Evelyn E. Smith was born and lived out her life in New York City. She had two passions--for art and for cats of all sizes. She liked to claim that she wanted a lion until she realized how much they cost to feed, and she made her living as an editor, most notably running the features department at Family Circle magazine. Though she wrote four beloved Miss Melville books, she may be better known as the author of several novels and numerous short stories in the sci-fi genre; she also wrote a number of gothic romances under a pen name, and two non-fiction books on (ahem) practical witchcraft. Smith died in 2000, at the age of 77, in her beloved New York City.
Fritz Leiber (1910-1992) was a prolific American writer known for his contributions to the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Leiber is best known for his Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series, which includes titles like Swords and Deviltry and Swords Against Death. His science fiction novel The Big Time won the Hugo Award in 1958. Other notable works include Our Lady of Darkness, Conjure Wife, and The Wanderer, which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1965. Leiber is considered one of the pioneers of modern fantasy and sword and sorcery fiction, influencing subsequent generations of writers. He received numerous awards throughout his career, including multiple Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. His work has been adapted into various media, including comics, games, and television. Leiber struggled with alcoholism, which affected his personal and professional life. Despite these challenges, he continued to write and remained a prominent figure in the speculative fiction community until his death. Fritz Leiber's innovative storytelling and richly crafted worlds have left an enduring mark on the genres of science fiction and fantasy, earning him a lasting place in the pantheon of great speculative fiction authors.
During his fifty-five-year career, Clifford D. Simak produced some of the most iconic science fiction stories ever written. Born in 1904 on a farm in southwestern Wisconsin, Simak got a job at a small-town newspaper in 1929 and eventually became news editor of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, writing fiction in his spare time. Simak was best known for the book City, a reaction to the horrors of World War II, and for his novel Way Station. In 1953 City was awarded the International Fantasy Award, and in following years, Simak won three Hugo Awards and a Nebula Award. In 1977 he became the third Grand Master of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and before his death in 1988, he was named one of three inaugural winners of the Horror Writers Association's Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement.
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