John A Inman has gathered a lifetime of experiences since he was born in a tent in Griffith, New South Wales. Since then he has owned a Subway store, been a carpenter, interior decorator, miner and minister of religion. While all have given him plenty to write about, novels like Hidden Valley reflect mostly on some of the circumstances he's come across as a marriage and relationship counsellor. Inman also found writing about the good that can come out of life's ups and downs to be a balm after assisting with everything from marriage breakdowns to domestic violence and sexual assault. Inman, in the 80's lived in Marulan on 36 acres with his wife Nora, importing and breeding German Shepherds. He endured the horrific bushfires that ravaged his hometown of Batemans Bay, Australia, on New Year's Day in 2020. In May 2020, the Inman's, moved into their new unit in Corrimal, Wollongong.