MELISSA SCOTT

According to Wikipedia: "Melissa Scott (born 1960) is an American science fiction and fantasy author noted for her science fiction novels featuring LGBT characters and elaborate settings.

Scott was born 1960, in Little Rock, Arkansas, studied history at Harvard College and Brandeis University, and earned her PhD in comparative history. She published her first novel in 1984, and has since written some two dozen science fiction and fantasy works, including three co-authored with her partner, Lisa A. Barnett.

Scott's work is known for elaborate and well-constructed settings. While many of her protagonists are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, critic Phyllis Betz notes that the characters' genders or orientations are rarely a major focus of Scott's stories. Shadow Man, alone among Scott's works, focuses explicitly on issues of sexuality and gender.

She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction in 1986, and has won several Lambda Literary Awards.

In addition to writing, Scott also teaches writing, offering classes via her website and publishing a writing guide."