About the Author
L. A. Starks' debut thriller, 13 DAYS: THE PYTHAGORAS CONSPIRACY, has been favorably compared by reviewers and readers to books by John Grisham and Tom Clancy. For Starks, a career in the oil industry from oil refineries to corporate offices prepared her to write 13 DAYS, about a plot to sabotage oil refineries. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, grew up in northern Oklahoma, and lives and works in Texas. Starks earned her magna cum laude degree in chemical engineering from Tulane University and her finance MBA—in five quarters instead of the traditional six—from the University of Chicago. Starks contributes a percentage of sales from 13 DAYS to a Tulane/Katrina rebuilding fund. An oil industry veteran, she held professional and managerial positions in engineering, marketing, planning, and finance with projects like finding new markets for natural gas, designing accurate world oil software, and co-authoring a patent for lithium alumina. Her close observation of the energy industry also led her to write technical articles and contribute expert opinion editorials. She has traveled throughout the US, and to Mexico, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, London, and Paris. Starks is a member of International Thriller Writers (ITW), a writers' critique group, and other professional organizations. She finds that the disciplines of engineering and writing share a requirement for to-the-bones honesty. Duane Lindsay and Ray White selected Starks to contribute to their book, HOW I GOT PUBLISHED--FAMOUS AUTHORS TELL YOU HOW IN THEIR OWN WORDS. Publication is September 2007 by Writer's Digest Books. Other contributors include David Morrell, Lawrence Block, Amy Tan, Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwell, Robert Crais, MJ Rose, Barry Eisler, Clive Cussler, Rita Mae Brown, Greg Iles, Kris Kristofferson, James Patterson, Sandra Brown, Ken Follett, Janet Evanovich, JA Jance, and Donald Westlake. Starks is honored to be included with these notable authors.
