Martin studied Art at the prestigious Central Saint Martins School of Art in Covent Garden, graduating in 1994 or thereabouts. He later ventured into the world of advertising, serving as a copywriter and then a creative director at some of London's most renowned agencies. It was said of advertising as a profession at that time that it was the most fun you could have with your clothes on – and so it proved. Martin travelled far and wide, freelancing in Zurich, Prague, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and New York.  He has lived in Amsterdam and Barcelona.  There were enforced holidays, and during those intervals Martin drove a speedboat on the Costa Del Crime, hodded bricks, erected scaffolding all over London, and helped to landscape one or two gardens. He now writes full-time. He lives in Kent with his wife, two children, and their English Bulldog, Boba, named after the deadliest bounty hunter from a galaxy far, far away.