Born in Plymouth, Jari Moate is a dual British-Finnish national. He studied politics and literature at the University of York following military service in Finland, has travelled widely and worked in several countries. He currently freelances in urban regeneration in Bristol, where he lives with his family. He is the author of Paradise Now, a contemporary literary thriller set in the inner city and the middle east, published in 2010 to excellent reviews. He is also developing the first ever Bristol Festival of Literature, which takes place in October this year.