Horny Toads and Ugly Chickens: A Bibliography on Texas in Speculative Fiction

by Bill Page

20 September 2001

In this bibliography I have compiled a list of science fiction, fantasy and horror novels that are set in Texas.  I have occasionally mentioned short stories throughout this bibliography, but I did not make any sustained attempt to identify such works.  Many of the entries are briefly annotated, though I well understand that it is impossible to accurately describe a book in only one or two sentences.

As one reads science fiction and fantasy novels set in Texas, certain themes repeat themselves.  There are, of course, numerous works about ghosts, vampires, and werewolves.  Authors often write about invasions of the state, not only by creatures from outer space, but also by foreigners, including the Russians, the Mexicans, and even the Israelis.  One encounters familiar plot devices, such as time travel, in other books.   Stories often depict a Texas devastated by some apocalypse – sometimes it is global warming, sometimes World War III has been fought, and usually lost, by the United States, and, in one case, the disaster consisted of a series of massive earthquakes which created ecological havoc and destroyed most of the region's infrastructure.

The mystique of the old west has long been an alluring subject for authors; even Jules Verne and Bram Stoker used Texans in stories.  Writers frequently develop plots based on frontier life and are especially fond of the Texas Rangers.  A number of works describe the re-establishment of an independent Republic of Texas.  Some works touch on the ethnic diversity of the state.  Native Americans most commonly appear as key characters, sometimes as heroes, sometimes as villains, with Hispanics and African Americans factoring in the plots of somewhat fewer books.  With few exceptions, authors have ignored the remaining immigrants who have contributed to the state's history.  As one might expect, NASA and space exploration are elements in the storylines of a number of books.  Much to my surprise, life in the oil field is a major factor in only one work, Rory Harper's Petrogypsies. 

The locations of the stories are scattered about the state.  When authors have placed the action in cities, they most often have used Austin, Dallas, Houston or Galveston.  Somewhat oddly, tales almost never occur in Fort Worth.  In overly simplistic terms, East Texas is the site of horror stories, while West Texas is home to adventure stories.

Lest I give anyone a false impression, many writers have managed to put a unique spin on their tales, incorporating such diverse elements as were-lizards, killer emus, dodos, and time traveling cats, to give just a few examples.

Over 90% of the books listed were published after 1970.  The earliest story I have identified so far is Aurelia Hadley Mohl's "An Afternoon's Nap, or:  Five Hundred Years Ahead," which was published in 1865.  Few stories have been located prior to the rise of the science fiction pulps in the 1920s.  To some degree this reflects the fact that during this time many Texas stories were printed in newspapers and limited circulation magazines, few of which have survived.  From the 1920s to the 1970s more stories have been identified, but the real growth of Texas fiction does not appear until the 1970s, with the simultaneous increase in Texas fan activity and the coming together of a group of young authors in Austin.

Although most of the novels identified for this bibliography were originally marketed as horror, science fiction or fantasy, a small number were labeled as romance novels, westerns, men's adventures, children's books, and even mainstream works.  I have not included references to electronic publications in this bibliography.

I have not made any particular attempt to list stories that take place at the Johnson Space Center, though I have noted such books when I run across them.  Similarly, I have made no effort to identify all of the stories that touch on the assassination of President Kennedy. 

In addition to citing works set in Texas, I have also listed writers with Texas connections, whether they were born in the state or moved here later in life.  Most likely I have missed quite a few authors who have written short stories only.  I have not attempted to compile complete bibliographies for these authors. 

I have included a few references to secondary sources, especially when those articles were written by Texans or printed in Texas publications.  These obviously only scratch the surface of what is available.  Researchers who want more information should consult Hal Hall's "Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database" at:

http://libraryasp.tamu.edu/cushing/sffrd/

Comments

This is obviously an incomplete list, and doubtless I have made errors in what I have written.  I welcome additions and corrections, as well as suggestions on ways to increase the usefulness of this work.

Bill Page 
bpage@lib-gw.tamu.edu  

Selected Sources

Many of the works listed are books that I discovered while browsing in bookstores.  Friends helped identify many other books.  A variety of print and electronic reference tools were consulted; the following are some of the most useful.

Bagnall, Norma Hayes, Children's Literature in Texas:  A History and Evaluation.  Texas A&M University, doctoral dissertation, 1984.

Bleiler, Evert F., Science-Fiction:  The Gernsback Years.  Kent, Ohio:  Kent State University Press, 1998.

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database.  Subscription online database

Contento, William G., An Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections, Combined Edition.  (http://www.best.com/~contento/).  Free online database.

Day, Donald B., Index to the Science Fiction Magazines, 1926-1950.  Boston, MA:  G.K. Hall, 1982.

Douglas, C.N., "Texas, the State of the SF Art," in First Occasional Lone Star Science Fiction Convention and Chili Cookoff, Austin:  Lone Star Con, 1985, pp.53-55.

Gale Literary Databases.  Subscription online database.

Genre Evolution Project Database.  (http://www.umich.edu/~genreevo/).  Free online database.

Hall, Hal W., Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database.  (http://libraryasp.tamu.edu/cushing/sffrd/)  Free online database.

Kingston, Mike, "Speculative Fiction in Texas," Texas Almanac, Dallas:  Belo Corp., 1990-1991, pp.462-465.

Lexis-Nexis.  Subscription online database.

The Locus Index to Science Fiction (1984-1998) (http://www.locusmag.com/index/0start.html).  Free online database.

Page, Bill, "Under the Lone Star," in First Occasional Lone Star Science Fiction Convention and Chili Cookoff, Austin:  Lone Star Con, 1985, pp.19-25.

Proctor, Geo., "Texas Writers on Sci-Fi High," Dallas Morning News, 13 June 1976, p.G3. 

Reginald, R., Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature A Checklist, 1700-1974.  Detroit, MI:  Gale Research Company, 1979.

Romantic Times Book Search.  (http://www.romantictimes.com/b_books/body.html)  Free online database.

San Antonio Public Library.  Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fiction Set in Texas (www.sat.lib.tx.us/Fiction/fictionTxscifi.htm).  Free resource; lists 13 books.

Tuck, Donald H., The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy.  Chicago:  Advent Publishers, Inc., 1978.

Uchronia, the Alternate History List (http://www.uchronia.net/).  Free online database.

What Do I Read Next ?  Subscription online database.

WorldCat.  Subscription online database.

The Bibliography

Abshire, Richard and William Clair

Dallas area police officers.

Gants.  Los Angeles:  SOS Publishers, 1985.  Not seen; supposedly a Dallas homicide detective solves a murder at the urging of the victim's ghost.

The Shaman Tree.  New York:  St. Martin's Press, 1989.  Sequel to Gants.  Former police detective who is psychic investigates murders on an East Texas ranch, which is haunted by the spirit of a Caddo Indian.

See:

Milligan, Bryce, "Murder Victim Solves the Crime in Dallas Officers' Mystery Novel," Dallas Morning News, 12 July 1985, p.50E  (review of Gants).

 

Robertson, Peter, "The Return of a Psychic Cop," Dallas Morning News, 26 Nov. 1989, p.6J (review of The Shaman Tree).

Adair, James B. and Gordon Rottman

WWIII:  Behind the Lines:  Target Texas.  New York:  Berkley Books, 1990.  Action novel partially taking place at Fort Hood and including a character named "Pecos Bill."

Adams, Gerald H.

Native of Arkansas; Texas fan of the 1930s; he attended Wiley College in Marshall, one of the state's oldest African American colleges. 

"Futility," Wonder Stories, 7(8): 964-965, 1002 (March 1936).  Set on an alien planet.

 Letter, Amazing Stories, January 1934, p. 133

 Letter, Amazing Stories, November 1932, p. 542

 See: 

"Aerodynamics Physicist," Ebony, 17(7):7 (Sept. 1962).  "He likes chess, science fiction as hobbies, says he would like to become a writer."

Adams, Nicholas

Not a Texan; pseudonym for Nicholas Pine (1951-    ).

Vampire's Kiss.  New York:  Harper Paperbacks, 1994.  Not seen; young adult novel in which the ghost of a television weatherman warns a teenage girl about a vampire band; set in Galveston.

Allston, Aaron (1960-    )

A native Texan, his webpage:  http://www.io.com/~allston/

Double Jeopardy.  New York:  TOR, 1994.  Not seen; 21^st century detectives investigate murder in a small Texas town.

Anderson, Isabel Weld Perkins (1876-1948)

A Texas writer, author of several books, including:

Captain Ginger's Fairy.  Boston:  C.M. Clark Publishing Co., 1911.  Fantasy element uncertain; book not seen.  There were several books featuring "Captain Ginger."  Another book was titled Captain Ginger's Eater of Dreams.  Boston:  C.M. Clark, 1911.  Also not seen.

Anderson, Poul (1926-    )

Spent the first 10 years of his life living in Texas.

"When Free Men Shall Stand," in What Might Have Been Volume 3:  Alternate Wars (editors Greg Benford and Martin H. Greenburg; New York:  Bantam Books, 1992).  An alternate history set in 1849; Sam Houston and a French diplomatic talk about history during the battle for New Orleans in the Second French-American War

Andersson, C. Dean

Lived in Texas for some time; some of his novels published under the pseudonym Asa Drake were co-authored with Nina Romberg.

Torture Tomb.  New York:  Warner Books, 1987.  Not seen; supposedly a horror story set in Dallas.

Raw Pain Max.  New York:  Warner Books, 1988.  Not seen; supposedly a horror story set in Dallas.

Fiend.  New York:  Zebra Books, 1994.  Action takes place at a comic convention in Dallas where an author's character comes to life and murders children.

Anthony, Patricia (1947-    )

Texas author.

"The Last Flight from Llano," originally published in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, 17(6):76+ (May 1993), reprinted in her Eating Memories.  Woburn, MA:  First Books and Old Earth Books, 1997, pp.224-237.   A ranch family in West Texas deals with the effects of global warming.

"The Murcheson Boy," originally published in Weird Tales, 52(1):43+ (Fall 1990), reprinted in her Eating Memories.  Woburn, MA:  First Books and Old Earth Books, 1997, pp.133-142.  Set in East Texas; an odd boy first kills and eats his neighbors' animals, then he does the same with the neighbors themselves.

"The Name of the Demon," originally published in Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 77(5):64+ (Nov. 1989), reprinted in her Eating Memories.  Woburn, MA:  First Books and Old Earth Books, 1997.  Takes place on a boat off Padre Island.

"Scavenger Hunt," first published in Eating Memories.  Woburn, MA:  First Books and Old Earth Books, 1997.  A high-tech cockroach hunt near Dallas turns nasty.

Happy Policeman.  New York:  Ace Books, 1996.  In a Texas town isolated from the rest of the world by aliens, the police must solve a murder. 

See: 

Blaschke, Jayme L., "Up from Texas:  Patricia Anthony Interviewed," Interzone, no.144:  31-34 (June 1999)

"Science Friction," Dallas Observer, 11 June 1998 (online in Lexis-Nexis).

Sorrells, David, "Novel a Treasure for Ardent Military Sci-Fi Fans," Texas Books in Review, 13(3): 18 (Fall 1993).  Review of Anthony's Cold Allies.  New York:  Harcourt Brace, 1993.

Waller, Susan, "Sci-Fi Writer Follows Fantasies in Quest of Art," Dallas Morning News, 1 Feb. 1990, p.1F.  Also in NewsBank Review of the Arts:  Literature, 22:B9-10 (1990).

Appleton, Victor, II

The "Tom Swift, Jr." books featured a cook from Texas named Charles "Chow" Winkler.

Ashley, Faye

Lives in Texas.

Lost in My Dreams.  New York:  St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1996.  A Houston woman discovers a portal to another planet, where she finds romance.

September Valentine.  New York:  St. Martin's Press, 1997.  Not seen; supposedly a romantic novel about a guardian angel and a woman living on borrowed time; the story is partly set in Texas.

Austin, Richard

The Guardians Freedom Fight.  New York:  Jove, 1988.  Guerilla freedom fighters battle religious fanatics in Texas.

Baker, Kage (1952-    )

Not a Texan.

Graveyard Game.  New York:  Harcourt, Inc., 2001.  Immortal cyborgs save the future by preserving the past; some scenes are set in Texas.

Baker, Karle Wilson, Mrs. (1878-1960)

A Texas writer, resident of Nacogdoches; charter member of the Texas Institute of Letters, wrote:

The Garden of Plynck.  Yale University Press, 1920.  Not seen; "a prose fairy tale."  Cited in Houston Chronicle, March 4, 1923, p. 43

Baldwin, Bill

Author; lives in Dallas

his webpage:  http://www.omni2001.com/billbaldwin/

Ball, Margaret

Texas author.

Mathemagics.  New York:  Baen Books, 1996.  Mild-mannered suburban mom Riva Konneva is a warrior from an alternate reality; a "chicks in chainmail" novel.

The Shadow Gate.  New York:  Baen Books, 1991.  Includes a character from the "New Age Psychic Center" in Austin.

Bangs, Nina

Lives in Texas

An Original Sin.  New York:  Love Spell Books, 1999.  Time travel novel including a maker of "customized men" from the future and a demon; takes place partially in Clear Lake.

Banks, Lynn Reid

English writer.

The Indian in the Cupboard.  Garden City, NY:  Doubleday, 1980.  A magical cabinet brings plastic toys to life; one character is a Texas cowboy.

The Secret of the Indian.  New York:  Avon Books, 1990.  One of several sequels to the Indian in the Cupboard; in this story, one of the children goes back in time to visit the cowboy in Texas.

Barbour, David and Richard Raleig

Shadows Bend.  New York:  Ace Books, 2000.  Authors Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft fight the elder god Cthulhu; some of the action takes place in Texas.

Barker, Clive (1952-    )

English writer.

"Revelations," in his The Inhuman Condition, New York:  Pocket Books, 1985, pp.119-182.  Ghosts of a woman and the husband she murdered haunt a couple in a motel near Pampa.

Barrett, Neal, Jr. (1929-    )

A Texas writer, has written SF under his name and at least one western under a pseudonym; member of Texas Institute of Letters.

Works include:

"Class of  '61," Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Oct. 1987, reprinted in his Perpetuity Blues and Other Stories.  Urbana, IL:  Golden Griffin Press, 2000, pp.119-135.  In a depopulated world, aliens who live underground summon a psychic woman and her husband who is a priest to get rid of a ghost, who is haunting their burrows; action takes place in Texas.

"Diner," Omni, Nov. 1987, reprinted in his Perpetuity Blues and Other Stories.  Urbana, IL:  Golden Griffin Press, 2000, pp.32-46.  After germ warfare has ravaged the U.S., Texans on the Bolivar Peninsula survive under Chinese rule by fishing.

"Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus," Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Feb. 1988, reprinted in his Perpetuity Blues and Other Stories.  Urbana, IL:  Golden Griffin Press, 2000, pp.224-242.  In post holocaust Texas, a woman's traveling show offers sex, tacos and dangerous drugs; she is assisted by an android and a possum man.

"Perpetuity Blues," Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, May 1987, reprinted in his Perpetuity Blues and Other Stories.  Urbana, IL:  Golden Griffin Press, 2000, pp.3-31.  A Texas girl from a troubled family tries to make it in New York City with the help of a man who claims to be an alien.

"Trading Post," Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, 10 (10):62-83 (Oct. 1986), reprinted in his Perpetuity Blues and Other Stories.  Urbana, IL:  Golden Griffin Press, 2000, pp.136-156.  A human scavenger sells artworks to alien conquerors; set in the Big Thicket area.

The Hereafter Gang.  Shingletown, CA:  M.V. Ziesing, 1991.  A Texan discovers the afterlife is not what he expected.

Interstate Dreams.  Dripping Springs, TX:  MOJO Press, 1999.  A former pilot psychically disarms any alarm system in his vicinity; his attempts to play Robin Hood are complicated by people in black hats; action takes place in Texas.  This book won the Joe Bob Briggs Prize for the Goldang Funniest Texas Book (given by the Texas Institute of Letters) in 2001.

See: 

Shindler, Dorman T., "Sci-fi Convention Toastmaster Prefers Life a Bit 'Off the Wall'," San Antonio Express-News, 31 August 1997, Part J, p.4 (online in Lexis-Nexis).

Barthelme, Donald (1931-1989)

Attended the University of Houston and lived in Houston in the 1950s and again in the 1980s.

See: 

Klinkowitz, Jerome; Asa Pieratt, and Robert Murray Davis,  Donald Barthelme: A Comprehensive Bibliography and Annotated Secondary Checklist.  Hamden, CT: Archon Books, 1977.

Bennett, Elizabeth, "Barthelme Style Affected Writers Around the World," Houston Post, 25 July 1989, p.D1.

Obituary, Locus, 23(3): 76 (Sept. 1989)

Bartholomew, Barbara (1941-    )

Teaches at the University of Houston

The Time Keeper.  New York:  New American Library, 1985.  Young adult novel in which children travel through time to past, future, and alternate Texas's.  The next two books in this series use the same characters, but relate less strongly to Texas.

book 2:  Child of Tomorrow.  New York:  New American Library, 1985.

book 3:  When Dreamers Cease to Dream.  New York:  New American Library, 1985.

She has also published a number of other novels and stories.

Beamer, George Charles, Jr. (1942-    )

Native of Missouri; graduated from North Texas State University and the University of Texas at Austin; lives in Texas.  Author of some fantasy novels.

Beaumont, Roger (1935-    )

History professor at Texas A&M University; author

Bell, Douglas  

Mojo and the Pickle Jar.  New York:  Tor Associates, 1991.  Not seen; a young Hispanic woman on the run from drug dealers has the miracle-working preserved heart of a saint in a pickle jar; she meets a young man in a Texas roadside cafe and they travel together.

Benefield, Barry (1877-1971)

Texas writer, graduated from the University of Texas.

Wrote one fantasy titled:  "Eddie and the Archangel Mike," Saturday Evening Post, Dec. 1942 to January 1943; published in book form under that title (New York:  Reynald and Hitchcock, 1943).  Reprinted as Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven (New York:  World, 1948).  A Texas journalist inherits money and moves to New York, where he meets the "Mike" of the title.  The fantasy element in the novel is rather slight – the book was made into a movie, which I have not seen, and which may not contain any fantasy elements.  

Benford, Greg (1941-    )

Author; formerly lived in Texas and first became active in fandom in Dallas.

Benoist, Elizabeth S. (1901-    )

Doomsday Clock.  San Antonio:  The Naylor Co., 1975.   Account of WW III (not set in Texas).  Included because of the publication place and because this is the only book I have ever seen with a fuse sticking out of it (a banner on the cover reads, "Don't Light the Fuse ...")

Bernard, Diane

Renaissance Man.  New York:  Kensington Publishing Corp., 1997.  Not seen; supposedly a romantic novel involving time travel in Texas.

Blaschke, Jayme

Native Texan; graduate of Texas A&M University.  Interviews authors and writes short stories his website:  http://www.vvm.com/~caius/

"Cyclops in B Minor," in Wolverton, Dave, ed., Writers of the Future, vol.14.  Los Angeles:  Bridge Publications, 1998.  Set in the fictional town of Cottonwood, TX, this story concerns an unhappy woman who shares a love of music with a cyclops; the Indian flute player Kokopelli also appears as a character.

Bloch, Robert (1917-1994)  

Not a Texan. 

Psycho.  New York:  Simon and Schuster, 1959.  The two sisters, Mary and Lila Crane, were from Texas and part of the action takes place there, although the Bates Motel is located in another state.

Bolesny, Darlene D.  

Texas author

Trail of Darkness.  Lake Geneva, WI:  TSR, 1996.  Not set in Texas.

Bolton, Paul (1903-    )  

Texas journalist

"The Time Hoaxers," Amazing Stories, 6(5): 428-435, 445 (August 1931).  A strange vehicle from the future lands in Austin.

Bonds, Parris Afton

Lives in Texas

For All Time.  New York:  Harper Paperbacks, 1992.  A romantic novel in which a modern day woman travels back in time to Fort Clark, TX in the 1870s, where she occupies the body of her Swedish ancestor; she falls in love with an Irish / Indian half breed and befriends an African American woman who is courted by a Seminole scout.

Bowen, Gary (1961-    )

Lives in Waco.

Bradley, Marion Zimmer (1930-1999)  

Lived in west Texas for several years; graduated from Hardin Simmons University

Brandon, Michelle

Touch of Heaven.  New York: Diamond Books, 1992.  Not seen; supposedly a romantic ghost story set in Texas in the 1870s.

Brann, William Cowper (1855-1898)

Texas journalist

"Christ Comes to Texas, and Calls on the Iconoclast" in his The Complete Works of Brann the Iconoclast.  New York:  The Brown Publishers, Inc., 1919 (originally copyrighted 1898), vol. 1, pp.70-80.  Jesus stops by the newspaper office for a visit.

"A Vision of Heaven," in his The Complete Works of Brann the Iconoclast.  New York:  The Brown Publishers, Inc., 1919 (originally copyrighted 1898), vol. 2, pp.22-27.  An angel escorts a Texas newspaper editor to heaven.

Breuer, Miles J. (1889-1947)

Not a Texan, but he attended school at the University of Texas. 

"Paradise and Iron," Amazing Stories Quarterly, 3(3):292-363, 401 (Summer 1930).  Machines dominate humans; story begins on Galveston Island and one character is a former Texas Ranger.   

Bridges, Laurie

Pseudonym for Lorraine Bruck (1921-    ), who lives in Dallas.  She is the author of some young adult novels.

Brown, Crosland

Pseudonym for Albert William Gray (1940-    ).  Attended Southern Methodist University and lives in Fort Worth.

Tombley's Walk.  New York:  Avon, 1991.  A rabies epidemic and apparent werewolf attacks bring terror to an East Texas town. 

Brown, Walt

The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald.  New York:  Carroll & Graf, 1992.  Not seen; what if Jack Ruby had only wounded Lee Harvey Oswald ?

Bullock, Harold B.

Fort Worth minister who has written science fiction novels for young adults which embody spiritual principles.

For example:  The Battle for the Worlds.  Fort Worth:  Summit Group, 1990.  Not seen.

 Burstein, Michael  

Not a Texan.  

"Broken Symmetry," Analog, 117(2):10-39 (February 1997).  Novella in which strange incidents at the abandoned site of the supercolliding superconductor near Waxahachie lead to the discovery of another universe.

Byars, Betsy and Richard Cuffari.

The Winged Colt of Casa Mia.  New York: Avon Camelot, 1975.  Children's book about a winged colt born on a Texas ranch. 

Campbell, John W. (1910-1971)

Not a Texan.

(writing as Don A. Stuart) "The Machine," Astounding Stories, 14(6): 70+ (Feb. 1935).  Mankind degenerates under the rule of a machine; story is partially set in Texas.

Campbell, Ramsey, ed. (1946-    )

Not a Texan.

Deathport.  New York: Pocket Books, 1993.  Horror Writers of America anthology set in the fictional (I hope) Dry Plains International Airport built over an Indian burial ground, where bad things happen.  This includes stories by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Ron Dee & P.D. Cacek, Don D'Ammassa, Matthew I. Costello, Les Daniels, Gregory Nicoll, David Niall Wilson, Nancy Holder, Edo van Belkom, Roberta Lannes, Nancy Baker, Michael A. Arnzen, Kathryn Ptacek, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Peter Crowther, Dawn Dunn, Dan Perez, Patricia Ross, Clark Perry, Brian Hodge, Steve Rasnic Tem, Adam-Troy Castro, Stephen M. Rainey, Wendy Webb, Nancy Kilpatrick, Douglas D. Hawk, Chet Williamson, and Charles Grant.

Canfield, Sandra (1944-    )

Born in Longview, TX; moved out of state.

The Loving.  New York:  Harper Romance, 1996.  A romantic novel involving time travel and partially set in Houston, though most of the action occurs in 19^th century New Orleans.

Cannell, Stephen (1941-    )

Not a Texan.

The Devil's Workshop:  a Novel.  New York:  William Morrow, 1999.  A biological weapon is developed to kill specific ethnic groups; some of the action takes place in Texas.

Caravan, T.P. (1926-    )

Not a Texan; pseudonym of Charles C. Munoz

"The Court of Tartary," in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, December 1963, reprinted in The Best From Fantasy and Science Fiction, 14^th Series (1965),  pp. 79-86.  A professor of 18^th century English literature awakens one morning to discovered that he has been transformed into a steer in Texas.

Carl, Lillian Stewart (1949-    )

Texas writer

Garden of Thorns.  New York:  Diamond Books, 1992.  Not seen; a romantic novel in which a ghost haunts a Fort Worth estate.

Carter, Chris and Elizabeth Hand

The X-Files:  Fight the Future.  New York:  HarperPrism, 1998.  Movie novelization; FBI agents fight an alien conspiracy plot; some action takes place in Texas.

Cassutt, Michael (1954-    )

Not a Texan.

"The Folks," in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 85(1):59+ (July 1993).  The action takes place in a retirement community in Texas in the future.

Chalker, Jack (1944-    )

Not a Texan.

The River of Dancing Gods.  New York:  Ballantine, 1984.  Normal earthlings travel to another dimension to fight evil; the first part of the book is set in West Texas.

Chancellor, John Walter (1876-d. ?)

All I know about this author is that the book jacket says he had been a lawyer for more than 25 years.

Through the Visograph.  Boston:  Christopher, 1928.  Scientists in the Big Bend region of the Rio Grande discover a machine that allows them to view a forgotten advanced civilization 10 million years earlier. 

Chesbro, George C. (1940-    )

Not a Texan.

"Waco," in Nancy A. Collins, Edward E. Kramer, and Martin H. Greenberg, eds., Dark Love.  New York:  ROC, 1996, pp.234-240.  God appears to a member of the Branch Davidians in the form of a vulture.

Christian, Mary Blount (1933-     )

Texas author  

Scarabee, the Witch's Cat.  Austin:  Steck-Vaughn Co., 1973.  Not set in Texas; a witch's cat befriends the local villagers.

Clark, Jan

Texas author.

Clayton, Donald C.

Texas writer; was a professor at Rice University

The Joshua Factor.  Austin:  Texas Monthly Press, 1986.  Increased solar output causes havoc on earth; much of the action takes place in Texas and Israel.

Clee, Mona

Attended the University of Texas

Overshoot.  New York:  Ace Books, 1998.  In 2032, an elderly woman reflects on her life and how global warming has affected civilization; the main character was born in San Antonio and part of the book is set in San Antonio and Austin.

Coldsmith, Sherry

"Ticanau's Child," in Tuttle, Lisa, ed., Skin of the Soul.  New York:  Pocket Books, 1991, pp.187-211.  A Native American spirit along the Guadalupe River ensnares a young woman.

Collins, Nancy A. (1959-    )

Not a Texan.

Walking Wolf:  A Weird Western.  Clarkston, GA:  White Wolf, 1995.  Not seen; young werewolf boy in 19^th century Texas.

Conner, Miguel

Houston author; born in Portugal.

The Queen of Darkness.  New York:  Warner Books, 1998.  After they instigated a nuclear war, vampires keep humans in farms, like animals; not set in Texas.

Conrad, Roxanne

Texas author; also writes as:  Roxanne Longstreet.

Copper Moon.  New York:  Onyx, 1997.  Not seen; supposedly a romantic novel involving spirit possession in Midland.

Bridge of Shadows.  New York:  Onyx, 1998.  Not seen; supposedly a romantic novel involving a Hispanic healer and the ghost of her deceased son set in El Paso.

Cool, Tom

Author; native of Pennsylvania; now divides his time between Austin, TX and Panama.

Coulson, Robert (1928-    )

Not a Texan.

"Soy la Libertad!," in Beyond Time, ed. by Sandra Ley; New York:  Pocket Books, 1976.  Not seen; Texas was never annexed by the U.S.

Cox, Judy

The West Texas Chili Monster.  Mahusah, NJ:  Bridgewater Books, 1998.  Not seen.  Ages 4 to 8.   A woman's chili attracts a monster from outer space to a west Texas chili contest.

Cramer, John G., Jr.

Born in Houston; graduated from Rice University; later moved out of state.

Einstein's Bridge.  New York:  Avon Books, 1997.  Not seen; supposedly takes place at the Superconducting Super Collider at Waxahachie.

Crider, Bill (1941-   )

Texas mystery and western author; also writes children's books; writes horror under the name Jack MacLane (which see).  See Locus, April 1989, p. 6.  Professor at Alvin Community College; member of Texas Institute of Letters.

his website:  http://www.readthewest.com/billcrider.htm

A Vampire Named Fred.  Lufkin, TX:  Maggie Books, 1990.  Not seen; a children's book in which a friendly vampire moves to town. 

He is also the author of three science fiction books for children in the "Mike Gonzo" series.

See:  Erisman, Fred, "Authors Let the Stories Teach the Lessons," Texas Books in Review, 11(2): 5 (Summer 1991).  Review of A Vampire Named Fred.

Crowe, Evelyn A.

Reunited.  New York:  Harlequin Books, 1993.  Not seen; supposedly a romantic ghost story set in Texas.

Cunningham, Chet

Houston Hellground.  New York:  Warner Books, 1988.  Not seen; in the Avenger series.

Cupp, Scott

Texas writer of mystery and sf/f short stories, including:

"I Was a Teen Age Horny Toad," Twilight Tales Presents, # 3, 1998.  A magic ring turns boy into a were-lizard; takes place in west Texas.

"Thirteen Days of Glory", in Razored Saddles (edited by Joe R. Lansdale & Pat LoBrutto; Arlington Heights, IL:  Dark harvest, 1989).  Very alternate version of the defenders of the Alamo. 

Da Cruz, Daniel (1921-1991)

Not a Texan, but see his novels in which the new Republic of Texas battles the Russians:

The Ayes of Texas.  New York:  Ballantine Books, 1982.

Texas on the Rocks.  New York:  Ballantine Books, 1986. 

Texas Triumphant.  New York:  Ballantine Books, 1987.

Davis, Barbara S.

Uncertain where she lives; she has written (among others):

Scrubadubba Dragon.  Austin, 1971.  A children's fantasy.

Davis, Brett

The Faery Convention.  Riverdale, NY:  Baen Pub., 1995.  A plot by shapeshifters threatens to foil the Grimm Accord, a Congressional Act establishing a homeland for supernatural creatures within Texas and Oklahoma; action takes place in Washington, D.C.

Davis, Jake

Last Rangers.  New York:  Berkley, 1992.  "High-tech lawmen in the Texas of 2035 A.D."

Destination:  Showdown.  New York:  Berkley, 1993.  Not seen.

Crime Zone (in the series The Last Rangers).  New York:  Berkley Books, 1993.  Not seen. 

Davis, Mary "Mollie" Eveyln Moore (1844-1909)

Lived in Texas for many years.

Fantasy works include:

"A Christmas Vision of a Sea-Girt Isle," Galveston News, Dec. 25, 1869, p.1.  The ghost of the pirate Lafitte visits a Galveston woman on Christmas eve.

"The Soul of Rose Dede," Harpers Monthly Magazine, vol.85, pp.250-254 (July 1892).  Not set in Texas.

"The Love-Stranche" in her An Elephant's Track and Other Stories.  New York:  Harpers, 1897.

"The Forerunner," Atlantic Monthly, 98(2):273-276 (August 1906).  Not set in Texas.

A Christmas Masque of Saint Roch [play] (1896)

See: 

Anderson, John Q., "Folklore in the Texas Fiction of Mollie E. Moore Davis (1844-1909)," Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas, vol.1, pp.20-27 (1970).

Jimmons, J.P., "Mollie E. Moore Davis," Texas Monthly, 5(3):267-275 (Apr.1930).  Continues in next two issues.

Dawson, Carol (1951-    )

Lives in Austin; attended the University of Texas; member of the Texas Institute of Letters.

Meeting the Minotaur.  Chapel Hill, NC:  Algonquin Books, 1997.  Not seen.  Supposedly a modern retelling of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, with some action taking place in Texas.

The Waking Spell.  Chapel Hill, NC:  Algonquin Books, 1992.  A young girl confronts a  ghost who has haunted her family for generations; set in East Texas.

See: 

Schnellenbach-Bogle, Stacy, "A 'Hypnotic Story' Contrasts Past and Present," Texas Books in Review, 13(1): 10 (Spring 1993).  Review of The Waking Spell.

De Camp, L. Sprague (1907-2000)

Not a native Texan, but he moved to Plano, Texas in the late 1980s. 

See: 

"UT Library Acquires Science Fiction Collection," Texas Libraries, vol.50, pp.51-52 (Summer 1989).  Belonging to L. Sprague De Camp and Catherine Crook De Camp.

"Science-Fiction Writer L. Sprague de Camp Dies at 92," Houston Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2000 (online in Lexis Nexis).

Dee, Ron (1957-    )

Dusk.  New York:  Dell, 1991.  An INS agent, a policeman, a priest, and others battle a vampire outbreak in Dallas. 

Delaney, Joseph H. (1932-2000)

Texas writer and lawyer.

"Brainchild," Analog, 102(6):72-123 (June 1982).  A scientist is tried in federal court in Corpus Christi for having kept a genetically enhanced chimpanzee as a slave.

"A Jury of His Peers," Analog, 118 (1): 82-97 (January 1998).  A corrupt Texas attorney is put on trial by aliens.

"The Luck of the Draw," Analog, 114 (10): 98-107 (Aug. 1994).  A Texas lawyer meets a scientist who killed a man to keep the truth about an oil producing plant from being revealed.

"My Brother's Keeper," in Analog, 102(11):pp. ? (Oct. 1982).  Not seen; supposedly concerns a future in which wealthy people are forced to care for the poor;  action takes place in Texas.

"Star-B-Cue," in Analog, 103(6):55-76 (June 1983).  Alien "cowboys" land in a small Texas town with political complications.

Denton, Bradley (1958-    )

Formerly of Kansas; now lives in Texas.

Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede.  New York:  Morrow, 1991.  An unexplained appearance by Buddy Holly on television sets worldwide sends a person on a quest to Lubbock.

Lunatics.  New York:  St. Martin's Press, 1996.  Story about a mortal who loves the Moon goddess; takes place in Austin.

"Bloody Bunnies," Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 98(4):134-160 (April 2000). Author Brad Denton from an alternate Austin that is plagued with killer emus, is knocked into our reality and must cope with differences between the universes. 

"We Love Lydia Love," Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction," 87(4/5):12-36 (Oct./ Nov.1994).  In the Texas Hill Country near Kerrville, a surgically altered musician with a computer chip implant takes the place of a musician's dead lover.

See:

Morris, Anne, "Denton Takes Eight Stabs at Immortality," Austin American Statesman, 8 March 1998, p.D6 (online in Lexis-Nexis).  Review of One Day Closer to Death.

Shindler, Dorman T., "Austin Set Novel Uncovers Real Blue Moon," San Antonio Express News, 7 July 1996, p.L5 (online in Lexis-Nexis).  Review of Lunatics.

Shindler, Dorman T., "Austinite's Tales Offbeat, Unique," San Antonio Express News, 1 March 1998, p.G4 (online in Lexis-Nexis).  Review of One Day Closer to Death.

Dever, Joe (1956-    )  

Freeway Warriors Highway Holocaust.  New York:  Berkley Books, 1988.  "Role-playing adventure series" set in post-nuclear holocaust Texas in 2020 A.D.

Freeway Warriors Mountain Run.  New York:  Berkley Books, 1990.

Freeway Warriors The Omega Zone.  New York:  Berkley Books, 1990.

Dixon, Royal (1885-1962)

Texas author; attended Sam Houston Normal College

The Ape of Heaven.  Dallas:  Mathis Van Nort, 1936.  Not seen; supposedly concerns the discovery of a missing link tribe.

Douglas, Carole Nelson (1944-    )

Texas author

Her webpage:  http://www.catwriter.com/cdouglas/

See: 

Johnson, Shanan, "Author, Author !  Tough Cat, Crafty Female Sleuth Figure in Prolific Writer's Work," Fort Worth Star Telegram, 5 Feb. 1992 (in the paper's online archives)

Drake, Shannon

Pseudonym for Heather Graham Pozzessere

"Vanquish the Night," in Avon Books Presents Bewitching Love Stories.  New York: Avon, 1992.  Not seen; in 19^th century Texas, the head of the militia battles a vampire for the woman he loves.

Eakin, William R.

"Redgunk, Texas," in LC-39:  A Magazine of Science Fiction Literature, #2.  Not seen.

Eisenberg, Larry (1919-    )

Not a Texan.

"The Fastest Draw," in Amazing Stories, 37(10):35-43 (Oct. 1963).  A contemporary man who is obsessed with proving his skill as a gunfighter tests himself against an android; set in West Texas.

Elrod, P.N.

Author who lives in Texas.

Quincey Morris, Vampire.  New York:  Baen Books, 2001.  Texan Quincey Morris, a character in the Bram Stoker's Dracula, adapts to his new existence as a vampire; set in Europe.

(with Nigel Bennett) ... His Father's Son.  Riverdale, NY:  Baen Books, 2001.  Not seen; vampire novel with some action in Texas.

See: 

Johnson, Shanan, "Super-Fangs Author's Vampire Novels Take New Twist," Fort Worth Star Telegram, 17 June 1992 (in the paper's online archives)

Embs, Richard

"Texas in the Sky," Future, Aug. 1958.  Not seen.

Ennis, Garth and Steve Dillon

Preacher:  Proud American.  Not seen.  This and the other collected volumes of the Preacher comic books supposedly include a main character who is a Texan and partially take place in Texas.

Erwin, Alan R. (1945-    )

Texas author; former Public Utility Commissioner for the state.

The Power Exchange.  Austin:  Texas Monthly Press, 1979.  Energy shortages and political wrangling cause Texas to secede. 

Skeleton Dancer.  New York:  Dell Pub., 1989.  Takes place in modern day Austin; concerns Apache vampires.

Faust, Joe Clifford (1957-    )

Not a Texan.

"Going to Texas (Extradition Version)," in Amazing Stories, # 570, May 1992.  Not seen.

Fehrenbach, T. R. (1925-    )

Texas historian; has written some science fiction, including at least two short stories set in Texas: 

"From the Towers of Eridu," Lone Star Universe.  Austin:  Heidelberg Publishers, 1976, pp.215-230.  Takes place in Texas in a far distant future.

"Remember the Alamo!" in Analog, 68(4):56-65 (Dec. 1961), reprinted in Analog 1, ed. by John W. Campbell.  Garden City, NY:  Doubleday, 1963.  A time traveler returns to the Alamo but finds himself in an alternate past where Napoleon conquered England and the Alamo defenders desert that post.

Fellows, Oscar L. (1943-    )

Writer who grew up in west Texas and currently lives in Austin.

Fields, Morgan

This is a pseudonym for Jill Meredith Morgan (which see)

Deadly Harvest.  New York:  Zebra Books, 1989.  A death dog in the east Texas woods.

Filbrun, J.S.

Lives in California.

Gemini Rising.  New York:  Fawcett Gold Medal, 1982.  Action takes place in an underground complex south / southeast of El Paso, in Presidio County.

Fish, Roy L.

Lives in San Antonio

Flanders, Eric

Night Blood.  New York:  Zebra Books, 1993.  A vampire is chased cross-country by revenge seekers; story partly takes place in Texas.

Foster, Alan Dean (1946-    )

Not a Texan.

"Tessellated Tetrahexahedral Yellow Rose of Texas," in his The Metrognome and Other Stories.  New York: Ballantine Books, 1990.  Not seen.

Jed the Dead.  New York:  Ace Books, 1997.  A Texan on a road trip to the Pacific Ocean acquires a dead alien as a traveling companion.

Foster, Brad W. (1955-    )

Texas cartoonist, illustrator, comics writer; graduate of Texas A&M University.  Won Hugos in 1986, 1987 and 1988 (and at least 2 more in other years) for best fan artist; won a Chesley award in 1988.

Some of his work is relevant, such as his comic The Collected Tales of the Gigags (San Antonio:  Braw W. Foster, 1975; originally published in the Texas A&M University Battalion from Sept. 1974 to May 1975), which concerns the creatures living in the steam tunnels under Texas A&M University.

Friesner, Esther M. (1951-    )

Not a Texan.

The Sherwood Game.  Riverdale, NY:  Baen Pub., 1995.  Not seen; supposedly a young adult novel concerning Robin Hood and robots that takes place in Austin.

Garfield, Frances (1908-    )

Born Frances Marita Obrist in Deaf Smith Co., TX; moved out of Texas by the late 1920s; later married Manly Wade Wellman; author of some short stories.

Garland, Sherry (1948-    )

Texas author; graduated from University of Texas at Arlington.

Cabin 102.  San Diego, CA:  Harcourt Brace, 1995.  Not seen; supposedly a young adult novel about the ghost of a Native American girl; action takes place in Galveston.

Garrett, Randall (1927-1987)

Lived in Texas two or three times over the years.

Gerritsen, Tess (1953-    )

Not a Texan.

Gravity.  New York:  Pocket Books, 1999.  Alien parasites aboard a space station; some action occurs in Texas; marketed as a mainstream "medical suspense" novel.

Gillette, Glen L.

Texas writer

"Fiddle Ess," in Lone Star Universe.  Austin:  Heidelberg Publishers, 1976, pp.165-195.  Not set in Texas.

Gipson, Leonard

Texas fan

"Sports of the Future," Amazing, 14(9):128-130 (September 1940).  Speculative essay about what athletes will be like in the distant year of 2000.

"Letter," Thrilling Wonder Stories, July 1940, pp. 119‑120

Godfrey, Martyn N. (1949-    )

Not a Texan.

I Spent My Summer Vacation Kidnapped Into Space.  New York:  Apple Paperbacks, 1990.  Children's book; students at "Bush Academy" outside Houston are kidnapped by aliens.

Goulart, Ron (1933-1995)

Not a Texan.

Capricorn One.  New York:  Fawcett Books, 1978.  NASA fakes trip to Mars; much of the action of this book takes place in Texas.

Cowboy Heaven.  Garden City, NY:  Doubleday, 1979.  A humorous book in which an android is substituted for an aging cowboy movie star prior to the opening of a movie museum in Texas; the book contains scattered references to Texas as it appears in movies and some action takes place in Texas.

Gould, Steven (1955-    )

Formerly lived in Texas (Bryan, College Station, Houston); attended Texas A&M University.  Moved to New York in April 1990; later moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico; then back to Texas in September 2001. 

his website:  http://www.thuntek.net/~scg/s&l.htm

"Gift of Fire," Analog, 101(9): pp. ? (Aug. 1981).  An investigator puzzles over murder in a locked room; set in Houston.

"Peaches for Mad Molly," Analog, 108(2):122-140 (Feb. 1988).  Homeless people live on the outside of very tall buildings in Houston.

"The Touch of Their Eyes" Analog, 100(9):150-164 (Sept. 1980).  A man can sense when other people are looking at him; set in West Texas.  

Blind Waves.  New York:  Tor Books, 2000. Takes place after the Antarctic ice caps melt due to global warming; a diver off the "new" Texas coast discovers an apparent cover-up by the INS.

Wildside.  New York:  Tor Books, 1996.  A teenager discovers a dimensional portal to an alternate earth where humans never existed; much of the action takes place in the Bryan / College Station area.

See: 

Blaschke, Jayme L., "Green Dreams, With Explosions:  Steven Gould and Laura J. Mixon Interviewed," Interzone, no.160:  38-41 (Oct. 20)

Dietz, Kirsten, "Obscenity OK in Stories Says Local Sci-Fi Writer," Battalion (Texas A&M University), 16 April 1985, p.6.

Moen, Debi, "Welcome to the Monkey House; Local Sci-Fi Writer Hits Newsstands," Bryan Press 20(3):1, 4 (January 16, 1986).

Norris, Kellye, "Authors Workshop Features Married Local Sci-Fi Writers," Bryan-College Station Eagle, 19 Oct. 1989, sect.C, pp.1, 3.

 Goyen, William (1915-1983)

 

Native Texan; graduate of Rice University; later lived in California; member of Texas Institute of Letters; many of his short stories include folklore or fantastic elements.

"A Shape of Light," in The Collected Stories of William Goyen.  Garden City, NY:  Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1975, pp.100-123.  People in East Texas chase a ghost light.  

See: 

Wright, Stuart, William Goyen:  A Descriptive Bibliography, 1938-1985.  Westport, CT:  Meckler Publishing, 1986.  Includes citations to secondary materials, including several articles in Texas newspapers.

Grautoff, Ferdinand Heinrich (1871-1935)

Not a Texan

Banzai !  Leipzig:  T. Weicher, 1908; reprinted as New York:  Arno Press, 1975.  The Japanese invade the U.S.; some action takes place at Corpus Christi.

Gray, Robert Steele (ca. 1926-    )

Native Texan; lives in Houston.

Survivor.  New York:  St. Martin's Press, 1998.  Not seen; a Dallas man is transported back to north central Texas in about 200 A.D.

See: 

Barlow, Jim, "Adventure by a Houstonian; Business Journal Bob Gray Makes Leap Back in Time," Houston Chronicle, 15 Nov. 1998, "Zest," p.2.

Green, Joseph (Lee) (1931-    )

Lived in Texas for a period in the 1950s.

Greeno, Gayle (1949-    )

Not a Texan.

Mind Snare.  New York:  DAW Books, Inc., 1997.  In the year 2158, a teenage actor illegally preserves his deceased mother's mind; some action takes place in Texas.

Griffin, Peni R. (1961-    )

San Antonio writer, her webpage:  http://www.txdirect.net/~griffin/default.htm

"Books," Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, 15 (12/13):107-119 (Nov. 1991).  After being given a mystery novel supposedly written by Dorothy Sayer's fictional character Harriet Vane, a woman discovers an interdimensional bookstore at the former location of Brock's Bookstore in San Antonio.

"One Night in Mulberry Court," Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, 15 (15):104-114 (Dec. 10, 1991).  Giving new meaning to the phrase "illegal alien," a four-foot tall blue anthropologist from another planet lives in a San Antonio trailer park.

Otto from Otherwhere.  New York:  McElderry Books, 1990.  Not seen.  A young adult novel in which an alien boy from another dimension visits Texas; he excels at singing.

A Dig in Time.  New York:  McElderry Books, 1991.  Young adult novel; children in San Antonio discover that objects they dig up allow them to travel back in time.

Switching Well.  New York:   Puffin Books, 1994.  Young adult novel in which two girls in San Antonio, one living in 1891 and the other in 1991, switch places through a magic well.

Hobkin.  New York:  McElderry Books, 1992.  A young adult in which two sisters run away from an abusive step-father, ending up in an abandoned west Texas house occupied by a friendly house spirit.

Griggs, Sutton Elbert (1872-1933)

African American minister and author; native Texan; lived much of his life in Texas.  At least two of his novels include ideas falling within the field of speculative fiction.

Imperium in Imperio.  Cincinnati:  The Editor Publishing Co., 1899.  Concerns a plot to seize Texas and Louisiana from the U.S. as a homeland for African Americans; the capital of the secret African American government is located near Waco.

The Hindered Hand.  Nashville, TN:  Orion Pub. Co., 1905.  One African American character refuses to participate in a Slavic conspiracy to kill off the white population of the south by contaminating public water supplies with "yellow fever germs." 

Grundy, Stephan

Born in New York, but grew up in Dallas and graduated from Southern Methodist University.

Haldeman, Joe (1943-    )

Not a Texan.

"Houston Can You Read ?" in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, 7(13):10 (mid-Dec.1983). Short poem in which astronauts ask mission control for help.

Forever Peace.  New York:  Ace Books, 1997.  Part of the story is set in Houston.

Hall, Hal (1941-    )

Native Texan; graduate of the University of Texas; librarian at Texas A&M University; author of several books and articles concerning SF and Fantasy.

Hall, Hal W., "Texas and Science Fiction," Southwestern American Literature, vol.1, pp.144-148 (1972).

See: 

"Hall Makes a Science of Fiction," Battalion (Texas A&M University), March 5, 1976, p.5

Hall, Melissa Mia

Texas writer

Halperin, James L. (1952-    )

Dallas writer.

The Truth Machine.  New York:  Ballantine Books, 1996.   In the near future, a machine that detects lies with 100% accuracy changes law enforcement and society; some action takes place in Dallas.

See: 

Crawford, Selwyn, "Dallas Man Bids $42,000 to Have Lunch with Oprah," Dallas Morning News, 5 Oct. 1999, p.15A.

Weeks, Jerome, "No Lie:  First-time Author Coins Success," Dallas Morning News, 20 Nov. 1996, sect.C, p.1 (online in the Electric Library).

Hamlin, Vincent T. (1900-1993)

Cartoonist; lived in Iraan, Texas, when he created the cartoon strip "Alley Oop."

Hancock, Niel (1941-    )

Author who lives in Austin; attended West Texas State University

Harness, Charles L. (1915-     )

Born in Colorado City, Texas

Harper, Rory (1950-    )

Born in Beaumont; later lived in Houston; now lives in Bryan / College Station; attended the University of Houston.

"M-M-Magic," Fantasy Book, 1(2): 60-63 (Dec. 1981).  A demon conjures up a Houston psychiatrist and demands that he grant him three wishes.

"Snorkeling in the River Lethe," Amazing Stories, 61(5):118-129 (January 1987).  In a world plagued by virus-induced amnesia, a Houston policeman has marital troubles.

Petrogypsies.  New York:  Baen Books, 1989.  Novel set in an alternate Texas about oil patch workers and the giant worm-like creatures they use to drill oil wells.  Incorporates an earlier short story, "Petrogypsies" (in Far Frontiers, vol.2, ed. Jerry Pournelle and Jim Baen, New York:  Baen Books, 1985).  This is perhaps the only sf or fantasy novel set in Texas dealing with the ordinary people who work in the oil industry.

Harrison, Payne (1949-    )

Graduate of Texas A&M University.

Storming Intrepid.  New York:  Crown, 1989.  Techno-thriller.

See: 

Kruh, Nancy, "Successful Launch," Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 1989, p.1C.

Hart, Dale

Texas fan in the late 1930s and 1940s; wrote poetry.  Later moved to California and was active in LaSFS.

Hawkinson, John L.

We, the Few.  New York:  Exposition, 1952.  Not seen; after nuclear and biological warfare, survivors try to set up a utopia near Brownsville.

Hays, Bill

"Cultural Exchange," Analog, 103(1):88-103 (Jan. 1983).  The arrival of alien lizards disrupts the Dallas Cowboys playing in the Superbowl at the Astrodome in Houston; the governor of Texas is a primary character. 

Heath, Peter

Pseudonym for Peter Heath Fine.

Assassins from Tomorrow.  New York:  Lancer Books, 1967.  Man investigates the conspiracy behind the JFK assassination; much of the story is set in Texas.

Heinlein, Robert A. (1907-1988)

Not a Texan.

Space Cadet.  New York:  Scribner, 1948.  Space cadets undergo training and face conflicts with natives of Venus; one of the characters, Tex Jarman, is from Texas and frequently mentions the exploits of his uncle in Texas.

Heintze, Ty

He is a teacher in Corpus Christi.

Valley of the Eels.  Austin:  Eakin Press, 1993.  A young adult novel in which young scuba divers follow a friendly dolphin to a domed city in Corpus Christ Bay, where they meet a strange alien.

 The Medallion Mystery: Sequel to Valley of the Eels.  Austin:  Eakin Press, 1994.  Young adult novel in which the first book's characters' timetable for visiting the planet Lios changes after one of them is taken hostage by space criminals.

 Lios:  Sequel to The Medallion Mystery.  Corpus Christi:  Bateman Press, 1998.  Not seen; third book in the series.

Hernhunter, Albert

No idea of this person's background; this might be a pseudonym – Herne the Hunter is a well-known mythological figure.

"Texas Week," (in Asimov, Isaac, ed., Fifty Short Science Fiction Tales, New York:  Collier, 1963).  Watching too many westerns on television unhinges one viewer.

Heydron, Vicki Ann (1945-    )

Texas author

See: 

Craft, Carole, "Author Explains Sci-Fi, Fantasy," Battalion (Texas A&M), 10 Nov. 1982, p.5.

Hill, Carol (1942-    )

Not a Texan

The Eleven Million Mile High Dancer.  New York:  Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1985.  The book concerns a race to reach Mars between NASA and the Soviet Union; some of the book is set in Texas.

Hill, Sandra

Lives in Pennsylvania

Truly, Madly, Viking.  New York:  Love Spell, 2000.  A romantic novel in which a 10^th century Viking travels through time to present day Galveston.

Hill, William (1959-    )

Not a Texan, but graduated from the University of North Texas

The Magic Bicycle.  Doctors Inlet, FL:  Otter Creek Press, 1998.  Not seen.  A young adult novel about a Texas teenager who receives a wonderful gift from an alien.

The Vampire Hunters.  Doctors Inlet, FL:  Otter Creek Press, 1998.  Not seen. 

Vampire's Kiss.  New York:  Pinnacle Books, 1994.  Not seen; an author is threatened by locals who erroneously believe he is a vampire, while a female vampire who also believes he one of her kind seeks his secret to being photographed; set near Dallas.

Hirsch, Alcan (1885-1938)

Born in Texas but later lived elsewhere.

Hogan, James P. (1941-    )

Not a Texan.

Cradle of Saturn.  New York:  Baen Books, 2000.  A fragment of Jupiter is on a collision course with earth; some action takes place in Texas.

Holden, Larry

Texas author

Works include "Story of a Relative Theory" (Lone Star Universe, Austin:  Heidelberg Publishers, 1976) and "Criminal at Large" (Suspense, Summer 1951, vol. 1, no. 2).

Hollis, H. H. (1921-1977)

Texas author; a pseudonym for Houston lawyer Ben Ramey.

"Travelers Guide to MegaHouston," Galaxy, August 1967.  Not seen.

"Different Angle," Amazing, 47(4): 29-38 (Dec. 1973).  A holographic camera invented by an African American helps a Hispanic policeman solve a murder committed in a Houston auditorium before a crowd of police officers.

"Every Day in Every Way," Lone Star Universe.  Austin:  Heidelberg Publishers, 1976, pp.87-105.  Story concerns capital punishment and is set in Huntsville.

See:

Obituary, Houston Post, May 15, 1977, section c, page 18, col. 6

Obituary, Locus, 10(4): 3 (May 1977)

Holt, Judd (1941-    )

Texas author.

A Promise to Catie.  Denton:  University of North Texas Press, 1992.  A romantic young adult novel; in the 1950s, a boy meets a ghost in an old Texas farmhouse.

Hopkins, Jackie

Native of Tyler; lives in Houston

The Horned Toad Prince.  Atlanta, GA:  Peachtree, 2000.  Not seen; in this children's book a cowgirl loses her sombrero and is helped by a horned toad on the understanding that she will do three favors for him.

Houston, David (1938-    )

Native of Mississippi; attended the University of Texas and Texas Christian University; lives in Dallas.  Author of several science fiction novels; also writes under the name Kez Howard.

Howard, Robert E. (1906-1936)

Texan; creator of Conan the Barbarian and author of many short stories and books.

"For the Love of Barbara Allen," The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 31(2):82-88 (Aug. 1966).  A Civil War soldier killed in battle possesses the body of a relative in Texas in the 1930s to comfort the woman he left behind, who is dying.  

See, for example:

De Camp, L. Sprague.  Dark Valley Destiny.  New York:  Bluejay Books, 1983.

Lord, Glenn.  The Last Celt.  West Kingston, RI:  D.M. Grant, 1976.

Biffle, Kent, "Canonizing the Creator of Conan," Dallas Morning News, 21 June 1992, section A, pp.41, 43.

Campbell, Frank, "Pulp Facts:  Adventure Writer's Small-Town Texas Home Reflects Quiet Life With Mother," Austin American Statesman, 7 March 1997, section E, p.5.

Greene, A.C., "Texas Sketches:  Recalling Conan's West Texas Roots," San Antonio Express, "Sunday Magazine," 17 July 1998, p.14.

McConal, Jon, "Texas Fans Journey to Cross Plains to Honor Writer," Fort Worth Star Telegram, 13 June 1996 (in the paper's online archives)

Stowers, Carlton, "Conan's Creator," Houston Chronicle, 7 Mar. 1999, "Texas Magazine," p.6.

Hughes, Zach

Pseudonym for Hugh Zachary (1928-; not a Texan

For Texas and Zed.  New York:  Popular Library, 1976.  The Planet Texas was settled by spacemen from Texas.

Hunt, H.L. (Haroldson Lafayette) (1889-1974)

Texas oil tycoon.

Alpaca.  Dallas:  H.L. Hunt Press, 1960.  Not seen; a supposedly a romantic utopian novel.

Alpaca Revisited.  Dallas:  HLH Products, 1967  Sequel to Alpaca; not set in Texas.

See: 

Levine, Julian, "Author H.L. Hunt Draws Hundreds," Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 1960, sect.1, p.1, col.2.

Reviews of Alpaca, in Texas Observer, 4 Mar. 1960, p.5, and 15 July 1960, p.6 

Cawley, Rusty, "How H.L. Hunt Viewed Utopia," in Dallas Business Journal, 22 Sept. 2000.

Hurt, Sam

Texas cartoonist; creator of the comic strip Eyebeam, which includes hallucinations, space aliens, robots, a time machine, etc., with most of the action taking place in Austin.  The strip began running in the University of Texas' newspaper The Daily Texan in 1980, and eventually seven Eyebeam books were published.

His webpage:  http://www.samhurt.com/

See:

Martin, Debi, "'Eyebeam' Artist Gets Offer for Syndication," Austin American Statesman, 22 May 1989, p.D5.  Also in the paper's online archives.

Martin, Debi, "A Peachy Deal," Austin American Statesman, 30 May 1989, p.C1.  Also in the paper's online archives.

Martin, Debi, "On the Brink of Fame:  Sam Hurt Flirts with the Big Time as His New Comic Strip Takes Off," Austin American Statesman, 7 May 1990, p.D1.  Also in the paper's online archives.

Wolfinsohn, Deborah J., "Inside XL's Carton Cartel," Austin American Statesman, 3 Apr. 1997, p.32.  Also in the paper's online archives.

Hynes, James

Lives in Austin.

"Casting the Runes," in his Publish and Perish.  New York:  Picador USA, 1997, pp.189-335.  A college teacher becomes involved in a magical battle against a senior professor at the fictional Longhorn State University.

Ing, Dean (1931-    )

Born in Austin, but I'm not sure how long he actually lived in the state.

Systemic Shock.  New York, Ace Books, 1981.  Post war America; partially set in Texas.

Wild Country.  New York:  Tor Books, 1985.  Partially set in the Texas-Mexico border region in post-war America.

Ingold, Jeanette

The Window.  San Diego, CA:  Harcourt Brace & Co., 1996.  Young adult novel about a teenage girl who is blinded in a car wreck and then goes to live with relatives in Texas, where she hears family ghosts.

Jackson, Al

A long time Texas fan; co-authored one or two short stories with some of the Texas authors.

Jackson, Willa Lloyd

Texas author; may have written some fantasy

Work appeared in The Galveston News, The Dallas Morning News, The St. Louis Globe Democrat, and the Philadelphia Times.

Two stories ("Beyond the Finite" and "A Psychic Mystery"), which I have not seen,   sound like they were fantasies and are said to have appeared in the latter two newspapers listed above.

See: 

"Women Writers of Texas," Galveston Daily News, June 18, 1893

Jacob, Charlee

Texas author.

This Symbiotic Fascination.  Orlando, FL:  Necro Publications, 1997.  Not seen; supposedly involves an unpleasant couple who are given the "gift of undeath" from a shapeshifter and then commit many murders.

James, Fredric

Champion of Justice.  Haverhill, MA:  ZBR Publications, 1997.  Not seen; Texas rangers chase a kidnapper back in time to 1872.

Jameson, Malcolm (1891-1945)

Born in Waco; his place of residence when he wrote stories and books has not been determined.

Johns, Bill

"Renewal," Analog, 98(5): pp. ? (May 1978).  Not seen; supposedly concerns scientists who clone a wooly mammoth; some action is in Houston.

Johnson, Siddie Joe (1905-1977)

Texas author; charter member of the Texas Institute of Letters

A Month of Christmases.  New York:  Longmans, Green, 1952.  Young adult novel which involves a magical cat and time travel in a German community in the Texas hill country; Native Americans appear in some of the trips into the past.  Book won the Texas Institute of Letters award for the best juvenile book of the year.

See: 

Nicholson, Mabel Carter, Siddie Joe Johnson:  Her Contribution to Literature.  East Texas State Teachers College, thesis, 1950.

Johnston, Joan (1948-    )

Texas author.

A Little Time in Texas.  New York:  Silhouette Desire, 1992.  A romantic novel concerning a woman who time travels from 1864 Texas to the modern day, where she meets a Texas Ranger named Dallas Masterson.

Jones, Lillian B., Mrs.

Little is known about Jones, except that she was an African American schoolteacher who lived in Fort Worth.

Five Generations Hence.  Fort Worth:  Dotson-Jones Company, 1916.  I have only seen excerpts from this book; it deals with future race relations and conditions in Africa.

There is a brief biography of Jones and an excerpt from the book in:  Daring to Dream : Utopian Fiction by United States Women Before 1950, ed. by Carol Farley Kessler.  2nd ed.  Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, c1995, pp.175-188.  This novel is of special interest because, according to Kessler, this is the earliest known utopian work written by an African American woman.

Jones, Ralph T.  

Not a Texan.

"The Man-Beast of Texas," Wonder Stories Quarterly, 3(1):84-97 (Fall 1931).  In the year 1948 a naked man appears in rural Texas and tells about being taken by aliens to their home planet.  

Kelly, Ronald  

Pitfall.  New York:  Zebra, 1990.  Not seen; escaped Tasmanian devils terrorize a Texas town.

Kennedy, Leigh (1951-    )

Not a Texan, but lived in Austin for a few years and wrote several stories while living there.

"Belling Martha," Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, 7(5):74-103 (May 1983).  Takes place in the Austin area.

Kerr, Rita

The Haunted House. Austin:  Eakin Press, 1992.  Not seen; concerns a haunted house in East Columbia.

Kimbriel, Katharine (1956-    )

Author who lives in Texas.

King, Stephen (1947-    )

Not a Texan.

"The End of the Whole Mess," in Nightmares and Dreamscapes.  New York:  Viking, 1993.  A scientist discovers a chemical in groundwater near Waco, which ends human violence, with a terrible cost.

The Stand.  Garden City, NY:  Doubleday, 1978.  The book begins in Texas, and one of the main characters is a Texan.

Kisner, James

Not a Texan

"God-Less Men," in Martin Greenberg and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, eds., Vampire Slayers.  Nashville, TN:  Cumberland House, 1999, pp.107-121.  Vampire story set in East Texas.

Kleypas, Lisa (b. ca. 1965-   )

Not a Texan.

Give Me Tonight.  New York:  Onyx, 1989.  A romantic novel in which in the 1930s a woman in central Texas is transported back to the 1880s.

Knowles, T.W., II 

Texas author, primarily of history books; he has published interviews with several sf authors.

"Curtain Call," in New Destinies, New York: Baen Books, vol.9 (Fall 1990), pp.73-92.  Scientists in a Texas create a living Sherlock Holmes for entertainment purposes.

See:  

Riecher, Anton, "The Write Stuff," Bryan-College Station Eagle, 15 Nov. 1990, p.C1.

Knox, John H.

Texas pulp writer of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s – wrote some SF or Fantasy.  For example:

"Men Without Blood." Horror Stories Jan. 1935.  Not seen.

"The Buyer of Souls," in Horror Stories Aug/Sep ’36.  Not seen.

See: 

Bennett, Patrick, Rough and Rowdy Ways, College Station, TX:  Texas A&M University Press, 1988.

Jones, Robert, The Shudder Pulps, West Linn, OR:  FAX Collector's Editions, 1975.

Kody, Bob

The Ghost of Little Fawn.  Writer's Club Press, 1999.  Not seen; modern day Texas marshal travels back to 1878 to solve the murder of a native American.

Kotani, Eric

Pseudonym for Yoji Kondo, who is not a Texan, but he worked at the Johnson Space Center during the Apollo and Skylab missions.  See his webpage:

http://www.sfwa.org/members/kotani/

Kramer, Remi

The Legend of LoneStar Bear.  Sandpoint, ID:  Northwind Press, 1989.  Not seen; a children's book where Willy the bear is summoned to Texas to help his cousins outwit some "green critters" and gets his name changed.

Krane, Steven

Teek.  New York:  DAW Books, 1999.  Not seen; supposedly concerns telekinesis and telepathy and some action occurs in Texas.

Kruse, Clifton Bryan (1905-    )

Lived in Texas for a while.

Kurtz, Sylvie

Broken Wings.   New York:  Love Spell, 1996. Not seen; supposedly a romantic novel involving time travel set in Texas.

Kunetka, James W. (1944-    )

Texas author; attended the University of Texas; member of the Texas Institute of Letters.

(with Whitley Strieber) ... Warday and the Journey Onward.  New York:  Warner Books, 1985.  Story takes place after a limited nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union; some action is set in Texas.

Lackey, Mercedes (1950-    )

Burning Water.  New York:  Tom Doherty Associates, 1989.  A witch helps a Dallas homicide detective investigate serial killings tied to an Aztec god.

Lafferty, R.A. (1914-    )

Not a Texan.

"Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas," Galaxy Science Fiction, Dec. 1962.  Not seen.

"Apocryphal Passage of the Last Night of Count Finnegan on Galveston Island (Unaccountably Omitted from the Standard Version of The Devil is Dead)" in his Episodes of the Argo.  Westen, OR:  United Mysteries Press, 1990, pp.55-59.  Fragment, which was accidentally omitted from another work, which concerns a criminal in Galveston.

Lance, Kathryn (1943-    )

Born in El Paso; now lives out of state.  Also writes as "Lynn Beach."  Author of several science fiction novels.

Lansdale, Joe R. (1951-    )

Prolific Texas author of 20+ books and over 200 short stories in various genres, including mysteries, horror stories, westerns, comics, nonfiction and others; some works were published under pseudonyms; member of the Texas Institute of Letters.

His webpage:  http://www.joerlansdale.com/

Many of his works are set in Texas, including, among others:

"Bestsellers Guaranteed," Espionage Magazine, 1(3):60-77 (May 1985); reprinted in his Bestsellers Guaranteed.  New York:  Ace Books, 1993, pp.67-87.  A writer agrees to assassinate people in return for becoming a best selling author; the story is set in Houston.

"Bubba Ho-Tep," in his Writer of the Purple Rage.  Baltimore:  CD Publications, 1994.  Short story about "old geezers" in a Texas rest home who think they are Elvis and JFK and who battle an evil mummy.

"The Fat Man," reprinted in his Bestsellers Guaranteed.  New York:  Ace Books, 1993, pp.43-54.  A boy discovers the truth about an odd recluse in the fictional town of Mud Creek, TX.

"Letter from the South, Two Moons West of Nacogdoches," originally published in Last Wave # 5 (1986), reprinted in his High Cotton:  Selected Stories of Joe R. Lansdale.  Urbana, IL:  Golden Gryphon Press, 2000, pp.187-190.  In an alternate universe Native Americans rule after having defeated the whites and the African Americans.

Dead in the West.  New York:  Space and Time, 1986.  In 19^th century East Texas, a preacher fights a Native American vampire; includes some allusions to the Lovecraftian mythos.

The Drive In:  A "B" Movie with Blood and Popcorn, Made in Texas.  New York:  Bantam Books, 1988.  East Texans are transported to an unpleasant alternate universe.

The Drive-In 2:  Not Just One of Them Sequels.  New York:  Bantam Books, 1989.  Another story in the same circumstances as the first book.

The Magic Wagon.  Garden City, NY:  Doubleday & Co., 1986.  Though marketed as a western, this novel contains some fantastic elements.  It tells the story of a teenage boy who joins up with an Old West Medicine Show, consisting of a trick shooter, an African American, a wrestling chimpanzee, and the body of Wild Bill Hickock.

The Nightrunners.  Arlington Heights, IL:  Dark Harvest, 1987.  Complex novel involving a possible psychic link between a rape victim and her attackers, spirit possession, and the "god of the Razor;" takes place in Texas.

See: 

Compton, Robert, "Writer's Appeal is No Mystery," Dallas Morning News, 13 Sept. 1994, p.1C.

Dingus, Anne, "Irregular Joe:  Joe R. Lansdale," Texas Monthly, 25(3): 100-105 (March 1997).

Knowles, T.W., II, "Joe Lansdale:  Genre Writer Extraordinary," Bryan-College Station Eagle, 20 July 1989, pp.C1-C2.

Knowles, T.W., II, "Savage Season a 'Visceral Tale'," Texas Books in Review, 11(1): 11 (Spring 1991).

Mogen, David, "'Cowpunk Anthology' Western Fiction's Answer to Cyberpunk," Texas Books in Review, 10(2):20 (Summer 1990).  Review of Razored Saddles (edited by Joe R. Lansdale & Pat LoBrutto; Arlington Heights, IL:  Dark Harvest, 1989).

Rigler, Judith, "And Then What Happened ?  Lansdale Knows About Suspense," Fort Worth Star Telegram, 29 Oct. 1995 (in the paper's online archives)

Shindler, Dorman, "Mystery Man," Dallas Morning News, 24 Sept. 2000, p.13C.

Wade, Susan, "Author Stays Close to Home in East Texas," Austin American Statesman, 15 Sept.1995, Section E, pp.1, 7.  Also in NewsBank Review of the Arts:  Literature 73:D8-9 (1995).

Woolley, Bryan, "Joe R. Lansdale:  Master of the Macabre," Dallas Morning News, 26 Nov. 2000, p.3F.

Latner, Alexis Glynn

Houston writer, contributes to Analog.

"The Vigilant Ones," Analog, 118 (4):116-134 (Apr. 1998). A scientist working at NASA unknowingly has an alien lifeform growing in her yard in Clear Lake.

Law, Susan Kay

Lives in Minnesota

Heaven in West Texas.  New York:  Harper, 1997.  A romantic novel about a deceased cowboy who watches over the woman who jilted him; set in 19^th century Texas.

Leiber, Fritz (1910-1992)

Not a Texan

A Specter is Haunting Texas.  New York:  Walker and Company, 1968.  Giant Texans and their dwarf Mexican slaves dominate post-nuclear holocaust U.S.

Leiber, Justin (1938-    )

Philosophy professor in Houston.

His webpage:

http://www.hfac.uh.edu/phil/leiber/jleiber.htm

Beyond Humanity.  New York: Tom Doherty Books, 1987.  In a future world, fanatics threaten chimpanzees, robots, and humans who have mind implants; has some action in Texas.

See: 

Pugh, Clifford, "Leiber's Houston, 2112," Houston Post, 22 Sept. 1980, section B, p.1.

Leming, Ron

Texas author.

(with Piers Anthony) ... The Gutbucket Quest.  New York:  Tor Books, 2000.  Texas blues player ends up in an alternate Texas on a quest for a magical guitar.

Leon, Mark

The Unified Field.  New York:  Avon Books, 1996.  Not seen; supposed some of the action takes place on a ranch outside Austin.

Llywelyn, Morgan

"Remember the Almost," in Christopher Stasheff and Bill Fawcett, eds., The Crafters Blessings and Curses Book Two.  New York:  Ace Books, 1992.  In Texas in 1836, a psychic shows Jim Bowie a vision of the Alamo.

Long, Charles R. (1904-    )

Lived in El Paso for many years.

Longstreet, Roxanne

Texas author; graduated from Texas Tech.

Also writes as:  Roxanne Conrad.

Her website:  http://www.artistsinresidence.com/rlc/entry.htm

The Undead.  New York:  Kensington Pub. Co., 1993.  A vampire morgue attendant and his friend, a Native American woman, and a police officer and her husband, who has just become a vampire, fight an evil vampire in Dallas. 

Cold Kiss.  New York:  Kensington Pub. Co., 1994.  Sequel to The Undead; set in Dallas.

Longyear, Barry B. (1942-    )

Not a Texan.

Naked Came the Robot.  New York:  Warner Books, 1988.  After enlisting in the economic war against the Soviet Union, a young American executive fights a conspiracy of alien robots; some action takes place in Texas.

Lord, Glenn

Robert E. Howard scholar, Texas resident.

See, for example, his The Last Celt.  West Kingston, RI:  D. M. Grant, 1976.

Lorraine, Lilith (Mary M. Wright) (1894-1967)

Texas author, fan, poet, from the 1920s to the 1960s.  Had some short stories published in the pulps.

The Brain of the Planet.  New York:  Stellar, 1929.  Not seen; does not take place in Texas. 

"Into the 28^th Century," Science Wonder Quarterly, 1 (Winter 1930):  250-267, 276.  Action takes place in Corpus Christi where a young man is transported 800 years into the future to a feminist socialist utopia.

Beginning in 1948 she served as editor of "Songs of the Spaceways," the poetry department of Fantasy Book

See: 

Wright, C. Lamar, The Story of Avalon.  Alpine, TX:  Different Press, 1962.

Donowerth, Jane, "Lilith Lorraine:  Feminist Socialist Writer in the Pulps," Science Fiction Studies, vol.17, p.252+ (1990).

Lorrey, Rayson

Former Houston resident; married to a person from Dallas.   Later lived in Salt Lake City.

"The Zombie Corps:  Nine‑Lives Charlie," Writers of the Future, vol. IV, Los Angeles:  Bridge Publications, Inc., 1988.

Lory, Robert (1936-    )

Texas resident

"However," [novellette], Worlds of Fantasy, # 1, 1968

"The Recent Semifinals," Lone Star Universe.  Austin:  Heidelberg Publishers, 1976 as well as several novels.

Love, Kenny

Texas author; attended Prairie View A&M University.

Millenium Eve.  Crockett, TX:  Mys-Tech Publications, 1998.  Not seen; religious fantasy in which androids threaten to destroy the earth on January 1, 2000; setting of the story not known.

Lowrey, Janette Sebring (1892-1986)

Texas author of children's books; member of Texas Institute of Letters.

The Lavender Cat.  New York:  Harper, 1944.  Children's book concerning magic and leprechauns in the Texas hill country.

See: 

Stanush, Barbara," S.A. a Little Poky About Author," San Antonio Express News, 26 Oct. 1996, p.B7 (editorial).  Online in Lexis-Nexis.

Tyson, Eleanore E.S., Texas Writers of Children's Literature: A Collection of Interviews and a Critical Examination of Their Work.  University of Houston, doctoral dissertation, 1983, pp.124-145.

MacLane, Jack

A pseudonym for Texas writer Bill Crider (which see), author of mysteries and westerns. 

Just Before Dark.  New York:  Zebra Books, 1990.  Horror in a Texas junkyard.

Keepers of the Beast.  New York:  Kensington Publishing Corp., 1988.  Is set in Texas.

Rest in Peace.  New York:  Zebra Books, 1990.  Vicious creatures live near a cemetery in the woods in Texas.

Maddox, Tom

Not a Texan but he did live in the state for some period while he was growing up.

"Gravity's Angel," Omni, Nov. 1992.  Physicists who run the Supercolliding Superconductor near Waxahachie fail to heed a woman's warnings.

Manison, Pete D.

Author; lives in Houston

Martin, Thomas K.

Dallas writer

Martindale, Lee

Short story writer who lives in Texas.

Mashburn, Kirk (1900-1968)

Texas writer for the pulps in the 1930s.

Mayhar, Ardath (1930-    )

Prolific Texas author of short stories, young adult novels, mysteries, science fiction, etc. 

her webpage:  http://www.angelfire.com/biz/orbitbooks/ardath.html

Much of her work is set in Texas; for example: 

"A Night in Possum Holler," in After Midnight.  New York:  Tom Doherty Associates, 1986, ed. by C. L.  Grant

The World Ends in Hickory Hollow.  New York:  Doubleday Science Fiction, 1985.  Post-nuclear holocaust novel set in east Texas.

Towers of the Earth.  New York:  Diamond Books, 1994.  Early east Texas Indians migrate to the area of present-day New Mexico.

See: 

Biffle, Kent, "Author's Eerie Tales Are Meant to be Read With the Lights On," Dallas Morning News, 23 Oct. 1988, sect.A, pp.43, 50.

McBride-Smith, Barbara

Waco native; now lives in Oklahoma

Greek Myths Western Style.  Little Rock, AR:  August House Publishers, Inc., 1998.  The book recounts the ancient Greek myths as if they took place in Texas and in the Texas vernacular.

McCammon, Robert R. (1952-    )

Not a Texan

Stinger.  New York:  Pocket Books, 1988.  A non-humanoid alien bounty hunter kills people in a West Texas town. 

McLeod, Patrick (1944-    )

Born in Gainesville, TX; graduated from Rice University; now lives out of state; author of horror stories.

McConnell, James V. (1925-1990)

Attended the University of Texas and knew Chad Oliver there.  (Oliver appears as a villain in one of his stories, "Life Sentence," Galaxy, January 1953, p. 37 +). 

Had several other short stories published.

McGarry, Theresa J.

First Rites:  An Austin Orgy:  12 Works of Science Fiction and Fantasy.  Austin:  1989.  Not seen.

McMullen, Sean (1948-   )

Not a Texan.

The Centurion's Empire.  New York:  TOR, 1998.  A time traveler from ancient Rome visits the 21^st century; some action occurs in Houston.

McQuay, Mike (1949-1995)

Not a Texan, but he did attend the University of Dallas from 1967 to 1970.

Mathew Swain:  Hot Time in Old Town.  New York:  Bantam Books, 1981.  A Hard-boiled detective novel set in a bleak future Texas.   There are other books in this series, which I have not seen, but I suspect they also take place in Texas.

Jitterbug.  New York:  Bantam, 1984.  Some action takes place in Texas.

The Nexus.  New York:  Bantam Books, 1989.  Not seen; supposedly concerns a little girl who can work miracles, with some of the action occurring in Dallas during the 1980s.

See: 

Dunn, Si, "'The Nexus':  A Tale Set in the Dallas Area," Dallas Morning News, 23 Sept. 1989, p.2C (book review).

Medearis, Angela Shelf (1956-    )

African American children's author who lives in Texas; member of the Texas Institute of Letters.

(with Jacqueline Rogers) ... The Ghost of Sifty Sifty Sam (1997).  Not seen; supposedly a children's book concerning a ghost set in Texas.

(with Trina Schart Hyman) ... Haunts:  Five Hair-Raising Tales.  New York:  Holiday House, 1996.  37 pp.  Not seen.

Meek, S. P. (1894-1972)

Was a football coach at Kirkley Junior College in 1915 in Greenville, Texas.  This predates his writing career.

Melton, Henry

Texas author; stories have appeared in Perry Rhodan # 52, Stellar # 3, Ares # 17, Analog, and elsewhere.

"Partly Murphy," Analog, 107(5):112-119 (May 1987).  In a world where the government predicts bad luck like the weather, a worker in central Texas struggles to get through a day where his forecast is unfavorable.

Meredith, Ann

Love's Timeless Hope.  New York:  St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1994.   A modern day Texas romance novelist travels back to Jefferson in the 1870s, where she meets the real Diamond Bessie Moore.

Miller, James Pinckney (1919-    )

Born in San Antonio; educated at Rice University; now lives out of state; a dramatist who also wrote one fantasy novel, The Skook (New York:  Warner Books, 1984), which is not set in Texas.

Miller, Walter M., Jr. (1923-1996)

Native of Florida, but he attended the University of Texas from 1947 to 1950.  He sold his first fiction while living in Texas.

"Dark Benediction," Fantastic Adventures, 13:78-116 (Sept.1951).  Not seen; an alien microorganism disrupts society by changing skin color and enhancing mental abilities; much of the action takes place in Houston and Galveston.

See: 

Roberson, William H. and Robert L. Battenfeld, Walter M. Miller, Jr.:  A Bio-Bibliography.  Westport, CN:  Greenwood Press, 1992.

Milton, Hilary H. (1920-    )

Not a Texan.

Escape from High Doom.  New York:  Wanderer Books, 1984.  Not seen; set in Noose City, a Texas ghost town haunted by ghosts of executed criminals, who reappear each year on the anniversaries of their deaths; the reader makes choices, which determine the outcome of the plot.

Minor, Dennis E.

In the 1950s his family moved to Texas.  He obtained a series of degrees at Texas A&M, culminating in his PhD there in 1973.  He is now a professor at Louisiana Tech University.

"Old Times," Writers of the Future, vol. IV, pp.397-417.  Los Angeles:  Bridge Publications, Inc., 1988.

Miralejos, Carlos

Texas, 2077:  A Futuristic Novel.  Daytona Beach, FL:  Outer Space Press, 1998.  Not seen; supposedly about Texas politics in the 21^st century.

Mixon, Laura    

Moved to Bryan, Texas in the fall of 1988.  Married Steven Gould, another Texas writer.  Moved to New York in April 1990; later moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico; then back to Texas in September 2001.

her website:  http://www.thuntek.net/~scg/s&l.htm

Proxies.  New York:  Tom Doherty Associates Book, 1998.  This mystery/adventure story takes place in a world with serious environmental problems where remotely driven machines expand the range of possible human activities; some action takes place in Austin. 

See: 

Blaschke, Jayme L., "Green Dreams, With Explosions:  Steven Gould and Laura J. Mixon Interviewed," Interzone, no.160:  38-41 (Oct. 2000)

Norris, Kellye, "Authors Workshop Features Married Local Sci-Fi Writers," Bryan-College Station Eagle, 19 Oct. 1989, sect.C, pp.1, 3.

Mohl, Aurelia Hadley (1833-1896)

Texas writer

Her "An Afternoon's Nap, or:  Five Hundred Years Ahead," Houston Tri-Weekly Telegraph, December 25-29, 1865, may be the first science fiction story written and published in Texas; the story describes a far-future utopia and briefly mentions air travel, radio and television, and colonies on the moon and various planets.

See: 

The Women Writers of Texas,” Galveston Daily News, 18 June 1893, p.7.

"Death of Mrs. A.H. Mohl," Galveston Daily News, 4 Oct. 1896, p.4, col.1

Moon, Elizabeth (1945-    )

Texas writer; graduated from the University of Texas.

Her webpage:  http://www.sff.net/people/Elizabeth.Moon/

"If Nudity Offends You," Fantasy & Science Fiction, 74(2): 52-63 (Feb. 1988).  Takes place in a Texas trailer park.

Rules of Engagement.  New York:  Baen Books, 1998.  Not seen; includes the "New Texas Godfearing Militia," set in outer space.

Change of Command.  New York:  Baen Books, 1999.  Includes the "Lone Star Command" and the "New Texas Godfearing Militia."

Moorcock, Michael (1939-    )

English writer who moved to Texas.

Tales from the Texas Woods.  Austin:  MOJO Press, 1997.  Collection of stories and essays.

See: 

Moorcock, Michael, "Austin Is Right Up My Street," Daily Telegraph (London), 10 Aug. 1994 (online in Lexis-Nexis).  Short article about his new life in Texas.

Shea, Mike, "Sci-Fi Fo Fum," Texas Monthly, 26 (7): 60+ (July 1998).  About Moorcock and Bruce Sterling.

Moore, John

Houston author.

Slay and Rescue.  Riverdale, NY:  Baen Books, 1993.  True adventures of Prince Charming; not set in Texas.

Moran, Richard (1942-    )

Not a Texan.

Dallas Down.  New York:  Arbor House, 1988.  A giant sinkhole threatens to swallow Dallas.

Morgan, J.M. (Jill Meredith) (1946-    )

Texas author; she also writes under the pseudonym "Morgan Fields" (from Contemporary Authors Online).

Desert Eden.  New York:  Windsor, 1991.  Not seen; after a plague kills most of the earth's population, survivors inside a sealed biosphere in Texas must plan their future.

Beyond Eden.  New York:  Pinnacle Books, 1992.  Not seen.

Future Eden.  New York:  Windsor Publishing Corp., 1992.  Not seen.

Morris, Martha Marlow (1867-    )

(with Laura B. Speer) ... No Borderland, a Novel.  Dallas:  Mathis, Van Nort & Co., 1938.  Not seen.

Mosiman, Billie Sue (1947-    )

East Texas author of horror and mystery novels

Musgrave, Real (1949-    )

Texas artist, illustrator.

Mylius, Ralph (1945-    )

co-author, with Warren Norwood, of The Seren Cenacles.

Newland, Mike (1954-    )

Born in New Orleans, LA; lives in Garland, TX; author of a few short stories.

Nixon, Joan Lowery (1927-    )

Texas author of children's books and young adult novels; member of the Texas Institute of Letters.

Whispers from the Dead.  New York:  Dell, 1989.  Young adult mystery novel about the ghost of a Hispanic girl in Houston.

Nixon also wrote three science fiction children's books, which were not set in Texas:  Kidnapped on Astarr (1981), Mystery Dolls from Planet Urd (1981), and Mysterious Queen of Magic (1981).

See:  Tyson, Eleanore E.S., Texas Writers of Children's Literature: A Collection of Interviews and a Critical Examination of Their Work.  University of Houston, doctoral dissertation, 1983, pp. 163-192.

Nolan, William F. (1928-    )

Not a Texan.

"Lone Star Traveler," in William F. Nolan and William Schafer, eds., California Sorcery. New York:  Ace Books, 2001, pp.89-151.  A time traveler journeys to 1910 Texas to help a rancher in the Big Bend region.

"Of Time and Texas," Fantastic Universe Science Fiction, Nov. 1956.  Short-short story, not seen.

Norwood, Warren (1945-    )

Texas author. 

Shudder Child.  New York:  Bantam Books, 1987.  Set in West Texas in a world where  massive earthquakes have created an ecological disaster. 

See:  Stavish, Monica, "Author Draws from Deathly Ordeal; UNT Library Institutes Archive for Former Student's Work," Fort Worth Star Telegram, 2 May 1991 (in the paper's online archives)

O'Day-Flannery, Constance

Lives in New Jersey.

A Time for Love.  New York:  Zebra, 1991.  Romance novel in which a modern day woman is transported to Texas in the 1870s.

Odom, Mel

Lives in Oklahoma.

Lethal Interface.  New York:  ROC, 1992.  About a 21^st century killer in a computer network; partially set in Texas.

Stalker Analog.  New York: ROC, 1993.  In the future, Houston detectives search for a serial killer.

Olan, Susan Torian

The Earth Remembers.  Lake Geneva, WI:  TSR, Inc., 1989.  Action takes place in a post holocaust world in "Tesharka" on what was the Texas-Mexican border; characters include Comanche Indians.

Oliver, Chad (1928-1993)

Long time Texas resident; graduated from the University of Texas.  He was an anthropology professor at the University of Texas and a member of the Texas Institute of Letters.

His:  They Builded a Tower (University of Texas at Austin, masters thesis, 1952) is one of the first ... perhaps the very first ... academic study of science fiction done in Texas.

"Community Study," in Proctor, Geo. W. and Steven Utley, eds., Lone Star Universe.  Austin:  Heidleberg, 1976, pp.51-79.  Originally written in the 1950s, this story was expanded and published as Shadows in the Sun.

"Meanwhile, Back on the Reservation," Analog, 101 (5):86-101 (April 1981).  In the near future, a man who lives in the Austin area meets a woman who grew up in a space colony; they debate the nature of space colonization.

"Pilgrimage," in Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction 14(2):5-18 (Feb. 1958).  Past and present residents trade places during a historical pilgrimage in a small Texas town.

Shadows in the Sun.  New York:  Ballantine Books, 1954.  A small Texas town is the secret base of aliens. 

See:

Hall, Hal W., The Work of Chad Oliver:  An Annotated Bibliography.  San Bernadino, CA:  Borgo Press, 1989.

Knowles, T.W., II, "Returning to His First Love:  Chad Oliver," Bryan-College Station Eagle, 25 Feb. 1990, p.C1, C5.

"A Novel Man:  Chad Oliver," Austin American Statesman, 21 Feb. 1991; in NewsBank.  Names in the News 106:A4-A5 (1991); also in NewsBank:  Review of the Arts.  Literature  28:D10-D11 (1991).

Waldrop, Howard, "Chad Oliver 1928-1993," in Sargent, Pamela, ed., Nebula Awards 29. New York:  Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1995, pp.91-94.

O'Neal, Gary S.

"Over on the Texas Side," in Not One of Us, Apr. 1988.  Not seen.

O'Quinn, Kerry (1938-    )

Attended school at the University of Texas.  Editor for Starlog, author of media books, etc.

Parkinson, Dan (1935-2001)

Kansas native; later lived in Lake Jackson, TX

Faces of Infinity.  New York:  Ballantine, 1999.  Not seen; some of the action supposedly takes place in Texas in the 1880s.

See: 

Olafson, Steve, "Dan Parkinson, 66, Author of Many Paperback Novels, Houston Chronicle, 15 May 2001, p.17A. 

Partridge, Norman (1958-    )

Not a Texan.

"Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu," in Robert E. Weinberg et al. eds., Rivals of Dracula, New York:  Barnes and Noble Books, 1996, pp.243-260.  Clarifies what really happened in the story of Dracula; Quincey P. Morris returns to West Texas, bringing with him the vampire Lucy. 

Spyder (1995).  Not seen; a short story chapbook which supposedly concerns James Dean and part of the action takes place in Marfa.

Paulsen, Gary (1939-    )  

Not a Texan.

Canyons.  New York: Delacorte, 1990.  Young adult novel set in El Paso and the surrounding area concerning a modern day boy and an Apache boy in 1864 who are connected by a psychic link.

Peirce, J. F. (James Franklin) (1918-    )

Retired Texas A&M professor; primarily writes mysteries.  A few of his stories are fantasies. 

For example:  "The Devil to Pay," in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, no.260 (July 1965).  Man cheats the devil; not set in Texas. 

Perry, Alvin Earl

Texas fan from the 1930s forward.  Corresponded with H. P. Lovecraft, among others.

Had numerous letters published in the pulps in the 1930s.

"A Biographical Sketch of Robert E. Howard," The Howard Collector, no. 5, summer 1964, pp. 3-6

Perry, George

Dr. Strangelove: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.  New York:  Bantam Books, 1964.  Novelization of the movie; Soviets and Americans struggle to avert nuclear war as a bomber commanded by Major "King" Kong, a Texan, flies towards its target.

Perry, Steve (1947-    )

Not a Texan.

Stellar Ranger.  New York:  Avon / Nova, 1994.  Basically, the Texas Rangers in outer space.

Stellar Ranger Lone Star.  New York:  Avon Books, 1995.

Person, Lawrence

Austin writer and poet.

"Huddled Masses," in Alternate Presidents (ed. Michael Resnick; New York:  Tom Doherty Associates, 1992).  An alternate history in which Mondale beat Reagan and refugees from a civil war in Mexico pour into Houston.

Piper, H. Beam (1904-1964)

Not a Texan.

Planet for Texans (New York:  Ace Books, 1958; also titled Lone Star Planet) concerns the planet "New Texas" occupied by Texans. 

Piruli, Madigan

The Devil and Juan Pistolas.  Lubbock, TX:  Trucha Publications, 1973.  Not seen; a short parable in which a man outwits the devil.

Potter, Doug

Texas artist, illustrator, comics writer

Pouns, Brauna E. (from a screenplay by Donald Wrye)

Amerika.  New York:  Pocket Books, 1987.  Story set in Soviet occupied America; some action takes place in Texas.

Preece, Harold (1906-    )

Texan, historical and adventure writer; works include:

"The Last Celt," Fantasy Crossroads 2, Feb. 1975

"The Last Celt, an Epilogue," Fantasy Crossroads 2, Feb. 1975

"The Miscast Barbarian in Review – `The Real REH,'" Fantasy Crossroads , January 1976

"Robert's Lady Cousin," in Samba, vol. 1, no. 2, Sept. 1978, pp. 43 +

"Women and Robert E. Howard," Fantasy Crossroads 3, May 1975

with Tevis C. Smith:

"Two Views of Bob Howard," Fantasy Crossroads 10/11, March 1977

Preuss, Paul (1942-    )

Not a Texan.

Core.  New York:  Avon / Nova, 1994.  Partially set in Texas; earth's magnetosphere is disintegrating, creating health problems for humans and disruptions in power and communications.

Priest, Christopher (1943-     )

English writer.

The Extremes.  New York:  St. Martin's Press, 1999.   A British widow turns to virtual reality to understand her husband's murder in Texas.

Proctor, George W.

Texas author, has also written under at least two pseudonyms:  "Zach Wyatt," which he uses on westerns, and Clay Tanner

his webpage:

http://www.geowproctor.simplenet.com/

Proctor was co-editor of Lone Star Universe.  Austin:  Heidelberg Publishers, 1976.  Anthology of science fiction stories by Texas authors.

V – The Texas Run.  New York:  Pinnacle Books, 1985.  Much of this spin off from the television series about aliens occupying earth takes place in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. 

See:

Proctor, Geo., "Texas Writers on Sci-Fi High," Dallas Morning News, 13 June 1976, p.G3.  Gives an overview of sf writers then living in Texas.

Prince, Jeff, "Looking for a Big Break; Arlington Author Says Hard Work is Key to Success," Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Dec. 1999, p.4 (online in Lexis Nexis).

Pumilia, Joe (1945-    )

Texas author

"Willowisp," in David Gerrold, ed., Science Fiction Emphasis I, New York:  Ballantine Books, 1974.  A musician meets a student at Texas A&M University, and they investigate a mysterious light in the woods near her house. 

Collaborated with Bill Wallace on "M. M. Moamrath" stories

Moamrath, M.M., Young Guy from Fuggoth, ed. by Joseph F. Pumilia and Bill Wallace, Zadock Allen Publisher, 1997.  Not seen.

Punchatz, Don Ivan (1936-    )

Texas illustrator, artist.

Raisor, Gary

Less Than Human.   New York:  Diamond Books, 1992.  Novel about vampire pool hustlers in small town Texas.

Randisi, Robert J. (1951-    )

Not a Texan.

The Ghost with Blue Eyes.  New York:  Leisure Books, 1999.  Not seen; ghost story set in 19^th century Kansas and Texas.

Randle, Kevin & Robert Cornett

Remember the Alamo !  New York:  Charter Books, 1986.  Vietnam veterans go back in time to win the Battle of the Alamo and change the course of history.

Rangel, Kimberly

The Homecoming.  New York:  Leisure Horror, 1998.  A horror story involving spirit possession by a serial killer with action in Texas.

Rauch, Sidney J.

Barnaby Brown:  Home from Erehwon.  Roslyn, NY:  Berrent Publications, 1990. Not seen; children's book in which Barnaby Brown is coming home to earth from the planet Erehwon. Barnaby and B.B., Barnaby's Erehwonian twin, have to make an unexpected landing before reaching Sweetwater, Texas

A Visit to B.B.'s Planet.  Roslyn, NY:  Berrent Publications, 1989.  Not seen; children's book in which an alien visits Sweetwater.

Raye, Kimberly

Texas author.

'Til We Meet Again.  New York:  Silhouette Shadows, 1995.  Not seen; supposedly an occult romance set in Texas.

Faithless Angel.  New York:  Love Spell Books, 1999.  The ghost of a police officer courts a woman who runs a teen shelter in Houston.

Midnight Fantasies.  New York:  Love Spell Books, 2000.  A romantic novel in which a  prim Texas caterer is transported to the 1890s by way of a magic garter; she is mistaken for a stripper by a cowboy who hires her to give love lessons to his 16-year-old brother.

Reamy, Tom (1935-1977)

A Texan.  Publisher, editor, writer, and more.  

"Waiting for Billy Star," in his San Diego Lightfoot Sue and Other Stories.  Kansas City, MO:  Earth Light Publishers, 1979.  Story is set in Texas.

See:  Waldrop, Howard, "Tom, Tom!" in Reamy's San Diego Lightfoot Sue and Other Stories.  Kansas City, MO:  Earth Light Publishers, 1979, pp.229+

Reed, Robert (1956-    )

Not a Texan. 

Beneath the Gated Sky.  New York:  TOR, 1997.  Aliens live undetected among humans; earth is connected to other planets by wormholes; some action takes place in Texas.

Rice, Anne (1941-    )

New Orleans writer with some Texas background; her family moved to Texas when she was 14; she attended Texas Woman's University for one year before transferring to an out-of-state college.

Rich, Harold Thompson (1893-    )

Not a Texan.

"The Diamond Thunderbolt," Astounding Stories, 7(1): 46-67 (July 1931).  Story involves diamond smugglers in the Himalayas and a plot to restore the nobility in Russia, with some action taking place in El Paso.

Richerson, Carrie

Austin writer.

"A Dying Breed," Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 83(4/5):113-128 (Oct./Nov. 1992).  In the Texas Hill Country, a young man returns from the dead to ask the sheriff to catch his killer.

"The Light at the End of the Day," Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 85 (4/5):59-70 (Oct./Nov.1993).  A dead woman returns to her lesbian lover who had accidentally killed her; although the location for this story is not specified, it includes the same sheriff as in "A Dying Breed" and so presumably is set in the same place.

"The Harrowing," Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 91 (6): 48-54 (Dec. 1996).  Arthurian bikers rescue abused children in Austin.

Geckos.  Arvada, CO:  Roadkill Press, 1994.  28 pp.  Not seen; a woman researching Texas history is haunted by pink lizards.

Ridell, Paul T.

Squashed Armadillocon, or "Fear and Loathing in Austin:   A Savage Journey Into the Heart of the Fanboy Dream."  n.p.:  HillyBilly Feast Press, 1993.  A satirical look at Armadillocon, an Austin science fiction convention.

Riley, Eugenia

Native Texan.

Timeswept Bride.  New York:  Avon Books, 1995.  A romantic novel in which a modern day woman travels back in time to Galveston in the 1880s, where she meets a widower with young twin daughters.

Wanted Across Time.  New York: Avon Books, 1997.  Modern day woman is swept back through time where a bounty hunter mistakes her for her ancestor; set in Texas.

Robertson, Stark

Texas fan of the 1920s and 1930s.

"The Planeteer" [poem], Wonder Stories, May 1935

Robins, David

Endword # 12.  Houston Run.  New York:  Leisure Books, 1988.  Novel is set in Texas 100 years after the end of WW III.

Endworld # 20.  Dallas Run.  New York:  Leisure Books, 1990.  Not seen; a post holocaust novel set in Texas.

Robinson, Bob

Robinson was a 1970 graduate of Texas A&M University and lived in Bryan when the novel was published.

General Blastem.  New York:  Exposition Press, 1973.  Humorous book about a hawkish Texas general whose hair grows long overnight and immediately regrows when it is cut.

See: 

Griska, Joe, "Bunker, Now Blastem," Eagle (Bryan-College Station), 2 Sept. 1973, section E, p.15, col.1

Rogers, Evelyn

Wicked.  New York:  Love Spell, 1996.  A romantic novel in which a deceased outlaw is given a chance to save his soul if he brings peace to a lawless Texas town located near the Rio Grande.

Romberg, Nina

Texas writer; co-author with C. Dean Andersson of some of the books published under the pseudonym "Asa Drake."  She also writes as "Jane Archer."  Under her own name she is the author of:

Spirit Stalker.  New York:  Pinnacle Books, 1989.  Involves a serial killer with supernatural powers; the heroine is aided by a Native American medicine woman; the story is set in Texas.

Shadow Walkers.  New York:  Windsor Publishing Corp., 1993.  Concerns runaway children living in an abandoned mental institution in east Texas, which is haunted by the influence of Nazis.

Rothman, Tony (1953-    )

Not a Texan but attended graduate school at the University of Texas.

Rullman, John D. (1846-1914)

Texas writer and engineer.  Biographical sketch in New Encyclopedia of Texas, Dallas:  Texas Development Bureau, 1929, vol. 3, p. 1873.  He died April 3, 1914, in San Antonio.

His Bob Greenfellow Sketches (San Antonio:  Johnson Bros., 1892) contains "Ignis Fatuus," in which a person visits Heaven and Hell in a dream, and "Dwellers in Celestial Spheres," in which a cowboy visits dwellers on the sun and one or two planets.

Sallis, James (1944-    )

Author who lived in Texas for some period.

"The Invasion of Dallas," in Lone Star Universe.  Austin:  Heidelberg Publishers, 1976, pp.157-164.  An alien sent to study humans has an unsatisfying relationship with a human woman.

Sanders, Leonard M. (1929-    )

Texas author; member of the Texas Institute of Letters; wrote one sf novel under a pseudonym.

The Seed (as Dan Thomas).  New York:  Ballantine Books, 1968.  Not seen; a computer engineer seeks an explanation for human existence.

Sarrantonio, Al (1952-    )

Not a Texan.

Moonbane.  New York:  Bantam, 1989.  Not seen; supposedly concerns alien werewolves in West Texas.

Saunders, Jake "Buddy" (1947-    )

Texas author, co-author of The Texas-Israeli War 1999.  New York:  Ballantine Books, 1974.  In a world ravaged by war, Texans and Israelis battle.

(with Howard Waldrop) ... "A Voice and Bitter Weeping," in Galaxy, June 1973.  Part of the first three chapters of Texas-Israeli War.

Saylor, Steven (1956-    )

Native Texan; graduated from the University of Texas; primarily a mystery writer but has published a few science fiction/fantasy stories.

his website:  http://www.stevensaylor.com/

Scarborough, Dorothy (1878-1935)

Texas author and scholar; graduated from Baylor University.

Her dissertation was:  The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction (Columbia University, 1917).  G.P. Putnam's Sons of New York published it that same year as a book.

The Wind.  Austin:  University of Texas Press, 1979.  Foreword by Sylvia Ann Grider.  This book, originally published anonymously in 1925, is a psychological horror story set in West Texas, where the wind eventually drives a woman mad.

She edited:

Famous Modern Ghost Stories.  New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1921.

Humorous Ghost Stories.  New York:  G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1921.

See:  Cranfill, Mabel, "Dorothy Scarborough," Texas Monthly, 4(2):212-227 (Sept.1929).

Scarborough, Elizabeth Ann (1947-    )

Not a Texan, but she did work in Austin for a time.

The Drastic Dragon of Draco, Texas.  New York:  Bantam, 1986.  A female dime novelist encounters a "dragon" on the Texas-Mexican border. 

Phantom Banjo.  New York:  Bantam Books, 1991.  A folk singer battles demons out to destroy folk music; partially set in Texas.

Scott, Jefferson  

Terminal Logic.  Sisters, OR:  Multnomah Publishers, 1997.  Not seen.  Artificial intelligences attack a resident of East Texas.

Searcy, David

Dallas author.

Ordinary Horror.  New York: Viking, 2001.  A gardener orders South American "gopherbane" plants to get rid of the gophers in his garden and macabre things happen; location is vague but may be Texas.

See:  Stratton, W.K., "Plain Ol' Scary:  The Ordinary Becomes Terrifying in a New Novel by Dallas Author David Searcy," The Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2001, p.9C.

Senarens, Luis P. (1865-1939)

Not a Texan; dime novelist with at least two relevant works:

Frank Reade, Jr., With His New Steam Man in Texas, or, Chasing the Train Robbers.  New York:  Frank Touse, 1892.  Not seen.

The Prairie Pirates; or, Frank Reade, Jr.'s Trip to Texas with His Electric Vehicle, the "Detective."  New York:  Frank Tousey, 1895.  Not seen.

Shapiro, Stanley

A Time to Remember.  New York:  Random House, 1986.  Not seen; part of the action supposedly concerns the Kennedy assassination in Dallas.

Shayne, Maggie

The Outlaw Bride.  New York:  Silhouette, 1999.  Not seen; supposedly a romantic novel involving time travel set in Texas.

Sheffield, Charles (1935-    )

Not a Texan.

"The Dreaming Spires of Houston," New Destinies, Jim Baen, ed., New York:  Baen Books, 1987, v.2, pp.47-59.  Old spacecraft talk about past glories.

Shepherd, Mark

Elvendude.  New York: Baen Publishing, 1994.  Not seen; an elf is hidden in a Dallas suburb for safety reasons. 

Shiner, Lewis (1950-    )

Texas author

Among his works are:

"Jeff Beck," Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, 10(1):83-91 (Jan. 1986).  A man finds that gaining technical skill in playing the guitar fails to bring happiness; though never stated explicitly, the story takes place in Austin.

"Oz," in Full Spectrum, ed. by Lou Aronica and Shawna McCarthy.  New York:  Bantam Books, pp.269-271.  Short-short story about an alternative outcome for Lee Harvey Oswald.

"Snowbirds," Analog, Nov. 1982.  Not seen; supposedly people from the future travel back in time to improve the climate of their era; some action is in Texas.

(with Edith Shiner) ... "Six Flags Over Jesus," Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, 11(11):70-71 (Nov. 1987).  In a U.S. dominated by conservative religious groups, parents take their 13-year-old son to a Christian theme park located between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Deserted Cities of the Heart.  New York:  Doubleday, 1988.  One of the characters in the book is an anthropology professor on leave from the University of Texas at Austin; the story takes place in Mexico.

Glimpses.  New York:  Avon Books, 1993.  Rock & roll novel set in Austin in the 1960s and 1980s.

See: 

Goddard, Dan R., "Author Lewis Shiner Writes Fiction That's Real, Not Gritty," San Antonio Express, 8 Aug. 1993, p.6H.

Morrison, Melissa, "Flash Gordon It's Not," Dallas Morning News, 25 Nov. 1991, p.5C.  Also in NewsBank Review of the Arts:  Literature 6:D3-4 (1992).

Simons, Walton, "Lewis Shiner:  Marching to the Beat of a Different Drummer," Austin Chronicle, 7(23):26 (July 15, 1988).

Shirley, John (1953-    )

Born in Houston, later moved out of state.

Transmaniacon.  New York:  Kensington Pub. Co., 1979.  In the 22^nd century, a thief seeks control of a device that telepathically transfers and amplifies mania; some of the story takes place in a Houston ruled by dolphins.

Simmon, Trana Mae

Southern Charms.  New York:  Jove, 1999.  In Texas in the 1890s, a fairy godmother brings together a wealthy New York businessman and a woman rancher.

Simons, Walton "Bud"

Texas author; graduate of the University of Texas

His works include:

Stories in the Wild Card series;

"Ghost Ship," Full Spectrum, ed. by Lou Aronica and Shawna McCarthy.  New York:  Bantam Books, pp.173-191.  Time travel and the Titanic; not set in Texas.

Simpson, Maggie

McCain's Memories.  New York:  Silhouette, 1997.  Not seen; romantic novel in which a lawmen time travels to West Texas in 1877.

Smith, James V., Jr.

Unknown whether he is a Texan, but he was stationed at Fort Hood.

Beastmaker.  New York:  Dell, 1988.  Genetically altered dogs leave a trail of mutilated corpses; takes place at and near Fort Hood; one of the scientists in the story formerly worked at Texas A&M University.

Smith, Tevis Clyde (1908-1984)

Texas author and poet

Pecan Valley Days.  Brownwood, TX:  T.C. Smith, 1956.  (Not fantasy or science fiction).

The Cardboard God.  Brownwood, TX:  T.C. Smith, 1970.  Not seen; a collection of short stories.

"The Magic Name," Fantasy Crossroads, n. 11/12, March 1977, p. 42

"Report on a Writing Man," The Howard Collector, no. 4, Summer 1963, pp. 3‑14.

Smith, Thomas Vernor (1890-1964)

Born in Texas; graduated from the University of Texas; taught at the University of Texas and Texas Christian University before moving to Illinois; he later served in the U.S. Congress

Philosophers in Hades.  Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 1932.  Not seen; after an airplane crash, a modern man finds himself in Hades, where he converses with the leading Greek philosophers.

Snyder, Midori (1954-    )

The Flight of Michael McBride.  New York: TOR, 1994.  Not seen; supposedly concerns an Irish American and Irish spirits on the Texas frontier in 1876.

Southwell, Samuel B. (1922-    )

Professor, graduated from the University of Texas; taught at Texas A&M from about 1947 to 1955; he later taught at the University of Houston.  While teaching at Texas A&M, Prof. Southwell raised questions about a newly organized Dianetics group in Nov. 1953 (see articles in the Battalion).

If All the Rebels Die.  Garden City, NY:  Doubleday, 1966.  Life at the fictional "Texas State University" in the fictional town of Travam after the Russians take over the U.S.

Spencer, William Browning (1946-    )

Austin resident.

Resume with Monsters.  Sag Harbor, NY:  Permanent Press, 1995.  Not seen; supposedly a Lovecraftian horror satire set in Austin.

Zod Wallop.  New York:  St. Martin's Press, 1995.  Not seen; a writer's characters come to life in Texas.

See: 

Morris, Anne, "Spencer Makes Writing His Lifestyle," Austin American-Statesman, 26 Nov. 1995, Sect.G, p.1 (online in Lexis Nexis).

Spielberg, Steven (more or less)

"Alamo Jobe," (teleplay by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, story by Steven Spielberg) in Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories, vol.2, by Steven Bauer, NY:  Charter Books, 1986.  Boy at the Alamo ends up in modern day San Antonio but chooses to return to the doomed post.

Spinner, Stephanie and Ellen Weiss

We're Off to See the Lizard.  New York:  HarperCollins, 1998.  Not seen; children's book in which a boy who can talk to animals becomes separated from his pet gerbil; takes place in West Texas.

Stanley, Diane (1943-    )

Children's author who lives in Houston.

The Good-Luck Pencil.  New York:  Four Winds Press, 1986.  Not seen; a magic pencil brings a girl more good luck than she can handle; story setting not known.

The Mysterious Matter of I.M. Fine.  New York:  HarperCollins, 2001.  Not seen;  Noticing that a popular series of horror novels is having a bizarre effect on the behavior of its readers, two children set out to find the mysterious author; location of story not known.

See: 

Rust, Carol, "Weaving a Dream," Houston Chronicle, 2 Nov. 1997, "Zest," p.9.

Steakley, John  (1951-    )

Texas writer.

Vampire$.  New York:  ROC Fantasy, 1990.  Team of vampire killers; some action takes place in Texas.

Sterling, Bruce (1954-    )

Texas author

his webpage:  http://lonestar.texas.net/%7Edub/newfront.html

(with William Gibson)  The Difference Engine.  New York: Bantam Books, 1991.  Alternate history with steam driven computers in 1851 England; part of the action involves Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas.

Heavy Weather.  New York:  Bantam Books, 1994.  Storm chasers in a post-ecological disaster Texas.

Distraction.  New York:  Bantam Books, 1999.  National politics in Texas in 2044.

See:Beach, Patrick, "A Futurist at 44:  Bruce Sterling," Austin American Statesman, 15 Dec. 1998, Sect.E, pp.1, 4

Dingus, Anne, "Br-u-u-ce!," Texas Monthly, 23 (12): 28 (Dec. 1995)

Marvel, Bill, "Sam Houston Meets the Cyberpunk," Dallas Morning News, 12 January 1992; in NewsBank:  Review of the Arts.  Literature  13:G4-G6 (1992).

Marvel, Bill, "Bruce Sterling:  Charting Cyberspace with a Wink and a Wit," Dallas Morning News, 9 Nov. 1997, p.1E (online in Electric Library).

Shea, Mike, "Sci-Fi Fo Fum," Texas Monthly, 26 (7): 60+ (July 1998).  About Sterling and Michael Moorcock.

Shiner, Lewis, "Bruce Sterling:  Settling Down and Never Giving In," Austin Chronicle, 7(23):27 (July 15, 1988).

Sterling, Cynthia

A Willing Spirit.  New York:  Jove, 1999.  Not seen; a romantic novel in which the spirit of a woman's deceased husband watches over her; set in 1855 Texas.

Great Caesar's Ghost.  New York:  Jove Books, 2000.  Not seen; a romantic novel in which a ghost plays matchmaker for his son in 1893 Texas.

Sterling, Nancy

Texas author.

"The Recital," Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, 14(7):68-79 (July 1996).  In 1964, an 11-year-old Texas girl meets a mermaid living in a music classroom.

Stewart, Sean (1965-    )

Texas author.

Galveston.  New York:  Ace Books, 2000.  Set on Galveston Island during Mardi Gras in the year 2004 with part of the population trapped forever in a timeless magical carnival.

Mockingbird.  New York:  Ace Books, 1998.  Concerns witchcraft and voodoo in Houston.

See:  Gibson, Sharan, "A Mamma from Hell, a Family from Houston," Houston Chronicle,  27 Dec. 1998, Zest, p.24  (online in Lexis-Nexis).  Review of Mockingbird.

Stoddard, James

Author; teaches at a Texas junior college

Stoker, Bram (1847-1912)

Not a Texan.

Quincey P. Morris (a character in Dracula. Westminster:  A. Constable, 1897) is a Texan and carries a big Bowie knife.  Another version of Morris' involvement appears in James V. Hart and Fred Saberhagen's, Bram Stoker's Dracula.  New York:  Penguin, 1992.  This book is a novelization of the movie Bram Stoker's Dracula, which was based (more or less) on Stoker's book.

Source:  Grider, Sylvia, "Meanwhile Back in Transylvania, or:  Dracula and the Texan," speech given at a joint meeting of the Texas and New Mexico folklore societies in El Paso.  Compared Quincey P. Morris, Texas hero in Dracula, to the stereotypical Texas hero of other literature.  Source:  Mentioned in English Bulletin, 7(24):1 (Apr. 15, 1977); also 7(26): 1 (Apr. 29, 1977)

Stone, Del, Jr. (1958-    )

Not a Texan.

Dead Heat.  Austin:  MOJO Press, 1996.  Not seen; supposedly a near future tale about zombies, partially set in Amarillo.

Strieber, Whitley (1945-    )

Texas author; attended the University of Texas; member of the Texas Institute of Letters.

(with James W. Kunetka) ... Warday and the Journey Onward.  New York:  Warner Books, 1985.  Story takes place after a limited nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union; some action is set in Texas.

Swycaffer, Jefferson P. (1956-    )

Not a Texan.

Warsprite.  Lake Geneva, WI:  TSR, 1990.  Concerns alien robots, with some action taking place in San Antonio.

Tecs, George

Apparently a pseudonym ("Tecs" is pronounced like "Tex")

The Man from Jove.  Paris, TX:  Press of Bennett Print. Co., 1912.  Not seen, but supposedly science fiction.  May be the first sf novel published in Texas ?

Thompson, Julian F.

Goofbang Value Daze.  New York:  Scholastic, 1989.  Not seen; young adult novel concerning a dome over a Texas town.

Thurmond, William

Resident of Victoria

(with Ray Cummings) "The Derelict of Space," Wonder Stories Quarterly, 3(1):98-107 (Fall 1931).  Not set in Texas.

Torbett, Frank Thurston

Texan; co-authored "A Thunder of Trumpets" with Robert E. Howard.  This may be his only published work ?

Townsend, Tom

Texas author.

His webpage:  http://www.tomtownsend-toyland.com/

He is the author of several books, including:

The Ghost Flyers.  Austin, TX:  Eakin Press, 1993.  Not seen; a story set in Texas in the 19^th century concerning railroads and "ghost flyers."

Turman, John Ray

Native Texan.

Saxon and the Sorceress.  Austin:  Morganland Press, 1978.   Not seen; supposedly concerns extrasensory perception and sorcery; I have no idea where the story takes place.

Turner, Frederick (1943-    )

Native of England; currently a professor in Dallas

Genesis:  An Epic Poem.  Dallas:  Saybrook Pub. Co., 1988.  Not seen; novel length epic poem about a terraformed Mars.

Tuttle, Lisa (1952-    )

Long time Texas resident; now living in Scotland. 

website about her work:  http://home.nexgo.de/anyx/lisatuttle/start.htm

"Flying to Byzantium," Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone Magazine, 5(2):26-37 (Mar./ Apr. 1985); reprinted in her A Nest of Nightmares (London:  Sphere Books, 1986).  A woman fantasy writer who grew up in Texas has a horrible time when she is lured to a science fiction convention set in the West Texas town of Byzantium.

"Haunts," in Stephen Jones and David Sutton, eds., Dark Terrors 5 (Gollancz, 2000); also in Ghosts and Other Lovers.  Not seen; about a group of friends who were at school together in a small town in Texas; later they design and build a haunted house on the shores of Lake Travis; other scenes take place in Houston, and the narrator lives in Galveston.

"The Hollow Man," in her A Spaceship Built of Stone and Other Stories.  London:  The Women's Press, 1987.  A woman deals with her husband who has changed since he was revived from being dead; takes place in Houston and Dallas.

"Kin to Kaspar Hauser," Galaxy, 38(2):59-75 (Apr. 1977).  Members of a West Texas family react differently to the visit of a man who may or may not be an alien.

"Sun City," in Campbell, Ramsey, ed., New Terrors (London:  Pan Books, 1980); reprinted in her collection A Nest of Nightmares (London:  Sphere Books, 1986).  Not seen; a horror story about an ancient Aztec god haunting a young woman from Texas; set mostly in El Paso.

"Where the Stones Grow," in Dark Forces, ed. by Kirby McCauley (New York:  Viking, 1980).  Not seen; in this horror story, a man discovers that stones are alive; set in San Antonio and England.

Familiar Spirit.  New York:  Berkley Books, 1983.  A presence in a house uses a lonely woman; takes place in Austin.

The Pillow Friend.  Clarkston, GA:  White Wolf Publishing Co., 1996.  Not seen; a woman has the ability to wish things into reality; the story begins in Houston, moves on to East Texas (the piney woods), then to Austin, then to London, and it concludes in the highlands of Scotland.

Utley, Steven (1948-    )

Texas author

Co-editor of Lone Star Universe.  Austin:  Heidelberg Publishers, 1976.  Anthology of science fiction stories by Texas authors.

"Ghost Seas," in Lone Star Universe.  Austin:  Heidelberg Publishers, 1976, pp.197-213.  Ghost seas haunt West Texas.

Vardeman, Robert E. (1947-    )

He was born in Mineral Wells, Texas, but I do not know how long he lived there.

Varley, John (1947-    )

Born in Austin, but I am not sure how long he lived there.

Steel Beach.  New York:  G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1992.  In the future, residents of a lunar colony are becoming apathetic and suicidal; when the central computer adopts these same attitudes, dire consequences threaten.  Some action takes place in Texas.

Vazquez, Diego

Growing through the Ugly.  New York:  W.W. Norton, 1997.  Not seen; dead Chicano soldier, a native of El Paso, tells his life story. 

Verne, Jules (1828-1905)

Not a Texan (obviously) In his From the Earth to the Moon, the decision on where to launch the mission comes down to either Florida or Texas.  "It was finally agreed, then, that the Columbiad must be cast on the soil of either Texas or Florida.  The result, however, of this decision was to create a rivalry entirely without precedent between the different towns of these two States."  The recounting of this rivalry occupies several paragraphs in the novel.

Verrill, Alpheus Hyatt (1874-1954)

Not a Texan.

"The Death Drum," Amazing Stories, 8(2):104-123 (May 1933).  Concerns a lost race in Peru; one of the characters is a Texas Ranger.

Vitola, Denise (1957-    )

Lives near Abilene; author of several novels.

Her website:  http://www.coolwell.org/

Von Rosenberg, Marjorie

Cowboy Bob's Critters Visit Texas Heroes.  Austin:  Eakin Press, 1993.  Children's book in which statues of Texas heroes located in Austin come to life with the magical help of a "space critter."

Wade, Susan

Austin writer

"The Convertible Coven," Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 86(3):96-113 (Mar. 1994).  In Austin, a neo-pagan finds a coven whose members like cars.

Waldrop, Howard (1946-    )

Texas author, several of whose stories are set in Texas

Co-author of The Texas-Israeli War 1999.  New York:  Ballantine Books, 1974.  In a world ravaged by war, Texans and Israelis battle. 

"Night of the Cooters" in Kevin J. Anderson, ed., War of the Worlds:  Global Dispatches.  New York:  Bantam Books, 1997.  Tells the story of what happened during the "War of the Worlds" to the invasion in Texas – Texas was among the places Wells mentioned as sites of Martian landings.

"Mary Margaret Road-Grader," in:  Strange Things in Close Up.  London:  Arrow Books Ltd., 1989.  Native Americans and tractor pulls in post-holocaust Texas.

"The Ugly Chickens" in:  Strange Things in Close Up.  London:  Arrow Books Ltd., 1989.  The story begins in Texas and concerns a graduate student at the University of Texas who is searching for the last of the dodos. 

(with Buddy Saunders) ... "A Voice and Bitter Weeping," in Galaxy, June 1973.  Part of the first three chapters of Texas-Israeli War.

See: 

Wexler, Robert, "History According to Waldrop," Austin Chronicle, 7 (23): 26-28 (July 15, 1988).

Wallace, William/Bill

Texas author

Also:  collaborated with Joe Pumila on "M. M. Moamrath" stories

Moamrath, M.M., Young Guy from Fuggoth, ed. by Joseph F. Pumilia and Bill Wallace, Zadock Allen Publisher, 1997.  Not seen.

Webb, Don (1960-    )

Austin writer.

"The Evil Miracle," Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 87(2): 99-110 (Aug. 1994).  A woman who owns a Texas motel receives a message from a lost love in the form of spiders.

The Double:  An Investigation.  New York:  St. Martin's Press, 1998.  Not seen; a man discovers a corpse in his living room that is his double; set in Austin.

Essential Saltes:  An Experiment.  New York:  St. Martin's Press, 1999.  A horror/ mystery novel in which a dead woman's ashes are stolen by an alchemist; takes place in Austin and the surrounding area.

Weinbaum, Stanley (1902-1935)

Was not a Texan and did not write any stories set in Texas, as far as I know, but he did marry Kay Hawtof, a native of Waco, Texas, and visited her relatives several times in Texas (see:  Davin, Eric L., Pioneers of Wonder, New York:  Promethius Books, 1999, pp.125-182).

Welch, D.R.

Lived in Austin in the 1930s.   He apparently was the first dealer in used SF in Texas (see advertisement in Wonder Stories, March 1935, p.1275).  He also compiled what appears to be the first bibliography of science fiction fan publications: 

Science Fiction Bibliography.  Austin, TX: Science Fiction Syndicate, William Crawford, 1935.  12 pp.  Compiled anonymously by D.R. Welch and printed for him by William Crawford. (See Warner, Harry, All our Yesterdays, Chicago:  Advent, 1969, p.58, and Sam Moskowitz, The Immortal Storm, Westport, CN:  Hyperion Press, 1974, p.43).  Printed on cover: Vol 1, No. 1.  No more published.  This contains references to amateur pamphlets and early fanzines.

Wells, Martha (1964-     )

Fort Worth native who graduated from Texas A&M University and who lives in Bryan.

her webpage:  http://www.marthawells.com/

See: 

Bayless, John, "TOR Publishes A&M Employee's First Novel; Wells Creates Lively Fantasy," Battalion (Texas A&M University), 15 July 1993, p.4.

Riecher, Anton, "Playing with Fire:  Fantasy Author Exercises Vivid Imagination," Bryan-College Station Eagle, 14 Aug. 1994, Sect.D, pp.1, 3.

Wertenbaker, Green Peyton (1907-1968)

At some point moved to Texas; he died in San Antonio on 26 July 1968.

Westheimer, David (1917-    )

Native of Houston; graduated from Rice University; now lives in California; is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters.

Lighter Than a Feather.  Boston:  Little, Brown, 1971.  Reissued under the titles Downfall and also Death is Lighter Than a Feather.  Alternate history in which the U.S. did not drop the atomic bomb on Japan; this book tells the story of the U.S. invasion of Japan; two characters are from Texas.

Weyrich, Becky Lee

Forever, for Love.  New York:  Pocket Books, 1989.  A romantic novel involving reincarnation and psychic powers partially taking place in Galveston in the 1810s and partially set in the 1880s and afterwards.

Whiddon, Karen

Powerful Magic.  New York:  Lovespell, 2001.  A modern day woman from Dallas is transported back to 11^th century Wales where she encounters a man who is half human and half fairy.

Whittington, Don

Texas author.

Dark Charm.  New York:  Avon Books, 1996.  Not seen; a young adult horror novel in which a new kid who can foretell the future discovers that he and a classmate must confront an approaching evil; story is set in Texas.

See:  Stevens, Sue, "Close-up with Donald Whittington a Novel Approach to Success:  Ex-Aerospace Worker Finds Success as Author," Fort Worth Star Telegram, 14 June 1994 (in the paper's online archives)

Wilkinson, Pamela Fannin

Texas author

Ridin' the Rainbow.  San Antonio:  Corona Pub. Co., 1981, with illustrations by Real Musgrave.  A children's book that involves leprechauns in Texas.

Williams, Nick B. (1906-    )

Newspaperman and author; spent some time in Texas

Williamson, Jack (1908-    )

Most properly considered a New Mexico author, although he lived in Texas for several years as a child, and came back to Texas to attend college in Canyon, Texas.

"Wolves of Darkness," Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror, Jan. 1932, reprinted in Weinberg, Robert; Stefan R. Dziemianowicz, and Martin H. Greenberg, eds., Rivals of Weird Tales.  New York:  Bonanza Books, 1990, pp.22-80.  Beings from another dimension possess the bodies of men and wolves in West Texas.

"In the Scarlet Star," Amazing Stories, 7(12):1113-1121 (March 1933).  A resident of El Paso buys a mysterious artifact that opens a portal to another dimension; the two main characters both read science fiction.

Beachhead.  New York:  Tor Books, 1992.  Characters include a Texan, Sam Houston Kelligan.

See, for example:

Myers, Robert E.  Jack Williamson, A Primary and Secondary Bibliography.  Boston, MA:  G.K. Hall, 1980. Williamson, Jack.  Wonder's Child:  My Life in Science Fiction.  New York:  Bluejay Books, 1984.

Williamson, J.N. (Gerald Neal) (1932-    )

Not a Texan.

"On the Late Train Through Texas," Deathrealm, Spring 1996.  Not seen.

Wisler, G. Clifton (1950-    )

Texas author.

The Antrian Messenger.  New York:  Dutton, 1986.  Not seen.  A children's book in which the ordinary life of a high school freshman who knows that he is different changes quickly when the truth about him is revealed.

The Mind Trap.  New York:  Lodestar Books, 1990.  A children's book involving a telepathic alien who is held hostage by threatening earth scientists; some action takes place in Texas.

Wolfe, Gene (1931-    )

Author of several novels and short stories; born in New York City, but lived in Houston for much of his childhood.  He attended Texas A&M and the University of Houston.

Wolfe, Gene, "Easter Sunday," Commentator (Texas A. & M. College), 4 (4): 6, 26 (March 1951).  Short story in which a minister meets a political exile, Satan.

Wood, Crystal (1955-    )

Texas author; graduated from Hardin Simmons University and from Texas Tech.

Cut Him Out in Little Stars.  Denton, TX:  Tattersall Pub., 1994.  Not seen; supposedly some of the action takes place at science fiction conventions in Texas. 

Fool's Joust.  Denton, TX:  Tattersall Pub., 1998.  Not seen; the action supposedly takes place at "a Texas Renaissance festival."

See:  Dunn, Si, "Various Books All Carry That 'Texas' Stamp," Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 1995, p.10J.  Includes review of  Cut Him Out in Little Stars

Woodard, George C.

New Day, Big World, Few People:  A Novel of the Past and Future.  Fort Worth:  Book Sales, 1969.  Not seen; listed in R. Reginald's Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature.

Wu, William (1951-    )

Not a Texan.

"Sit-in at the Alamo," Pulphouse, Sept./Oct. 1992.  Not seen.

Zettner, Pat (1940-    )

Texas author.

Zweifel, Karyn

"Texas Terror," in her Southern Vampires:  13 Deep-Fried Bloodcurdling Tales.  Birmingham, AL:  Crime Hill Publ., 1997.  Not seen.