With 190 countries under the belt you could say Stephen Fenech has a lot of mileage on him, but the engine's still going strong. Fenech was born in Toronto Canada to Maltese parents, the fourth of five children. He works full time in the television industry, but spends a great deal of time travelling the planet as a photojournalist and award-winning filmmaker. His documentary Chad Exodus won various prizes in several festivals, including the Viewer’s Choice Award in the 2013 Malta International Film Festival and the Grand Jury Award in the 2013 Yosemite International Film Festival, which qualified it for Oscar consideration. His science fiction novel, Beacon: A Robot’s Odyssey, was published in 2015. When not writing, he enjoys visual art, beach volleyball, windsurfing, scuba diving, and playing guitar. His photography has provided him many opportunities to reach young people by giving presentations to schools on topics that range from World Religions to Climate Change. He was short-listed for the Mars One Mission, making the top 600 candidates from an initial roster of 203,000 international applicants. A few years ago, he became the surrogate mother for two orphaned baby racoons—the most humbling experience of his life. He currently resides in Toronto, where he leaves daily rations of cat food out for the neighbourhood strays and occasional marauding racoon. He likes to think they frequent his house to hear him play his guitar, but admits the free food might have something to do with it.