Kathryn Grant, née Ptacek (born September 12, 1952) is an

American writer American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry ...

and editor. Since 1981, she has published

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

, horror,

suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it aff ...

, and

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

short stories and novels under her maiden and married names, and under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

s Les Simons, Kathryn Atwood, Anne Mayfield, and Kathleen Maxwell. She is the editor and publisher of the writers-market magazine ''The Gila Queen's Guide to Markets''.

Biography

Kathryn Anne Ptacek was born on September 12, 1952, in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, United States, but she was raised in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. She received her B. A. in Journalism, with a minor in history, with honors from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, in 1974. She was married to

Charles L. Grant Charles Lewis Grant (September 12, 1942 – September 15, 2006) was an American novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called " dark fantasy" and "quiet horror". He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fe ...

from February 1982 until his death in 2006. She has also edited several

anthologies In book publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed work ...

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

. Her short story "Each Night, Each Year" was nominated for the 1989 Bram Stoker Award for Best Short Fiction.

Bibliography

This is a partial bibliography of her work.

As Les Simons

Single novels

* ''Gila!'' (1981)

As Kathryn Atwood

Single novels

* ''Satan's Angel'' (1981) * ''Renegade Lady'' (1982) * ''The Lawless Heart'' (1984) * ''My Lady Rogue'' (1986) * ''Aurora'' (1987)

As Anne Mayfield

Single novels

* ''The Wayward Widow'' (1982)

As Kathleen Maxwell

Single novels

* ''The Devil's Heart'' (1983) * ''Winter Masquerade'' (1984)

As Kathryn Ptacek

Single novels

* ''Shadoweyes'' (1984) * ''Blood Autumn'' (1985) * ''Kachina'' (1986) * ''In Silence Sealed'' (1988) * ''Ghost Dance'' (1990) * ''The Hunted'' (1993)

Omnibus collections

* ''Looking Backward in Darkness'' (2013)

As Kathryn Grant

Land of Ten Thousand Willows

# ''The Phoenix Bells'' (1987) # ''The Black Jade Road'' (1989) # ''The Willow Garden'' (1989)

Anthologies edited

* ''Women of Darkness'' (1989) * ''Women of Darkness II''

References and sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ptacek, Kathryn 1952 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American editors American women editors American fantasy writers American horror writers American people of Czech descent American women short story writers American women novelists Writers from Albuquerque, New Mexico University of New Mexico alumni Living people Women science fiction and fantasy writers Women horror writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers Pseudonymous women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers