John Peel was born in Nottingham, England, in 1954. Growing up in Robin Hood country undoubtedly affected his early fantasy development, and he has refused to move out of that state of mind since. He did later manage to move to the United States, currently writing novels from his home on Long Island when his ever-increasing number of dogs allows. (There are currently eleven of them.)

He is the only person to date to have written both Doctor Who and Star Trek novels, and his other output includes the popular teen fantasy series Diadem, as well as a number of horror novels and other novels based on television series. His latest series is for younger readers, The Magical States Of America. His output so far has just reached 100 books.

John Peel is a member of The Horror Writers Association.