Peter Mayle was born in Brighton, England on June 14, 1939. He began his career in advertising as a copywriter and rose to the executive ranks, but left advertising in 1975 to write educational books, including a series on sex education for children and young people. A prolific writer and journalist, he first made the bestseller's list in 1990 with A Year in Provence, which chronicles his adventures buying and restoring an old farmhouse in the south of France. The novel received the British Book Awards' Best Travel Book of the Year. His other works include Toujours Provence, Acquired Tastes: A Beginner's Guide to Serious Pleasure, and Hotel Pastis. His novel A Good Year was the basis for… the 2006 film of the same name starring actors Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard.