Anne McAffrey is one of the world's leading science-fiction writers, and has won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. Born and raised in the US, although of Irish extraction, she now lives permanently in Ireland, in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains, where, as well as writing, she breeds horses. She has recently been awarded the Margaret A. Edwards' Lifetime Achievement Literary Award. She is the creator of the Dragons of Pern series.
Margaret Ball lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children and pets.She has a BA in mathematics and a PhD in linguistics from the University of Texas.After graduation, she taught at UCLA, then spent several years honing her science fiction and fantasy skills by designing computer software and making inflated promises about its capabilities.Her books includeLost in TranslationandMathemagics. When not writing, she plays the flute, makes quilts, and feeds the pets.