Sarah Lahey

Sarah Lahey is a designer, educator, and writer. She holds bachelor’s degrees in interior design, communication, and visual culture, and works as a senior lecturer teaching classes on design, technology, sustainability and creative thinking. She has three children and lives on the Northern Beaches in Sydney, Australia.

A bit about GRAVITY IS HEARTLESS: What will the world look like in thirty years’ time? How will humanity survive the oncoming effects of climate change? Set in the near future and inspired by the world around us, Gravity Is Heartless is a romantic adventure that imagines a world on the cusp of climate catastrophe.The year is 2050: automated cities, vehicles, and homes are now standard, artificial Intelligence, CRISPR gene editing, and quantum computing have become a reality, and climate change is in full swing—sea levels are rising, clouds have disappeared, and the planet is heating up. Quinn Buyers is a climate scientist who'd rather be studying the clouds than getting ready for her wedding day. But when an unexpected tragedy causes her to lose everything, including her famous scientist mother, she embarks upon a quest for answers that takes her across the globe—and she uncovers friends, loss and love in the most unexpected of places along the way. Gravity Is Heartless is bold, speculative fiction that sheds a hard light on the treatment of our planet even as it offers a breathtaking sense of hope for the future.

Twitter: @SarahkLahey

Instagram: @SarahKLahey

Is there a work of art that you love? Why? Have you ever visited it in person?

The work of the Indigenous Australian artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye is breathtaking. I bought one of her paintings, but not in person, I bid for it online. It was a harrowing experience. I waited all day by my laptop for my lot, Bush Yams, to go under the hammer. I had big hopes, an open heart, but limited funds. The bidding started quickly, and it soon rose above my budget. But there was a glitch. The online platformed lagged. Unbeknown to the bidders, the hammer went down after my bid, but the bidding continued on and on. But none of it counted, the hammer had fallen, and Bush Yams was mine.

Emily only painted for eight years. She spent two thirds of her life in the desert, away from civilization, and she knew very little about the professional artworld. Her energy and inspiration came from her county and her culture. This was her creative power, the sum of her existence expressed as the Dreaming, where life and art are one.

Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?

 Sometimes I take the leaves and petals of plants and press them between the pages of old books, like The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, or The Collect Works of William Wordsworth. I’ve done this all my life. But they can’t just be any leaves, there needs to be a reason or a meaning behind them. Years later, when I find the leaves, I can never remember the meaning, so I just throw them out.

Is there particular films that have influenced your writing?

Westerns. I love the genre. Not the traditional Cowboy and Indian style of film, which are so blatantly offensive, but the more complex types of Westerns. Many of these are based on excellent short stories. They include neurotic characters that mumble and can’t express themselves in mainstream society. But in the wilderness, they’re liberated, and when they do find themselves, they also find love.

Westerns are suspenseful, exciting and full of action. They’re fast paced and include remote backgrounds and beautiful scenery. The villains are terrible, and the good guys usually win.

My favorite Westerns are, Django Unchained, Brokeback Mountain, 3:10 to Yuma (both versions). The Ox-Bow Incident, and Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy (as fantasy, science fiction versions). 

Favorite non-reading activity?

Every morning I run with my dog Desmo. She’s a three-year-old Australian working dog, so she needs a fair amount of exercise. I’ve always been a runner, it’s my Zen space.

Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?

Yes, all the time. I look in the mirror and say, ‘What do you think you’re doing? Who do you think you are? Step away from the laptop, you’re too old be doing this now. Doesn’t the dog need a run?’ Creative pursuits are fraught with anxiety, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue them.