Rick Held studied creative writing at Victoria University before taking up a position at Crawford Productions, then Australia's premier producer of television drama. He has since had a long career as a TV screenwriter and editor, working on numerous series including the critically acclaimed A Place to Call Home and the popular family drama Packed to the Rafters. Since 1997 he has been based in Sydney. Night Lessons in Little Jerusalem, inspired by his father's wartime memoir, is his first novel.