Wednesday, April 15, 2015

SF Women A-Z: Marvelous McCaffrey, McKillip, Mohanraj, and Morehouse




A quartet of M authors demonstrates how marvelous women authors can be.

Anne McCaffrey is one of those authors who can be a gateway into getting readers into the genre. (I remember reading the Harpers Hall books as a teen.) Were you surprised to find her books were science fiction instead of fantasy? I read her Pern books and her Talent series, and I still have a stack of them in my collection. Learn more about this late great author on her website (which appears to be maintained by her son), Wikipedia, and Amazon.

Next up is my favorite author: Patricia McKillip. I love her poetic style and the sense of wonder her works evoke. What’s especially impressive about McKillip is her ability to write so many standalones. If I had to pick a favorite book of hers, I’d probably say The Sorceress and the Cygnet. Ironically, that one has a sequel. I was fortunate enough to meet her at WisCon a few years ago and get her autograph. Learn more about her on Wikipedia and find her work on Amazon.

I’ve met Mary Anne Mohanraj at conventions, and we’re friends on Facebook. She’s a very friendly person, and she posts gorgeous pictures of the parties she hosts, complete with food. Mohanraj helped found the Strange Horizons e-zine and has written several works, including The Stars Change. She, like McKillip, is a former WisCon Guest of Honor. Learn more about her and her work on her website, Wikipedia, and Amazon.

WisCon is a great place to meet women authors, incuding Lyda Morehouse. I remember meeting her there several years ago, though I don’t remember when exactly. She writes Madison-based urban fantasy under the name Tate Hallaway, but I prefer the originality of her LINK Angel series, which blends computers with religion. Learn more about her and her work on her website, Wikipedia, and Amazon.

Did I omit your favorite M author? (Yes, I know I didn't list Robin McKinley; I omitted her for the sake of brevity.) Please list her in the comments below.

8 comments:

PT Dilloway said...

I have heard of Anne McCaffrey, so that's two days in a row.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Knew McCaffrey had to be one of them.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

That's good, Pat.

Alex, McCaffrey is too famous to omit!

Majanka Verstraete said...

Anne McCaffrey's books made me fall in love with the science-fiction genre. I loved her writing.

My post for the A to Z Challenge.

Stephanie Bird said...

Very cool! I live near Mary Anne and have met her. She is indeed a generous, gifted soul and a wonderful contributor to the writing community.

Maria Zannini said...

McCaffrey opened my eyes to SFF that could be both adventure story and romance.

I especially love her early work.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Majanka, I really enjoyed the early Pern and the Tower and the Hive series too.

Thanks for stopping by, Stephanie! Mary Anne is a great person!

Maria, did you read her Crystal Singer series?

Chris K. said...

I'm a huge McCaffrey fan. Crystal Singer is okay, I really love the Pern books and wish there was a resolution of the plot threads left over after "The Skies of Pern."

And I adore the Planet Pirates books, especially the ones she wrote with Elizabeth Moon.

Visit me at http://chriskelworth.com/blog/

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