After his parole period was completed, Dwyer relocated to London in 1906, saying that "the Australian writer has no real chance in his own land", and going against advice given to him by Rudyard Kipling; Dwyer had written to Kipling a few years prior, enclosing some written verses and mentioned he was thinking about coming to London.
In a long-handwritten reply, Kipling discouraged such a move, appearing to be unimpressed with his writing.
Dwyer moved to London with his wife, though he found little success there as a writer.
He relocated to New York City the following year, where he worked various jobs including as a streetcar conductor.
His wife and daughter joined him there several months later.

Dwyer continued to try selling stories in New York.
After winning a contest, he was given a commission to write for Black Cat.
From there his stories were also published in Harper's Bazaar, Collier's, Blue Book and Argosy.
As was common at the time, Dwyer often sold the rights to his short stories to the editors who printed them.
He sold one to Frank Munsey for $30, which went on to be adapted into the 1914 film The Kaffir's Skull, directed by John G. Adolfi.
The first of his novels, The White Waterfall, was published in 1912.
It was an adventure story set in Australia.
His 1913 novel, The Spotted Panther, received praise from The New York Times, who compared his style to H. Rider Haggard and said it was "written in a clear, spirited style, with the knack of narrative which makes all things seem possible".
Dwyer travelled the US and Europe to gather information for the settings of his stories, and also visited Australia again in 1913.
His short story The Citizen was included in The Best Short Stories of 1915, a book compiled by Edward Joseph Harrington O'Brien.
O'Brien selected it and 19 other short stories for the book out of over 2,200 submissions.
In 1915, Dwyer published Breath of the Jungle.
It was the only collection of short stories that Dwyer published in book form.
Most of the stories within it were set in the East Indies.

In December 1919, Dwyer divorced his wife and married his American agent, Catherine Welch.
In 1921, Dwyer and Welch formed the business Dwyer Travel Letters, which offered prospective tourists information about Europe.
That same year, an issue of Short Stories published his full-length novel Pomegranates of Gold to critical acclaim.
The 1926 film, Bride of the Storm, is based on his short story "Maryland, My Maryland".
Dwyer and Welch settled in Pau, France, though they frequently traveled through Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
In 1934 they traveled through the Near East, and in 1935 they went to Timbuktu and French Congo.
Dwyer wrote several anti-Nazi articles for French newspapers.
One day he received a letter in the mail telling him his neck would be broken when the Germans reached Pau.
After the Battle of France in 1940, Dwyer and his wife fled to Dover, New Hampshire via Spain, though they returned to Pau in September 1945.
In 1949, Dwyer published his autobiography, Leg-Irons on Wings.
He had concealed his criminal past for most of his life, though his autobiography described his crime and prison experience in detail.
He died in Pau in 1952.
After his parole period was completed, Dwyer relocated to London in 1906, saying that "the Australian writer has no real chance in his own land", and going against advice given to him by Rudyard Kipling; Dwyer had written to Kipling a few years prior, enclosing some written verses and mentioned he was thinking about coming to London. In a long-handwritten reply, Kipling discouraged such a move, appearing to be unimpressed with his writing. Dwyer moved to London with his wife, though he found little success there as a writer. He relocated to New York City the following year, where he worked various jobs including as a streetcar conductor. His wife and daughter joined him there several months later.
Dwyer continued to try selling stories in New York. After winning a contest, he was given a commission to write for Black Cat. From there his stories were also published in Harper's Bazaar, Collier's, Blue Book and Argosy. As was common at the time, Dwyer often sold the rights to his short stories to the editors who printed them. He sold one to Frank Munsey for $30, which went on to be adapted into the 1914 film The Kaffir's Skull, directed by John G. Adolfi. The first of his novels, The White Waterfall, was published in 1912. It was an adventure story set in Australia. His 1913 novel, The Spotted Panther, received praise from The New York Times, who compared his style to H. Rider Haggard and said it was "written in a clear, spirited style, with the knack of narrative which makes all things seem possible". Dwyer travelled the US and Europe to gather information for the settings of his stories, and also visited Australia again in 1913. His short story The Citizen was included in The Best Short Stories of 1915, a book compiled by Edward Joseph Harrington O'Brien. O'Brien selected it and 19 other short stories for the book out of over 2,200 submissions. In 1915, Dwyer published Breath of the Jungle. It was the only collection of short stories that Dwyer published in book form. Most of the stories within it were set in the East Indies.
In December 1919, Dwyer divorced his wife and married his American agent, Catherine Welch. In 1921, Dwyer and Welch formed the business Dwyer Travel Letters, which offered prospective tourists information about Europe. That same year, an issue of Short Stories published his full-length novel Pomegranates of Gold to critical acclaim. The 1926 film, Bride of the Storm, is based on his short story "Maryland, My Maryland". Dwyer and Welch settled in Pau, France, though they frequently traveled through Europe, Asia, and North Africa. In 1934 they traveled through the Near East, and in 1935 they went to Timbuktu and French Congo. Dwyer wrote several anti-Nazi articles for French newspapers. One day he received a letter in the mail telling him his neck would be broken when the Germans reached Pau. After the Battle of France in 1940, Dwyer and his wife fled to Dover, New Hampshire via Spain, though they returned to Pau in September 1945. In 1949, Dwyer published his autobiography, Leg-Irons on Wings. He had concealed his criminal past for most of his life, though his autobiography described his crime and prison experience in detail. He died in Pau in 1952.
James Francis Dwyer