Not even one.

• That last statement should not be taken as a challenge.

• This book marks the beginning of my career as an illustrator. This bike ramp diagram, which I originally drew just for fun, and to make sure that what I was describing actually made sense, appears on page 26 of the book. Despite doing many, many drafts, I still managed to draw Nathan with very girlish hair and also neglected to have him wear a helmet. If I had only remembered the helmet, the hair would have taken care of itself. So I can say without hesitation that this book also marks the end of my career as an illustrator.