Jim Eldridge was born in north London. He left school at the age of sixteen and had a variety of jobs, before training as a teacher. He taught in disadvantaged areas of Luton while writing at the same time, then later became a full-time writer. For several years he was a 'Green' activist and he has been a member of an HM coastguard SAR (Search and Rescue) team on the coast of north-west England. He has won various awards for his writing for television, and his books have sold over two million copies worldwide. He lives with his wife in Cumbria.