Vivian Shaw is a

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 ...

writer.

Literary career

Shaw is known for her critically acclaimed trilogy of novels about the fictional doctor Greta Helsing, who has a clinic in London for special-needs clients with supernatural abilities. Shaw's first novel, ''Strange Practice'', was listed by the

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

Book Concierge as one of the Best Books of 2017. In the sequel, ''Dreadful Company'', Greta Helsing travels to Paris. ''Dreadful Company'' appeared on the 2018 ''

Locus Locus (plural loci) is Latin for "place". It may refer to: Entertainment * Locus (comics), a Marvel Comics mutant villainess, a member of the Mutant Liberation Front * ''Locus'' (magazine), science fiction and fantasy magazine ** ''Locus Award' ...

'' recommended reading list. In the third book, ''Grave Importance'', Greta Helsing temporarily directs an exclusive

mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay fu ...

spa near

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

Literary influences

''Strange Practice'' and its sequels reference many characters from classic

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

literature, including Lord Ruthven,

Sir Francis Varney ''Varney the Vampire; or, the Feast of Blood'' is a Victorian-era serialized gothic horror story variously attributed to James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest. It first appeared in 1845–1847 as a series of weekly cheap pamphlets of the ...

, and

Abraham Van Helsing Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula'', is an aged Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his ...

. In an interview with the journalist

Liz Bourke Liz is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God's Promise". It is also a short form of Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Lisbeth, Lizanne, Liszbeth, Lizbeth, Lizabeth, Lyzbeth, Lisa, Lizette, Alyssa, and Eliza. People * Liz Balmaseda (born 1959), Puli ...

, Shaw stated that she once wished to be a doctor like her protagonist, and reads medical textbooks for fun.

Bibliography

Greta Helsing series

#''Strange Practice'' (2017) #''Dreadful Company'' (2018) #''Grave Importance'' (2019)

Short fiction

*"The Utmost Bound" (2018) *"Black Matter" (2019)

Personal life

Shaw was born in Kenya, and lived in the United Kingdom before moving to the United States at age of seven. She received a B.A. in Art History from

St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) is a public liberal arts college in St. Mary's City, Maryland.Maryland State Archives, Online Manual, "St. Mary's College Of Maryland: Origin & Functions" http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/25univ/stmarys ...

in 2002, and M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts from the

University of Baltimore The University of Baltimore (UBalt, UB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland. UBalt's schools and colleges provide education in business, law, public affairs, and the applied arts and sc ...

in 2013. She and her wife, fellow author

Arkady Martine AnnaLinden Weller, better known under her pen name Arkady Martine (born April 19, 1985), is an American historian, city planning, city planner, and author of science fiction literature. Her first novels ''A Memory Called Empire'' (2019) and A Des ...

, lived initially in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and as of 2020 live in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

. She also is a freelance editor and graphic designer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Vivian American lesbian writers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Santa Fe, New Mexico St. Mary's College of Maryland alumni University of Baltimore alumni 21st-century American women writers