Style: Short Fiction, Novels, Editorials, Digital Art

Interests: Southern literature and horror, art, photography, journalistic pursuits, basking, yoga

Samples:
  * Excerpt from Sleepless Nights

  * Allison's Art Gallery

  * Allison's Gallery of Cemetery Photos

Allison Stein is a writer / editor / artist / photographer / fan / geek goddess who has lived in Kansas City long enough that she now calls it home. Originally from the South, she has a "thang" for dark Southern fiction and horror, but has been a science fiction fan and reader since she was very young and Classic Trek was in its original run.

As a genre writer, she's published non-fiction in Science Fiction Chronicle and fiction in Horrors: 365 Scary Stories (Barnes & Noble 1998), and received an honorable mention in the Writers of the Future contest. Her editing credits include the semi-prozine E-scape: The Digital Journal of Speculative Fiction, fanzine Manifest Destiny: KC's SF/F/H Connection (1994-1996), and the small press Dark Dixie Anthology #1 (Marrietta Publishing, 1996). Allison is a founding member of the NobleFusion Writers Group (hell-bent on taking over the world) and a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America [SFWA] (http://www.sfwa.org) and the Horror Writers Association [HWA] (http://www.horror.org).

As a photographer, she's shown her work at several Midwestern Cons, including Archon 25, ConQuesT 32, and the final CZARKON (2001). Lately, she's been annoying the bejeezus of the cat (see Allison's cat photos) and most of her friends with her new digital camera. (as if the old fashioned kind wasn't annoying enough!) She spends entirely too much time in cemeteries, but at least it keeps her off the street. (See Allison's Gallery of Cemetery Photos)

As an artist, she's shown her digital paintings and traditional paintings at several cons around the country thus far in 2002, including World Horror Con, ConQuesT, Duckcon, DeepSouthCon, LepreCon, and others. She created the cover art for Through My Glasses Darkly: Five Stories By Frank N. Robinson for KaCSFFS Press (2002) and has been contracted to do the cover art for an upcoming vampire novel to be published by Yard Dog Press. (See Allison's Art Gallery)

As a fan, Allison has been a busy girl. She was on the planning committee for the 2002 Nebula Weekend (http://www.kcsciencefiction.org/2002nebs.htm) and is the programming committee chair the 2003 World Horror Con (http://www.whc2003.org). She's been on the ConQuest (http://www.kcsciencefiction.org/con33.htm) planning committee since 1995. She was a founding member of the board of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (http://www.kcsciencefiction.org/hof.htm). She continues to be a member of the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society (http://www.kcsciencefiction.org/).

(Midwest fans may also remember her as the "Weird Tales" girl, "Vampira", and one of the Moo-lennium Cows in the infamous "Bimbos of the Bookcovers" renegade masquerade troupe, and as hostess of "Alli's Roadkill Café" at ConQuesT 26, 27, and 28. And yes, she's still entirely too perky for that time of con. But these days, she just wears funny things on her head -- like giant flowers or holiday lights.)

In the mundane world, she's an unemployed technology marketing goddess (having killed two dot-coms) and is the volunteer webmaster for the National Federation of Press Women (http://www.nfpw.org).

Favorite Books/Links

Any list of favorites is too short, and would change depending on what day you ask. Today it looks like this:

Fantasy:

• A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords - George R.R. Martin
• The Book of Ash (A Secret History, Carthage Ascendant, The Wild Machines, Lost Burgundy) - Mary Gentle
• The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
  

SciFi:

• The Doomsday Book - Connie Willis
• The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
• Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein
• Darwin's Radio - Greg Bear
• The Sparrow, Children of God - Mary Doria Russell
• Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon - Orson Scott Card
• Idoru - William Gibson
• The Forever War, The Forever Peace - Joe Haldeman
• The Original Foundation Trilogy - Isaac Asimov
• Any collection of Ray Bradbury's classic short stories (Dandelion Wine, The Illustrated Man, etc.)
• Any collection of Harlan Ellison's classic short stories (I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, Strange Wine, Shatterday, The Essential Ellison, etc.)
• Anything by Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, etc.)

Horror:

• Interview With The Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and The Witching Hour - Anne Rice (but the rest of Rice's books are best enjoyed in an abridged audio version!)
• Carrion Comfort--Dan Simmons
• Coldheart Canyon -- Clive Barker
• American Gods, NeverWhere -- Neil Gaiman

SciFi/Fantasy Media:

• The Original Star Wars Trilogy
• Babylon 5
• Farscape

Personal Links:

Alli's Attic (http://www.noblefusion.com/astein)
Allison's personal homepage

Sci-Fi Weekly (http://www.scifi.com/sfw/)

Horror Writers Association (http://www.horror.org/)
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) was formed to bring writers and others with a professional interest in horror together, and to foster a greater appreciation of dark fiction in general.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (http://www.sfwa.org/)
SFWA is the professional organization for SF and Fantasy writers.

The SF Site (http://www.sfsite.com/)
An online "newspaper" of the sf field, featuring reviews, news, and commentary.

Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society [KaCSFFS] (http://www.kcsciencefiction.org)
One of mid-America's oldest science fiction clubs, the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society was created to foster interest in the literary forms known as science fiction and fantasy. KaCSFFS meetings monthly and hosts ConQuesT annually.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (http://www.kcsciencefiction.org/hof.htm )
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame was founded in 1996 by the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society and the J. Wayne and Elsie M. Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas. Each year, the Hall of Fame honors four individuals on the basis of their continued excellence and long-time contribution to the science fiction and fantasy field.

The J. Wayne and Elise M. Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas (http://www.ku.edu/~sfcenter/index.html)
The Center, founded 1982, is the umbrella for all SF programs offered by the University, including Intensive English Institute on the Teaching of Science Fiction, John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best science fiction novel of the year, Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for the best short SF of the year, The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame presentations, and a two-week intensive Writer's Workshop in Science Fiction.

Get Fuzzy (http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/getfuzzy/archive/)
A twisted, intellectual alternative to "Garfield"