Will is a South Wales based writer, specialising in extraordinary human stories, nature, adventure, and fishing. He has written five non-fiction adult books: three as a co-writer, one as a ghost, and one as sole-author, including: the Sunday Times bestseller Call Me Red (Ebury); his first-book, the critically acclaimed The Old Man and the Sand Eel (Viking); and the international best seller The Way of the Hermit (Pan Macmillan UK / Hanover Square US & Canada). His latest co-writing title, In The Hide, is with BBC Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan, and will be out in February 2025. He is currently writing a book with the map making Ordnance Survey due for release in autumn 2025.

Will is also a prolific Children’s author with a list of nature books translated worldwide including: My First Day Fishing, Animal Words for Little Zoologists, In the Pond, In the Tree, In the Rockpool and In the Garden, for Magic Cat, and his latest pairing, The Beaver Who Saved Christmas and The Squirrel Who Lost Her Nuts, for Hachette. 

He writes full time for Fallons Angler magazine and has written for numerous national and international magazines and newspapers including BBC News, The Daily Telegraph, Vice, The Guardian, Geographical, and Country File.

“Will writes with flawless charm, light humour and gentle authority – A major talent and the best writer of this type since I first discovered Bill Bryson” Heat Magazine

‘A love story to the mountains in the mist, the pulsating northern lights and the red deer at dawn. And to independence.’ – The Washington Post

“A wonderfully fluent account of how the strange magic of water, and the beings that inhabit it, can enchant and intoxicate” Chris Yates 

“Will Millard writes with a genuine sense of humility, humour, and reflection” Countryfile Magazine

“This is post-modern nature writing that embraces beauty where it finds it and marvels at nature’s tenacity” Geographical Magazine

The Way of The Hermit

UK publisher PanMacmillan – June 2023

north America with Hanover Press – May 2024

Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month / International Best Seller

‘A love story to the mountains in the mist, the pulsating northern lights and the red deer at dawn. And to independence.’ – The Washington Post

‘A Thoreauvian account of solitary life in the Scottish Highlands . . . delightful’ – Kirkus Reviews

“There are fascinating tracts… and lots of practical advice – but it feels as though there’s something more important lingering here, too, a kernel of kindness and an idea for a society built on warm, good-natured reciprocity with each other and all the beings among whom we live.” – Geographical Magazine

“Moving…The Way of the Hermit feels qualitatively different from other hermit-related books… They are the basic stuff of existence, the point at which Smith makes daily, intimate contact with the natural world and his own human needs. His ability to appreciate them despite their repetitious quality is worthy of a zen monk… Few of us can say as much, and it feels like a blessing to have spent this time with someone who can.”—Slate

“Ken Smith’s life has been an extraordinary one…For anyone who feels they are merely going through the motions, this book will make an inspiring read.” Countryfile Magazine

“Seventy-four-year-old Ken Smith has spent the past four decades in the Scottish Highlands. He lives alone, with no electricity or running water. His home is a log cabin nestled near Loch Treig, known as ‘the lonely loch’, where he lives off the land: he fishes for his supper, chops his own wood, and even brews his own tipple. He is, in the truest sense of the word, a hermit… The Way of the Hermit is a humourous, transcendant and life-affirming memoir.” PanMacmillan

“Huge credit to the ghostwriter, Will Millard, who has created such a coherent, engaging narrative.” Country Life magazine

Daily Telegraph **** “The Way of the Hermit is a straightforward account of an extraordinary existence – and a book that Smith hopes will enable others to connect with “the hermit that sits within”.

“Smith isn’t any sort of counterculture radical. He has no interest in politics. His lifestyle isn’t any sort of statement. He doesn’t even profess any environmental agenda, beyond being off-grid, loving wildlife and the great outdoors, not owning much stuff and refusing to engage with “civilisation” as most of us know it. He makes occasional reference to “the rat race” but isn’t polemical or proselytising, either in his book or in person. Nor is he cantankerous or curmudgeonly. Rather, he’s a gentle soul.” Robert Crampton, The Times.

To write The Way of The Hermit, Will spent a year travelling to and from Ken’s cabin in a remote corner of the Scottish Highlands. Interviewing him long into the night and meticulously scouring his extraordinary diaries for stories of his adventurous life very well lived – this book represented one of his greatest challenges as a writer; drawing on all his skills, including those wrought in expeditions overseas, and ultimately changing him profoundly as a person.

Ken is simply one of the most inspiring people Will has ever worked with.

Order through PanMacmillan here

Order through Amazon here in the UK and here in north America.

The Beaver Who Saved Christmas

Published Via Hachette – October 2024

A heart-warming true story about a baby beaver and a dam made of decorations, perfect to share with little ones at Christmas.

In a beautiful village next to a creek, Elin and her Grandad are excited to decorate their home together for Christmas. But tinsel and broken lights cling to trees, and wrapping paper and plastic decorations have rolled into gardens and blown away down the hill, and a baby beaver gets trapped in the lights. 

Once safely rescued, the baby beaver amazes the world in a viral video when it builds a dam . . . out of Christmas decorations! Inspired to keep the beavers’ home safe and rubbish-free, Elin’s village comes together to clean the broken Christmas decorations away, giving the beaver – and each other – the happiest Christmas ever.

Includes facts about beavers and the real events behind the true story!

Order through Hachette here Order through Amazon here

My First Day Fishing

Published via Magic Cat – May 2024 / translated into thirteen languages globally

“A wonderful source of knowledge and inspiration” Jeremy Wade, star of ‘River Monsters’

“Wonderful book! If I’d been given it when I first began fishing, I wouldn’t have actually gone fishing for a week! I’d have been too absorbed by the illustrations, the exciting descriptions, and the idea that, if I followed the instructions, surely I’d catch a fish too…” Chris Yates, Angling Legend

“In My First Day Fishing, Millard lays it all out there in an approachable, good-humoured way that thoughtfully and joyously sprinkles fishing with stardust…He is the perfect writer to pen this book <and> it is beautifully produced” Fallon’s Angler

Everything a young angler needs to know as they set out on their first day fishing. This comprehensive handbook contains a wealth of information for the young angler and lays out, step-by-step everything they might need to know on their first fishing trip. Fully illustrated throughout, the book covers everything from tackle to ties, rods to rigs, and from knots to hooks to baits, lures and flies! It also includes a fish-identification guide, together with advice on how to care for your catch.

Order through Magic Cat here or Amazon here

Three Step Stories

Published via Magic Cat – April 2022

“With read-aloud rhyming texts and first words to see and say, this book reinforces early language skills… It’s also a nice touch that – alongside more familiar pond residents or visitors, such as frogs and tadpoles – the book introduces some more obscure creatures to add to a child’s spoken or visual vocabulary: nymphs, voles and stickleback fish. The illustrations are soft and dreamy and will make you want to go on a sunny-day adventure to find a pond and celebrate all this wonderful wildlife together.” The Book Trust

Inspired by the miniature wildlife universes on our own doorsteps, these three-step flap books take early readers into a magical hidden world of sticklebacks, voles, and a whole host of mini-beasts!”

Order all four now through Magic Cat here or Amazon here

Animal Words for Little Zoologists

Published via Magic Cat – May 2024

Young animal enthusiasts will discover a world of interesting words from the animal kingdom – from arachnid, to biped, to crustacean – in this fully-illustrated book. This brilliant vocabulary builder brings together 100 fascinating words to describe animals both great and small, each one chosen to delight, surprise and inform natural history fans aged 4+. 

Order through Amazon here

“A wonderfully fluent account of how the strange magic of water, and the beings that inhabit it, can enchant and intoxicate” Chris Yates (Author of ‘The Secret Carp’)

“An important book…Will writes with flawless charm, light humour and gentle authority – A major talent and the best writer of this type since I first discovered Bill Bryson” Isabelle Broom

“The Old Man and the Sand Eel is a treat. Told with winning enthusiasm and a wide-eyed boyish glee at being outdoors in all weathers, it promises to do for angling what Roger Deakin’s masterpiece Waterlog did for wild swimming” The Cardiff Review

‘[Will Millard] is a master wordsmith and his first book is a joyful testament to that’ Heat Magazine

‘[Will Millard] writes with a genuine sense of humility (…) humour and reflection’ Kevin Parr, Countryfile

‘The writing is sharp and clever (…) I loved all of it and would as happily read it again as I would sit beside the river waiting for the evening rise of trout to begin’ Tom Fort, Literary Review

‘This is post-modern nature writing that embraces beauty where it finds it and marvels at nature’s tenacity (…) But there’s more here than just fish. This is also a book about growing up, about how to retain a connection with those who raised you while forging your own identity – what to keep and what to discard. And it’s about men. The strong surges of emotion that both draw them together and keep them apart, and the shared pastimes which recognise that intimacy and meaning aren’t always accompanied by words’ Olivia Edward, Geographical

Remembering his childhood spent fishing in the Cambridgeshire Fens with his Grandad, Will sets off on a journey across Britain in an attempt to recapture those halcyon days. Armed with his late grandad’s fishing encyclopedia his avowed aim is to catch some of the great forgotten fish species of our island, and expunge the bitter memory of a record-breaker that once slipped through his fingers, but ‘The Old Man and the Sand Eel’ is much more than a boy’s own adventure. Alone on the banks, Will finds himself exploring what it really means to be a man and a father, as well as a fisherman.

Available through all good bookstores and online – 1st March 2018

Order now on Amazon
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Articles

Fallon’s Angler – ‘French Creek Carping’ September 2023
The Big Issue – ‘What the hermit of Loch Treig can teach you about living your best life’ August 2023
Fallon’s Angler – ‘The First Rule of Pike Club’ June 2023
Countryfile – ‘Brecon Beacons adopts its ancient Welsh name, Bannau Brycheiniog’ April 2023
Fallon’s Angler – ‘The Secret Pike’ Feb 2023
Fallon’s Angler – ‘The ferox and the hermit’ Nov 2022
Fallon’s Angler – ‘In The Knight’s Shadow’ Sept 2022
Fallon’s Angler – ‘The Way of the Bean Pole’ June 2022
Countryfile Magazine – ‘Wolf of the Deep’ May 2022
Fallon’s Angler – ‘Under the watchful eye of the last Fen Tiger’ April 2022
Fishing in Wales – How to fish! for Fishing in Wales c/o Angling Trust March 2022
Fishing in Wales – Top coarse fishing experiences in Wales Feb 2022
Fallon’s Angler ‘Where the Wild Things Were’ Nov 2021
Fallon’s Angler ‘The Doctor Will See You Now’ August 2021
Fallon’s Angler ‘The First Carp’ May 2021
Fallon’s Angler ‘Toenails and Sparrowhawks’ March 2021
Fallon’s Angler ‘By The Luck of the Gods’ Jan 2021
The Guardian ’21 places to go in 2021′ The Return of Rugby Crowds Jan 2021
Fallon’s Angler ‘Monster encounters in Urban Edgelands’ Jan 2020
Fallon’s Angler ‘To Those Who Went Before’ A John Wilson Tribute March 2019
The Guardian Winter Wanders: 21 UK walks with a wow factor Dec 2018
The Cardiff Review Review of ‘The Old Man and The Sand Eel’
The Guardian Travel ‘Once Upon a Summer’ Fishing with Grandad
The Sunday Telegraph ‘Why fishing with Grandad taught me how to go with the flow’
Penguin Website ‘How fishing helped me overcome PTSD’
The Spectator Review of ‘My Year With the Tribe’
The Sunday Times Review of ‘My Year With the Tribe’
The Express Review of ‘My Year With the Tribe’
The Times Review of ‘My Year With the Tribe’
The Observer Review of ‘My Year With the Tribe’
Geographical Magazine Review of ‘The Old Man and the Sand Eel’
The Spectator Review of ‘The Old Man and the Sand Eel’
Guardian Article Feature article on Papua ordeal in light of Benedict Allen ‘lost’ in PNG Nov 2017
BBC Blogs for ‘Hunters of the South Seas’ April 2015
BBC News Article on Disability in Bajau communities for ‘Hunters of the South Seas’ April 2015
Guardian Article lessons from filming ‘Hunters of the South Seas’ April 2015
Will lives as a caveman for Geographical Magazine Nov 2014
Feature article on encountering a diamond mine during RGS/Radio 4 Journey of a Lifetime Geographical Magazine May 2014
Indonesian Whale harpooners for Geographical Magazine April 2014
Outdoor Fitness Magazine Feature article on Will’s Winter Ascent of the Pennine Way Jan 2014
Sidetracked Magazine Feature Article on Will’s inspiration and tips for jungle expeditions Dec 2013
Eastern Daily Press Feature Article on Will’s life in exploration Oct 2013
BBC Radio 4 Episode Two of my RGS Journey of a Lifetime in Sierra Leone and Liberia Sept 2013 Radio 4 ‘Pick of the Week’
BBC Radio 4 Episode One of my RGS Journey of a Lifetime in Sierra Leone and Liberia Sept 2013 Radio 4 ‘Pick of the Week’
BBC Radio 4/RGS Journey of a Lifetime: ‘Surviving malaria on the Mano River’ for BBC News online Sept 2013
Trans Papua article for Geographical Magazine Aug 2013
BBC Radio 4/RGS Journey of a Lifetime: Mano/Moro Rivers, Sierra Leone and Liberia Expedition Report – Available from Will or the RGS on request
The World According to…Will Millard for Wanderlust Magazine July/Aug 2013
Pre-descent column on first descent of the Moro in Salone/Liberia for the Daily Telegraph April 2013
First descent of Moro river in Salone/Liberia featured in the Daily Telegraph April 2013
Welsh 3000ers for Geographical Magazine April 2013
Trans Papua article for Action Asia Magazine Jan/Feb 2013
Trans Papua broadcast on From Our Own Correspondent BBC World Service Dec 2012
Trans Papua article for Australia’s Outer Edge Magazine Oct 2012
The Bloody Terraces of West Papuan Football for Vice Magazine Sep 2012
The Trans-Papua Expedition Report 2012 – Available from Will or the RGS on request
Will Millard on West Papua exploration BBC News Website Oct 2012
Will and Callum on their adventures for the BattleBox Blog Oct 2012
The Trans Papua expedition featured in the Yorkshire Post July 2012
The Trans Papua expedition featured in the Cambs Times April 2012
The Jalan Raya expedition for Outdoor Fitness magazine April/May 2012
The Jalan Raya for Wanderlust Jan/Feb 2011
The Jalan Raya expedition for Geographical Magazine August 2010 page 1, page 2, page 3
Jalan Raya – Royal Geographical Expedition Report 2009 – Available from Will or the RGS on request
An encounter with a bowerbird for BBC Wildlife Magazine Nov 2008