- Gabrielle Lord
Infobox Writer
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name = Gabrielle Lord
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pseudonym =
birthdate = Birth date and age|1946|2|26|df=y
birthplace =Sydney
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = Novelist
nationality =Australian
period =
genre = Psychological thrillers
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influences =
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website = http://www.gabriellelord.com/Gabrielle Craig Lord (born
26 February 1946 ) is an Australian writer who has been described as Australia's first lady of crime.Pressley (2007) p. 22, 23] She has published a wide range of writing including reviews, articles, short stories and non-fiction, but she is best known for her psychological thrillers.Life
Lord was born in Sydney. She went to school at the Sacre Coeur Convent at Rose Bay, and university at the
University of New England inArmidale where she did her Honours degree in Victorian Literature. She worked as a teacher, and as a public servant with the Commonwealth Employment Service.In 1978, with the support of a New Writer's Fellowship, she took a year off work to write full-time. The novel she wrote during the majority of that time, "A Death in the Family" received a bad reader's report so Lord put it aside and in the remaining three weeks of her year off wrote "Fortress". It was an instant success and, with the money from the film rights, she was able to leave paid employment in 1983 and return to full-time writing. [Ellison (1986) p. 202]
Lord's other interests include animal welfare, and a type of spirituality that is manifested in appreciation of the music of the
Taizé Community , a spiritual community in France.She lives in a Sydney beach-side suburb, and has two granddaughters.
Career
Lord's first published novel was "Fortress", a thriller about the kidnapping of a country school teacher and her students. It was inspired by the
Faraday School kidnapping , but takes dramatic licence with the actual events. It was an instant success, was translated into six languages, and was made into a film. Since then she has written many thrillers, including two series: the Gemma Lincoln series about an ex-cop PI, and the Jack McCain series about a forensic scientist.She believes strongly in research, saying it is "necessary for today's savvy readers" [ [http://www.gabriellelord.com/biography.html Biography] ] and to this end had, over the years, spent time with scientists, detectives, and forensic anthropologists; studied some Anatomy at the
University of Sydney ; and done work experience with a private security business.Two of her novels have been filmed: "Fortress" (1986), a feature film adapted by scriptwriter Everett De Roche and directed by Arch Nicholson; and "Whipping Boy" (1996), a telemovie adapted by scriptwriter
Peter Yeldham and directed by Di Drew.Awards
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