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RUSCH, Kristine Kathryn

Born 4 June 1960, Oneonta, New York

Wrote under Sandy Schofield

Daughter of Carroll "Tony" and Marian Beisser Rusch; married Dean Wesley Smith, 1992

Kristine Kathryn Rusch's father was a college math professor, so reading was an important part of growing up for her and three older siblings, two of whom (sister Sandy Hofsommer and brother Fred Rusch) are college professors of English. Rusch graduated from Superior Senior High School in Superior, Wisconsin, and went on to get her B.A. in history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1982.

During her early career Rusch wrote nonfiction and was the news director at a radio station before turning to fiction writing. She graduated from the acclaimed Clarion Science Fiction Workshop in 1985 and an experimental writing workshop in Taos, New Mexico, in 1986, which was run by long-time science fiction writer and editor Algis Budrysn. There she met her future husband, Dean Wesley Smith.

Rusch burst into the science fiction, fantasy, and horror scene with her first professional genre story, "Sing," which appeared in Aboriginal Science Fiction in 1987. That same year she helped Smith cofound a small press called Pulphouse Publishing. Based in Eugene, Oregon, it specialized in the mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. One of their first publications was a limited edition of Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine (1988), a quarterly publication with a magazine format but bound in a hardcover binding like a book. Rusch would go on to edit 12 total issues of the magazine, along with The Best of Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine (1991), which collected the best stories up to that point. Rusch additionally penned numerous books in Pulphouse's nonfiction "how-to-write" series, including Characterization (1990) and Setting (1990). Pulphouse also won a World Fantasy award in 1989 for Best Nonprofessional (a terrible misnomer for the small press and alternate press category) of the year. The company went on hiatus in 1992 so the principals could pursue their own writing, and was still there as of early 1999.

During the 1990s Rusch proliferated in the science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery pulp magazines, with stories appearing in dozens of magazines and anthologies ranging from cat mysteries to vampire tales, tabloid spoofs, and serious genre fiction. Notable stories included "Story Child" (1990), "Trains" (1990), and "Details" (1998), which won the Ellery Queen Reader's Choice award in the short story category. In 1990 Rusch won the acclaimed John W. Campbell award for Best New Writer, presented with the Hugo awards at the World Science Fiction Convention. In addition she coedited with Smith The Science Fiction Writers of America Handbook: The Professional Writer's Guide to Writing Professionally, which won the Locus award for best nonfiction.

A chapbook, The Gallery of His Dreams (1991), bridged Rusch's move from editing nonfiction and short fiction into novel-length fiction works. The story—which won a Locus award for best novella, was a Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy award finalist and made the Locus Recommended Reading List—features United States Civil War photographer Mathew B. Brady (circa 1823-1896) in a time-travel adventure. Wasting no time, Rusch shortly thereafter saw publication of her first novel, The White Mists of Power (1991), a fantasy nominated as a Locus and a Science Fiction Chronicle Recommended Reading List Best First Novel. Also in 1991 she took the helm as editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, replacing Edward L. Ferman, who had held the position from 1966 and was managing editor from 1962 to 1966. Together, the two edited an anthology, The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: A 45th Anniversary Anthology (1994). Rusch won the Hugo for best editor in 1994 and held the position until 1997, when she turned the reins over to editor Gordon Van Gelder.

A collaborative novel, Afterimage (1992), was written with Kevin J. Anderson, who would become the dean of Star Wars books in the late 1990s. Five stand-alone novels followed in short time: Heart Readers (1993), Facade (1993), Traders (1993), Alien Influences (1994, published in England, and which made the short list for the Arthur C. Clarke award and was a John W. Campbell Memorial award finalist), and Sins of the Blood (1994). A new fantasy book series began with The Fey: Sacrifice (1996), which was listed by Science Fiction Chronicle as Best Fantasy Novel for that year, followed by The Fey: Changeling (1996), The Fey: Rival (1997), The Fey: Resistance (1998), and The Fey: Victory (1998). In between, Rusch wrote The Devil's Churn (1996) and Hitler's Angel (1998), a historical crime novel that was favorably reviewed in the mainstream media, including a full-page review in the New York Times. She also wrote The Tenth Planet (1999) in collaboration with Smith. A new Fey series began with Black Throne: The Black Queen (1999).

Together with Smith, Rusch began penning novels based on television series or movies. Creating the pseudonym Sandy Schofield, the first book published was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Big Game (1993), followed by Aliens: Rogue (1995), Quantum Leap: The Loch Ness Leap (1997), and Predator: Big Game (1999). Rusch also began writing novels for Pocket Books' various Star Trek series under her own name in collaboration with Smith, including Star Trek: Voyager: The Escape (1995), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Long Night (1996), Star Trek: Klingon! (1996), Star Trek: Rings of Tautee (1996), Star Trek: The Next Generation/Invasion!, Book Two: The Soldiers of Fear (1996), Star Trek/Day of Honor, Book Four: Treaty's Law (1997), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine/The Captain's Table, Book Three: The Mist (1998), and Star Trek/Double Helix, Book 2: Vectors (1999). She also wrote one with Smith and fellow Oregon writer Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Star Trek: Voyager: Echoes (1997).

Rusch broke into the New York Times bestsellers list and joined the small corps of Star Wars writers with her work Star Wars: The New Rebellion (1996), which was followed by the abridged audiocassette version with Anthony Heald the same year, and The Star Wars Diplomatic Corps Entrance Exam (1997), a fictional nonfiction "test" booklet.