John Harding was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He has spent most of his adult life abroad including stays in Singapore (nine years), Saudi Arabia (nine years), and Italy (seven years). In Singapore, John was the only American expatriate in Singapore's civil service. John's writing DNA comes from his mother, Mary Chamberlin, author of two books, Dear Friends and Darling Romans, and Palazzo, both originally published by Lippincott. John's writing nurture comes from his stepmother, screenwriter Isobel Lennart, author of Funny Girl, and Please Don't Eat the Daisies. John has held professorships at the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and at the Graduate School of Engineering of Pratt Institute of Technology in Brooklyn, New York. He also worked for the United Nations Development Programme in Kingston, Jamaica.

John's first book, which he co-authored with his wife, May, entitled, Escape from Paradise, has been an Amazon best-seller in Singapore and the United Kingdom. In May 2008, Escape from Paradise was optioned by a film company.

John is completing The Gulf, an adventure novel based on events taking place in today's Saudi Arabia based on his experiences in the oil business, in the desert, and with those like himself who come to Saudi Arabia from the West for whatever motives.