Relaxing at the Maui Writer's Conference

Kent Lester was born in 1953 in Moultrie, Georgia, a small farming town.  While most of his classmates were learning the intricacies of tobacco harvesting and bass fishing, Kent pursued a different path: he liked to blow things up. A science nut from an early age, Kent tormented his parents with backyard explosions, cultures of bizarre microbes, and model rocket launches that culminated in a fire at the local Christmas tree farm. He began scuba diving at age fifteen.

Kent never harbored a desire to write. In fact, he hated English with a passion, despite winning an award in high school for his term paper, "How Social Darwinism caused the Stock Market crash of 1929." His flirtation with writing smoldered for another fifteen years.

Kent attended the University of Georgia and studied chemistry, biology, physics, and oceanography, but the realities of a science degree soon became evident. His professor convinced him that he would likely be washing test tubes in the hold of some puke-stained research vessel plying arctic waters. So, Kent changed his major to business, graduated, and opened his own photography studio in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Eight years later, Kent moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Having found "home," he dabbled in several diverse careers—real estate, builder, computer consultant, then another photography business called Glamour Shots. But in 1985, during his stint as a builder, Kent’s writing talents reemerged. Convinced that writing about building was surely more fun than actually doing it, he teamed up with friend Dave McGuerty to co-write The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home. Now represented by F&W Publications (parent company of Writer’s Digest magazine), the book is in its 3rd edition and has sold over 250,000 copies.  Another book, Remodeling Masterguide, is in development.

In 1998, Kent took a dare from an old oceanography classmate to write his first novel. Joking that a good writer writes about what he knows, Kent made a mental checklist of potential subject matter: computers, travel, scuba diving, oceanography, the environment, and genetic engineering. From that diverse list of subjects, Kent outlined a disturbingly realistic plot, (or more truthfully, the plot seemed to outline itself) and the first environmental techno-thriller was born. Press Release 3

Kent diving in Bay Islands, Honduras

Kent now travels extensively with his wife. He has received bioterrorism training at the Centers for Disease Control and serves as a member of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Institutional Biosafety Committee. His scuba diving trips include the reefs near the Bay Islands of Honduras, where much of the novel’s action takes place.

Favorite Authors: Douglas Preston-Lincoln Childs, Michael Crichton, Tess Gerritsen, Nancy Kress, Richard Preston, Ridley Pearson, John Case, Ken Follett

Favorite Pastimes: Travel, flying, sailing with his wonderful wife Penny, hiking, photography, and anything of a scientific or technological nature.

Favorite travel destinations: Tahiti, New Zealand, Bay Islands of Honduras, Ireland, England, Octoberfest in Munich, Hawaii

Favorite beer: Sweetwater 420, brewed in Atlanta

Favorite Agent: My fantastic agent, Susan Crawford!