Wednesday, April 01, 2015

SF Women A-Z: The Awesome Asaro

Welcome to the 2015 A-Z Blogging Challenge! Whether you're a veteran A-Z blogger or a newbie, this is one of the biggest blogging events of the year.

Lack of visibility continues to be a problem for SF/fantasy women authors. This month, I'll be introducing you to over 60 women SF/Fantasy authors. Many are well-known and have earned lots of accolades; others are up-and-coming. They're traditionally published, indie published, and hybrid. They come from all walks of life, and they write everything from hard science fiction to urban fantasy. I've read at least one book by most of these women, but some of them are new to me too. Hopefully by the time this month is over, you'll have discovered at least one new-to-you author. So, let's get started.

Name: Catherine Asaro

Asaro is an award-winning author of everything from hard science fiction to romantic fantasy. She's a dancer with a doctorate in chemical physics (so she writes scientific papers too), not to mention a past SFWA president and editor. How much more awesome can one woman get? Learn more about her and her works on Wikipedia.

Social Links: Website

Find her books on Amazon.

My personal thoughts:I'm most familiar with Asaro's romantic fantasy Lost Continent series. Above is a picture of the books of hers that I own. (I will be using mostly pictures of my own paper books or eBook covers during this challenge. If I personally know the author or have interviewed them in the past, I'll use pictures I have from them as well.) I'm particular about romance (which is part of the reason I prefer it as a side plot and not the main focus of a book), but I did enjoy the relationships in this series. I haven't tackled the Skolian Empire series yet, but the reader's guide on Wikipedia will be a big help whenever I have a chance to start that series.

Do you know of any more "A" SF/Fantasy women authors? If so, please tell us about them in the comments.

12 comments:

Sophie Duncan said...

Great theme for the A to Z. I haven't read any Catherine Asaro, but she sounds like a person of many talents.

Sophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
FB3X
Wittegen Press

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Yes, she's definitely a very talented person! Thanks for stopping by, Sophie!

Jemima Pett said...

You know, I've never thought about SF women writers. I suspect more may come to mind when I've left, but I can only think of Anne McCaffrey and Ursula LeGuin at the moment.
Most people think of McCaffrey as more fantasy because of the Pern series, but the Crystal Singer and The Ship Who Sang are amazing scifi (and my favourites).

Great theme - I'll be back!

Jemima

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Jemima, technically McCaffrey's Pern books are SF, since the dragons are genetically engineered from fire-lizards. But if you read the books in order of publication instead of story chronological order, it's easy to think of Pern as a fantasy world.

Both McCaffrey and Le Guin will be featured for M and U, so please come back and check them out. I'll stop by as soon as I have a chance.

David P. King said...

Excellent theme. Great way to raise awareness. :)

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Thanks, David!

Unknown said...

Love science fiction and fantasy, I grew up reading all the standards Sci-Fi and fell in love with Pern when I got first McCaffery book. A lot of people for that Issac Asimov's wife Janet also writes and collaborated with him on the Norby series. :-)

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Thanks for telling me about Janet, Shawn! I may have to add her to the list.

dolorah said...

wow, she is quite the accomplished woman in all areas. Kudos.

Alex Hurst said...

Ah!! I know her cover artist!!! I'd buy the books purely for that, though I'm not much of a romance reader. She sounds like an amazing woman, to boot.

Alex Hurst, A Fantasy Author in Kyoto
Out of Print, Fiction authors and their shorts

A-Z Blogging in April Participant

Unknown said...

Alma Alexander is a fantasy author and blogger (AlmaAlexander.org) who creates worlds that feel as real as some exotic country you just haven’t visited yet. Among her newest books are Random, the first book of The Were Chronicles, with some very fresh ideas, and Abducticon, a humorous novel about time-traveling androids who kidnap a hotel full of SF fans for a jaunt around the moon while they search for their creators.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Good call on Alma Alexander, Deck! I haven't read the books you mention, but I have read some of her shorter work. I can't believe I didn't think of her sooner!

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