Melissa Lee Shaw

About Me

I'm an aficionado of Early Music, animals in general, and dolphins in particular. I got my Master's degree conducting dolphin language research. The field still fascinates me.

I've been fostering cats, kittens, and dogs for the Humane Society for more than a decade.

My Writing

I write fantasy, science fiction, and horror. I'm a Clarion West graduate and a winner of the Writers of the Future contest. My short fiction has appeared in a variety of top markets, including Asimov's, Analog, Realms of Fantasy, and several anthologies. My short story, "The Sea Hag," was translated for a French anthology. You can find a list of my publications later on this page.

What I'm most interested in is writing for video games professionally. I'm currently writing for an as-yet-unreleased video game (background, world-building, and history). I love the challenges of writing for video games, and the creative collaboration involved.

I'm also writing some video game reviews, to familiarize myself with the field. Here are some samples:

Here are some samples of my (published) short fiction:

Fantasy: The Sea Hag, originally published in Silver Birch, Blood Moon.
Science fiction: A Deeper Rest, originally published in Analog.
Horror: The Good Doctor, originally published in Realms of Fantasy.

In chronological order, here are my publications to date:

My first sale, "Harpbreak," won second prize in the Writers of the Future contest and hit print in L. Ron Hubbard Presents the Writers of the Future, Volume XI. It garnered me my first Honorable Mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror.

My second piece of speculative fiction, "Heat," was published in Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers, an erotic fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, and won my second Honorable Mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. It's out in both trade and mass market paperback editions.

My third short story, "The Sea Hag," was published in Silver Birch, Blood Moon, an anthology of retold fairy tales also edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. "The Sea Hag" is retelling of "The Little Mermaid" from a different point of view.

Il Etait Une Fée is a French anthology containing a translation of "The Sea Hag" called "La Sorciére de la Mer," published by Editions de l'Oxymore.

My novelet, "A Deeper Rest," published in the January 2002 issue of Analog, is my sole SF publication.

My novelet, "The Good Doctor," hit the newsstands in the February 2005 issue of Realms of Fantasy.

My short story, "Far From the Tree," appeared in the Daw anthology Children of Magic. I'm working on a fantasy trilogy set in the same world.

My short story, "Delilah's Dames in Nomadsland," appeared in the anthology Bash Down the Door and Slice Open the Badguy.

My short story, "Foster," appeared in the October/November 2006 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.

Last updated 03/10/2010 by me.

	My first sale, "Harpbreak," won second prize in the Writers of the Future contest and hit print in L. Ron Hubbard Presents the Writers of the Future, Volume XI. It garnered me my first Honorable Mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror.
	My second piece of speculative fiction, "Heat," was published in Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers, an erotic fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, and won my second Honorable Mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. It's out in both trade and mass market paperback editions.
	My third short story, "The Sea Hag," was published in Silver Birch, Blood Moon, an anthology of retold fairy tales also edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. "The Sea Hag" is retelling of "The Little Mermaid" from a different point of view.
	Il Etait Une Fée is a French anthology containing a translation of "The Sea Hag" called "La Sorciére de la Mer," published by Editions de l'Oxymore.
	My novelet, "A Deeper Rest," published in the January 2002 issue of Analog, is my sole SF publication.
	My novelet, "The Good Doctor," hit the newsstands in the February 2005 issue of Realms of Fantasy.
	My short story, "Far From the Tree," appeared in the Daw anthology Children of Magic. I'm working on a fantasy trilogy set in the same world.
	My short story, "Delilah's Dames in Nomadsland," appeared in the anthology Bash Down the Door and Slice Open the Badguy.
	My short story, "Foster," appeared in the October/November 2006 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.