Lindsay was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1939, and educated at Heath Grammar School in Halifax and at King's College Cambridge. He worked in education for many years, in Africa, America and the UK, before becoming a full-time writer. He currently lives in Somerset with his wife, Phoebe Clare, who is a ceramic artist and Feng Shui consultant. Lindsay has one daughter from his first marriage, Maddy, who manages a recording studio in London.