Gilman, Laura Anne

(L.A. Liverakos)

PERSONAL: Female.

ADDRESSES: Home—NJ. Agent—c/o Author Mail, 7th Fl., HarperCollins Publishers, 10 E. 53rd St., New York, NY 10022. E-mail—lauraanne.gilman@sff.net; wrensergei@lycos.com.

CAREER: Fifteen years of editorial experience with New York publishers, including Penguin Putnam, Berkley, and New American Library; owner of d.y.m.k. productions (editorial service).

WRITINGS:

(With C.J. Henderson) Quantum Leap: Double or Nothing, Berkley (New York, NY), 1995.

(Editor, with Keith R.A. DeCandido) Otherwere: Stories of Transformation, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1996.

(With Josepha Sherman) Visitors ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series), Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1999.

(Editor, with Jennifer Heddle) Treachery and Treason, Roc (New York, NY), 2000.

(As L.A. Liverakos) The Shadows Between: A Poltergeist; The Legacy Novel, Ace Books (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Josepha Sherman) Deep Water ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series), Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Coping with Cerebral Palsy (juvenile nonfiction), Rosen Publishing Group (New York, NY), 2001.

Yeti, the Abominable Snowman (juvenile nonfiction), Rosen Publishing Group (New York, NY), 2002.

Staying Dead ("Retriever" series), Luna (New York, NY), 2004.

Curse the Dark ("Retriever" series), Luna (New York, NY), 2005.

The Camelot Spell (juvenile; "Grail Quest Trilogy" series), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

Economics (nonfiction), Lerner Publications (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

Morgain's Revenge (juvenile; "Grail Quest Trilogy" series), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

Work represented in anthologies, including Urban Nightmares, Baen Books (New York, NY), 1997; Did You Say Chicks?, edited by Esther Freisner, Baen Books, 1998; and Worlds That Weren't, Roc (New York, NY), 2003. Contributor to periodicals, including Amazing Stories, Dreams of Decadence, and Frequency.

SIDELIGHTS: Writer Laura Anne Gilman is also an editor who spent fifteen years with prominent New York publishing houses, working with successful authors who write in all genres, but particularly with those who specialize in science fiction and fantasy. She was encouraged in her career by her mother, a writer, and her father, who, she told Crescent Blues interviewer Jean Marie Ward, "was always determined that his kids follow their dreams, and not get trapped in the 'salary above all' mindset." Gilman's dreams included writing, and she sold her first story to Amazing Stories in 1994. Since that time, she has written more short stories, many of which can be found in anthologies, as well as books for children, and titles in the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" "Retriever," and "Grail Quest" novel series. Gilman has also edited a number of anthologies.

Staying Dead and Curse the Dark are titles in the "Retriever" series. The main characters are Wren Valere and Sergei Didier, both of whom work for The Silence, an organization that employs magical "retrievers" like Wren, to find missing objects. Protecting her is bodyguard Sergei, owner of an art gallery and an expert hacker. The beginnings of a romantic relationship between the two become apparent in Staying Dead as they search for a missing cornerstone in a New York that is different from the actual city in that it is the dark home to demons, ghosts, and monsters. The job becomes more dangerous as Wren realizes that the Council of Mages may be involved. Nancy Jackson wrote in Reviewer's Bookwatch that the story "is truly something to experience…. Gilman writes with a unique style and easily pushes our imaginations to the furthermost realms possible. Paranormal at its best."

Curse the Dark takes Wren and Sergei to Europe in search of a missing manuscript. Other characters include Wren's magical friends, among them PB, a demon. Cyndi Witkus, who reviewed the book for In the Library Reviews online, found PB to inspire affection; "His comebacks and his friendship with Wren really hit home, even while you're rooting for Wren to pop him one when he puts her at risk."

Writers are now able to benefit from Gilman's experience through her editorial service, d.y.m.k. productions. In addition to improving content, Gilman also advises her clients on the marketing of their works. She told the Crescent Blues interviewer, "In addition to a mother who is a writer, I have an uncle (her brother) who is an editor. So I grew up knowing that there were these people whose job it was to help writers get their works into the best shape possible and find an audience. This seemed like—and still does seem like—one of the coolest jobs in the world, to me."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 15, 2002, John Green, review of Yeti, the Abominable Snowman, p. 422.

Chronicle, September, 2004, Don D'Ammassa, review of Staying Dead, p. 33; September, 2005, Don D'Ammassa, review of Curse the Dark, p. 33.

Library Journal, July 1, 2005, Jackie Cassada, review of Curse the Dark, p. 73.

Reviewer's Bookwatch, December, 2004, Nancy Jackson, review of Staying Dead.

San Francisco Chronicle, July, 2003, Lyda Morehouse, "SFC Interview: Laura Anne Gilman," p. 48.

School Library Journal, February, 2002, Martha Gordon, review of Coping with Cerebral Palsy, p. 144.

Science Fiction Chronicle, August-September, 1999, Don D'Ammassa, review of Visitors, p. 42.

ONLINE

Crescent Blues, http://www.crescentblues.com/ (January 26, 2006), Jean Marie Ward, "Laura Anne Gilman: From Writer to Editor and Back Again," interview with Laura Anne Gilman.

In the Library Reviews, http://www.inthelibraryreview.com/ (August 12, 2004), Sharyn McGinty, review of Staying Dead; (June 14, 2005) Cyndi Witkus, review of Curse the Dark.

January Online, http://www.januarymagazine.com/ (February 7, 2006), Andi Shechter, review of Staying Dead.

Laura Anne Gilman Home Page, http://www.sff.net/people/lauraanne.gilman (January 4, 2006).

SF Site, http://www.sfsite.com/ (January 4, 2006), Michael M. Jones, review of Staying Dead.

Strange Horizons, http://www.strangehorizons.com/ (December 20, 2004), Stacey Cochran, interview with Gilman.