He had a career in advertising for 30 years. He didn't become a writer until he was in his fifties.
He was one of Australia's most commercially successful authors.
In 1955, while he was studying journalism in London, he met his future wife, Benita, and eventually emigrated to Sydney, Australia. They married in 1959 but divorced in 2000. Together they had three sons - Brett, Adam and Damon.