Malcolm was born near Dartford, outside London. His family moved around a fair bit when he was a child and he learnt to rely on his imagination, books, and developed an insatiable curiosity about his surroundings. His older brother’s tales of Kenya and Cyprus fed his interest in exotic places, exploration and what was to become an abiding interest in maps and geography. At fifteen he entered the work

Malcolm was born near Dartford, outside London. His family moved around a fair bit when he was a child and he learnt to rely on his imagination, books, and developed an insatiable curiosity about his surroundings. His older brother’s tales of Kenya and Cyprus fed his interest in exotic places, exploration and what was to become an abiding interest in maps and geography. At fifteen he entered the work force, moving around from job to job - boy-soldier, clerk, door-to-door salesman - but always in the background was a profound desire to travel and in 1973 he set off across Europe and Asia with an old school friend on what was called the Hippy Trail. He was heading for Australia. Not because he was fascinated by the country itself - he knew remarkably little about it - but because it was, apart from New Zealand, the most distant point on the map where English was spoken. Away from Britain for nearly five years, he had various adventures in Central and South America, where he taught English in Peru and Brazil, before a deep longing to see his family catapulted him back to Europe. He re-entered England in style, having hitched a ride in a Rolls Royce with the bodyguard of an Arab prince.

Malcolm lives in Adelaide with his family. He holds a PhD from the University of Adelaide, where he taught English and film until a few years ago. He’s now at the SA Writers’ Centre, where he’s their Communications Officer. Currently he’s working on two novels for young adults, City of Thieves and The Gatekeeper.

For more information about him or the novel, visit www.malcolmwalker.com.au