Born in Malta and christened in the upturned bell of a ship, John Courtenay Grimwood grew up in Britain, the Far East and Scandinavia. Grimwood is a freelance journalist (often on literature or technology) for the pay, and author for the love. He writes for a number of newspapers and magazines, including the Guardian, The Independent, Maxim and New Woman, and also for the Japanese film magazine Manga Mania.

His books tend to focus on Cyberpunk-style SF, though his latest works, The Arabesks, are a mixture of Cyberpunk, Middle Eastern fantasy, and detective fiction. He has been shortlisted for several awards for his fiction.