L.A. Larkin

Author, Social Commentator

L. A. Larkin divides her time between writing topical thrillers and her work for one of Australia’s leading climate change consultancies, Energetics. Her corporate career, international travel and knowledge of environmental issues provide the inspiration for her action-packed plots. To research her first thriller, The Genesis Flaw, she drew on her time in Zimbabwe, consulted with world renowned geneticists and worked closely with a computer hacker, even attending a hackers’ conference. She has recently returned from Antarctica, which is the setting of her next thriller, a climate change catastrophe. It will be published in 2011.

Where were you born?

London and migrated to Australia in 1998. A few years later I became a citizen.

What other jobs have you had?

After a successful career in magazine publishing, where I became publisher, I returned to university to study corporate responsibility, sustainability and strategic public relations at the University of Sydney. I was awarded a merit scholarship for academic excellence. Since then, I divide my time between writing environmental thrillers and my work at one of Sydney’s leading climate change consultancies.

What themes are recurring in your work?

My thrillers tap into the hot button issues of our time such as climate change and food and water security.

What are you passionate about?

I write thrillers because I want to entertain and enthral. But I also write because I believe that through the medium of fiction I can reach people who otherwise may not have considered what might happen if we allow Antarctica to melt or asked the question ‘Is genetic engineering of our food safe?’ By writing stories that take readers on a roller-coaster ride, with many plot twists and intriguing characters, I aim to touch on social, political and environmental topics in a non-confrontational way.

What have been the highlights of your career?

Getting emails from people all over Australia and overseas, telling me how much they enjoyed the story, especially from people who don’t normally enjoy the thriller genre. Hearing that The Genesis Flaw has prompted reader discussions about GM crops in Australia. Praise for The Genesis Flaw in literary reviews. Best of all, advising and motivating would-be authors at events like the Brisbane Writers’ Festival.

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

I research my books thoroughly. This includes working with world-renowned geneticists, going to Antarctica, learning how to remove bullets from a body and survive an avalanche, and attending a hackers’ conference.