Occupation Writer Role Writer Name Ardath Mayhar | Genre Science fiction Nationality US | |
Born Ardath Frances Hurst
February 20, 1930
Timpson, Texas, U.S. ( 1930-02-20 ) Pen name Frank Cannon
Frances Hurst
John Killdeer Died February 1, 2012, Nacogdoches, Texas, United States Books The Sword and the Dagger, Golden Dream: A Fuzzy Od, The World Ends in Hickory H, Medicine walk, Khi to Freedom Similar People H Beam Piper, Robert N Charrette, Loren L Coleman, Blaine Pardoe, Malcolm Jameson | ||
Ardath Frances Hurst Mayhar (February 20, 1930 – February 1, 2012) was an American writer and poet. She began writing science fiction in 1979 after returning with her family to Texas from Oregon. She was nominated for the Mark Twain Award, and won the Balrog Award for a horror narrative poem in Masques I.
She had numerous other nominations for awards in almost every fiction genre, and won many awards for poetry. In 2008 she was honored by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as an Author Emeritus.
Mayhar wrote over 60 books ranging from science fiction to horror to young adult to historical to westerns; with some work under the pseudonyms Frank Cannon, Frances Hurst, and John Killdeer. Joe R. Lansdale wrote simply: "Ardath Mayhar writes damn fine books!"
Mayhar also shared her knowledge of the skills of writing with many people through the Writer's Digest correspondence courses.
Personal life
Mayhar owned and operated The View From Orbit Bookstore in Nacogdoches, Texas, with her husband Joe until his death in the 1999. She later sold the bookstore, which served the students of Stephen F. Austin State University and people in the East Texas area, providing a wide variety of books and literature as well as Joe's computer services that would otherwise have been unavailable to this region. Until her health began failing, her reputation was such that she still spoke regularly in the area, drawing large crowds whenever she taught and spoke.