A lawyer and entrepreneur, John and his wife, Laura, reside in Atlanta, Georgia.  They have three adult children. An avid reader, John dabbled with writing while in high school at The Lawrenceville School and at the University of Virginia. He published an article on The Strategic Defense Initiative while at the University of Georgia School of Law. He began writing in his free time in the 90s. Longstreet Press published his first novel, Runaway, a technothriller about global warming, in 2001.

John enjoys golf, fishing, tennis, photography and kayaking. He is a member of Northside United Methodist Church, Broadleaf Writers Association and the Bonefish Tarpon Trust. One of nine children, John grew up with an appreciation of family and an avid interest in sports. John’s father, the late Dan Topping, owned the New York Yankees for 22 years, winning 15 pennants and 10 World Series. His stepfather, the late Rankin Smith, owned the Atlanta Falcons.