Lucy Sussex (born 1957 in New Zealand) is an author working in fantasy and science fiction, children's and teenage writing, non-fiction and true crime. She is also an editor, reviewer, academic and teacher, and currently resides in Melbourne, Australia. She is often associated with

feminist science fiction Feminist science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction (abbreviated "SF") focused on theories that include feminist themes including but not limited to gender inequality, sexuality, race, economics, reproduction, and environment. Feminist SF ...

, Australiana, the history of women's writing, and detective fiction.

Personal life

Lucy Sussex was born in 1957 in Christchurch, New Zealand. She has lived in New Zealand, France, the United Kingdom and Australia, where she settled in 1971, and has spent the majority of her time since. She has a degree in English and an MA in Librarianship from

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

, and also a Ph.D from the

University of Wales , latin_name = , image = , caption = Coat of Arms , motto = cy, Goreu Awen Gwirionedd , mottoeng = The Best Inspiration is Truth , established = , , type = Confederal, non-member ...

. She has been writing since the age of eleven. In 1979 she attended a Sydney-based Science Fiction Writers' Workshop, conducted by

Terry Carr Terry Gene Carr (February 19, 1937 – April 7, 1987) was an American science fiction fan, author, editor, and writing instructor. Background and discovery of fandom Carr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He attended the City College of San ...

and George Turner and soon after published her first short stories locally and overseas.

Fiction

Lucy Sussex's fiction has spanned a range of genres, including Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Crime and Detective fiction and been aimed at the children's, young adult and adult fiction markets. She has published six novels - the first appearing in 1995 - and over 30 short stories, which have been collected across three anthologies. Her first story to gain notice might be 1985's ''The Lipton Village Society'', which involved the creation of an alternate world.

Style and themes

Sussex is strongly feminist. Victoriana styles and motifs recur in her work, as do dolls. ''The Scarlet Rider'' is a fictionalization of her search for

Mary Fortune Mary Helena Fortune (c. 1833 – 1911) was an Australian writer, under the pseudonyms "Waif Wander" and "W.W." She was one of the earliest female detective writers in the world, and probably the first to write from the viewpoint of the detective. ...

Non fiction, academic and editorial work

Sussex works as a freelance editor and researcher and has published literary criticism and journalism. She is a Fellow at the

Federation University Federation University Australia (Fed Uni) is a public, multi-sector university based in Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. The university also has campuses in Ararat, Horsham, Stawell, Churchill, Berwick, and Brisbane, as well as online techni ...

Ballarat, and

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria a ...

. She writes reviews - until 2013 for

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

newspaper on a weekly basis, which involved reading 5-6 books per week. She has edited several anthologies, including '' She's Fantastical'', the first collection of Australian women's speculative fiction, magical realism and fantasy to be published in that country. The volume was short listed for the prestigious

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...

in 1996. She has also described herself as a 'literary archaeologist' having rediscovered and republished the work of nineteenth-century Australian crime writers

and

Ellen Davitt Ellen Davitt was an English-born Australian writer. Biography Marie Antoinette Hélène Léontine (Ellen) Heseltine was born in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire in 1812. She married Arthur Davitt, an educationalist, in Jersey in 1845. The couple ...

. Fortune's full identity was uncovered through Sussex's scholarship, having been previously only known by pseudonyms for many decades. Her Ph.D thesis also focused on early women crime writers, the mothers of the genre.

Contribution to science fiction and fantasy culture

Sussex has participated in numerous conventions and conferences, either as guest or panelist. She has for many years maintained an active interest in encouraging emerging writers in the speculative fiction field, conducting a number of workshops, including at Aussiecon III, the 1999 World SF Convention in Melbourne. She was a teacher at

Clarion West Clarion West Writers Workshop is an intensive six-week program for writers preparing for professional careers in science fiction and fantasy. It runs annually from late June through the end of July. The workshop is limited to 18 students per year. ...

, in Seattle in 2001 and at

Clarion South Clarion may refer to: Music * Clarion (instrument), a type of trumpet used in the Middle Ages * The register of a clarinet that ranges from B4 to C6 * A trumpet organ stop that usually plays an octave above unison pitch * "Clarion" (song), a 2 ...

in 2004. She has regularly conducted workshops in her home city of Melbourne, of varying lengths and themes, most recently facilitating a Science Fiction Novel writing challenge in 2008-09. In 2003 Sussex was awarded the

Chandler Award The Chandler Award is presented by the Australian Science Fiction Foundation for "Outstanding Achievement in Australian Science Fiction". It is named in recognition of the contribution that science fiction writer A. Bertram Chandler made to Aus ...

for "Outstanding Achievement in Australian Science Fiction", which recognised the scope of her achievements in the Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy fields as practitioner, academic and teacher. She was awarded the Peter McNamara award in 2010.

Awards

In 1989, she won her first

Ditmar Award The Ditmar Award (formally the Australian SF ("Ditmar") Award; formerly the "Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award") has been awarded annually since 1969 at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention (the "Natcon") to recognise a ...

for short story "My Lady Tongue" about a

lesbian feminist Lesbian feminism is a cultural movement and critical perspective that encourages women to focus their efforts, attentions, relationships, and activities towards their fellow women rather than men, and often advocates lesbianism as the logic ...

community. She won three further Ditmars, for her novel ''The Scarlet Rider'' (1997), novella "La Sentinelle" (2004), and short story "Absolute Uncertainty". "Merlusine" won the

Aurealis Award The Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award. History The Aurealis Award was established in 1995 by ...

for Best Fantasy Short Story in 1998, and "La Sentinelle" won an Aurealis Award in 2003. In 2008 her short story "Mist and Murder" won a

Sir Julius Vogel Award The Sir Julius Vogel Awards are awarded each year at the New Zealand National Science Fiction Convention to recognise achievement in New Zealand science fiction, fantasy, horror, and science fiction fandom. They are commonly referred to as the ...

. ''Blockbuster! Fergus Hume and the Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' won the History Publication Award in the

Victorian Community History Awards The Victorian Community History Awards are held annually to recognise the contributions made by Victorians in the preservation of the State's history, and to recognise excellence in historical research. The effect of the VCHA over the period from ...

in 2015. It was shortlisted for the 2017 Best Non Fiction prize in the Ngaio Marsh Awards. She was a judge for the international James Tiptree, Jr. Award in 1995, and has subsequently judged the Age, Victorian Premier's and ASAL gold medal awards.

Bibliography

Novels

* *''Deersnake'' (Hodder and Stoughton, 1994) *''The Scarlet Rider'' (Forge, 1996) *''The Penguin Friend'' (Omnibus Books, 1997) *''Black Ice'', (Hodder Headline Australia, 1997) *''The Revognase'' (Lothian, 2003)

Short fiction

;Collections *''My Lady Tongue and Other Tales'', (Heinemann, 1990) *''A Tour Guide in Utopia'', (MirrorDanse, 2005) *''Absolute Uncertainty'', (

Aqueduct Press Aqueduct Press is a publisher based in Seattle, Washington, United States that publishes material featuring a feminist viewpoint. History Aqueduct Press was founded in 2004 by L. Timmel Duchamp. The company has focused on publishing speculat ...

, 2006) *''Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies: The Essential Lucy Sussex'', ( Ticonderoga Publications, 2011) *''Thief of Lives'' (Twelfth Planet, 2011) ;StoriesShort stories unless otherwise noted. *"The Parish and Mrs Brown" (1983) in ''DreamWorks: Strange New Stories'' (ed. David King) *"The Lipton Village Society" (1985) in ''Strange Attractors'' (ed.

Damien Broderick Damien Francis Broderick (born 22 April 1944) is an Australian science fiction and popular science writer and editor of some 74 books. His science fiction novel ''The Dreaming Dragons'' (1980) introduced the trope of the generation time machin ...

) *"Montage" (1985) in ''Urban Fantasies'' (ed. David King, Russell Blackford) *" My Lady Tongue" (1988) in ''Matilda at the Speed of Light'' (ed. Damien Broderick) *"Quartet in D Minor" (1988, also known as "Quartet in Death Minor") in ''My Lady Tongue & Other Tales'' *"God and Her Black Sense of Humour" (1990) in ''My Lady Tongue & Other Tales'' *"Red Ochre" (1990) in ''My Lady Tongue & Other Tales'' *"The Man Hanged Upside Down" (1990) in ''My Lady Tongue & Other Tales'' *"Go-To" (1990) in ''My Lady Tongue & Other Tales'' *"The Bogeyman" (1992) in ''Spine Chilling: Ten Horror Stories'' (ed. Penny Matthews) *"The Lottery" (1994) in ''The Lottery: Nine Science Fiction Stories'' *"Kay & Phil" (1994) in ''Alien Shores'' (ed.

Peter McNamara Peter McNamara (5 July 1955 – 20 July 2019) was an Australian tennis player and coach. McNamara won five singles titles and nineteen doubles titles in his career. A right-hander, McNamara reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 14 March ...

Margaret Winch Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

) *"The Lady with the Ermine" (1995) in ''Strange Fruit: Tales of the Unexpected'' (ed. Paul Collins) *"A Tour Guide in Utopia" (1995) in ''A Tour Guide in Utopia'' *"The Ghost of Mrs Rochester" (1996) in ''

Eidolon (Australian magazine) Eidolon Publications was a small press publisher based in North Perth, Western Australia. The company previously published the speculative fiction magazine ''Eidolon'' which ran from 1990 to 2000 and published books under the name of Eidolon Boo ...

'' #21, Autumn 1996 (ed.

Jonathan Strahan Jonathan Strahan (born 1964, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an editor and publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His family moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1968, and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a ...

Jeremy G. Byrne Jeremy may refer to: * Jeremy (given name), a given name * Jérémy, a French given name * ''Jeremy'' (film), a 1973 film * "Jeremy" (song), a song by Pearl Jam * Jeremy (snail), a left-coiled garden snail that died in 2017 * ''Jeremy'', a 1919 ...

Richard Scriven Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

) *"Adeline" (1996) in ''

Aurealis ''Aurealis'' is an Australian speculative fiction magazine published by Chimaera Publications, and is Australia's longest running small-press science-fiction and fantasy magazine. The magazine is based in Melbourne. History and profile ''Aurea ...

'' #18 (ed.

Stephen Higgins Stephen E. Higgins (born 1938) was the third Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms from 1983 to 1993, subsequently known as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Life and career Higgins joined the IRS ...

Dirk Strasser A dirk is a long bladed thrusting dagger.Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), ''Dagger'', The Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. VII, New York, NY: Cambridge University Press (1910), p. 729 Historically, it gained its name from the Highland Dirk (Scot ...

) *" Merlusine" (1997) in ''

The Horns of Elfland ''The Horns of Elfland'' is a 1997 fantasy fiction, fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman and Donald G. Keller. Background ''The Horns of Elfland'' was first published in April 1997 by Roc Books in paperback format. It was a no ...

'' (ed.

Ellen Kushner Ellen Kushner (born October 6, 1955) is an American writer of fantasy novels. From 1996 until 2010, she was the host of the radio program '' Sound & Spirit'', produced by WGBH in Boston and distributed by Public Radio International. Background ...

Delia Sherman Cordelia Caroline Sherman (born 1951, Tokyo, Japan), known professionally as Delia Sherman, is an American fantasy writer and editor. Her novel ''The Porcelain Dove'' won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Background Sherman attended The Chapin Scho ...

Donald G. Keller Donald G. Keller (born 1951) is a science fiction and fantasy editor and critic. He was the co-founder of Serconia Press and was Managing Editor and a frequent contributor to ''The New York Review of Science Fiction'' (1990-1995), where his semin ...

) *"Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies" (1998) in ''

Dreaming Down-Under ''Dreaming Down-Under'' is a 1998 speculative fiction anthology edited by Jack Dann and Janeen Webb. Background ''Dreaming Down-Under'' was first published in Australia in November 1998 by Voyager Books in trade paperback format. In 1999 and ...

'' (ed.

Jack Dann Jack Dann (born February 15, 1945) is an American writer best known for his science fiction, an editor and a writing teacher, who has lived in Australia since 1994. He has published over seventy books, in the majority of cases as editor or co-edit ...

Janeen Webb Janeen Webb (''née'' Pemberton) is an Australian writer, critic and editor, working mainly in the field of science fiction and fantasy. Biography The daughter of a Second World War Australian Army commando and salesman, Webb was brought up in ...

) *"The Queen of Erewhon" (1999) in ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher ...

'' September 1999 (ed.

Gordon Van Gelder Gordon Van Gelder (born 1966) is an American science fiction editor. From 1997 until 2014, Van Gelder was editor and later publisher of ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'', for which he has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Editor Sho ...

) *"The Morgue" (2000) in ''Tales from the Wasteland: Stories from the 13th Floor'' (ed. Paul Collins) *"The Gloaming" (2000) in ''Eidolon'' No.29/30, Autumn 2000 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne) *"The Work of Giants — Minimus' story" (2002) in ''The Road to Camelot'' (ed.

Sophie Masson Sophie Masson is a French-Australian fantasy and children's author. Early life and education Sophie Masson was born in Indonesia of French parents who are of mixed ancestry (French, Basque, Spanish and Portuguese). Masson, the third in a fami ...

) *"Frozen Charlottes" (2003) in ''

Forever Shores Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama * ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...

'' (ed. Margaret Winch, Peter McNamara) *"Runaway" (2003, also known as "Runaways") in '' Agog! Terrific Tales'' (ed.

Cat Sparks Catriona (Cat) Sparks (born 11 September 1965, Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian science fiction writer, editor and publisher. Publishing As manager and editor of Agog! Press with her partner, Australian horror writer Rob Hood, Sp ...

) *"

La Sentinelle La Sentinelle () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The communes cooperate in the ...

" (2003) in '' Southern Blood: New Australian Tales of the Supernatural'' (ed.

Bill Congreve Bill Congreve is an Australian writer, editor and reviewer of speculative fiction. He has also published the work of Australian science fiction and horror writers under his MirrorDanse imprint. Biography Congreve's first work was published in ...

) *"Matricide" (2005) in '' The Year's Best Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy: Volume Two'' (ed. Bill Congreve, Michelle Marquardt) *"Duchess" (2006) in ''Absolute Uncertainty'' *"A Small Star of Cold" (2006) in ''Absolute Uncertainty'' *"A Sentimental, Sordid Education" (2006) in ''Absolute Uncertainty'' *"The Revenant" (2006) in ''

Eidolon I ''Eidolon I'' is a 2006 speculative fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan and Jeremy G. Byrne. Background ''Eidolon I'' was first published in 2006 by Eidolon Books in trade paperback format. It was a short-list nominee for the 2007 Di ...

'' (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne, Jonathan Strahan) *" Mist and Murder" (2007) in ''New Ceres'' Issue 2 *"Ardent Clouds" (2008) in ''The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy'' (ed.

Ellen Datlow Ellen Datlow (born December 31, 1949) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist. She is a winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Bram Stoker Award (Horror Writers Association). Career Datlow began her career ...

) *"Robots & Zombies, Inc." (2008) in '' Dreaming Again'' (ed. Jack Dann) *"Something Better Than Death" (2009) in ''

'' #42 (ed. Stuart Mayne) *"Albert and Victoria/Slow Dreams" (2010) in ''Baggage'' (ed Gillian Polack)

Edited

*''The Fortunes of Mary Fortune'' (Penguin, 1989) *''The Lottery: Nine Science Fiction Stories'' (Omnibus Books, 1994) *''The Patternmaker: Nine Science Fiction Stories'' (Omnibus Books, 1994) *''Shadow Alley: Nine Crime Stories'' (Omnibus Books, 1995) *''She's Fantastical'' (Sybylla Press, 1995) *''Saltwater in the Ink: Voices from the Australian Seas (Australian Scholarly Press, 2010) *''The Detectives’ Album'' by Mary Fortune (Broken Silicon Press, USA and Canada, 2003) *''Three Detective Stories'' by Mary Fortune (Mulini, 2009)

Non-fiction

*''Contrary Modes'' (1985) with Jenny Blackford,

Russell Blackford Russell Blackford (born 1954) is an Australian writer, philosopher, and literary critic. Early life and education Blackford was born in Sydney, and grew up in the city of Lake Macquarie, near Newcastle, New South Wales. After graduating with ...

and Norman Talbot *''Woman Writers and Detectives in Nineteenth-Century Crime Fiction: the Mothers of the Mystery Genre'' (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2010) *''Blockbuster! Fergus Hume and The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' (

Text Publishing Text Publishing is an independent Australian publisher of fiction and non-fiction, based in Melbourne, Victoria. Company background Text Media was founded in Melbourne in 1990 by Diana Gribble and Eric Beecher, along with designer Chong Weng ...

, 2015) ;Bibliographies *''Canadian Women's History Bibliography'' with Klay Dyer and Sue Martin, (Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions, 1997) *''Mary Fortune'' with Elizabeth Gibson, (Victorian Fiction Research Guide 27), Victorian Fiction Research Unit, Department of English, University of Queensland, 1998.

References

Other sources

*''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...

'', page 1189

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sussex, Lucy 1957 births Living people The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction people New Zealand science fiction writers Women science fiction and fantasy writers