Steven Paulsen (born 1955) is an Australian writer of science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction whose work has been published in books, magazines, journals and newspapers around the world. He is the author of the best selling children's book, The Stray Cat, which has seen publication in several foreign language editions, and his short stories have appeared in anthologies such as Dreaming Down-Under, Terror Australis: Best Australian Horror, Strange Fruit, Fantastic Worlds, and The Cthulhu Cycle: Thirteen Tentacles of Terror.
Paulsen has also written extensively about Australian speculative fiction in various publications including Bloodsongs, Eidolon, Sirius, Interzone, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, Fantasy Annual, The St James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers, and The Melbourne University Press Encyclopedia of Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy. In the 1990s he conceived and edited The Australian SF Writer's News, a writer's resource magazine for Australian Speculative Fiction writers, which was later incorporated into Aurealis magazine. He has conducted interviews with a variety of Australian Speculative Fiction writers, and was a judge for 2000 Aurealis Awards.
He returned to writing in 2010 after a ten-year hiatus.
1990 Eastern Regional Libraries Short Story Competition – Special Local Award for "Talisman”1995 William Atheling Jr. Award for "The Hunt for Australian Horror Fiction" with Bill Congreve, Sean McMullen, The Scream Factory No. 16.1997 William Atheling Jr. Award for "Australian Fantasy" with Sean McMullen,1996 Ditmar Award nomination for Best Australian Short Fiction: The Stray Cat (runner-up)1998 William Atheling Jr. Award nomination for Contributions to The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy1998 Aurealis Award – Convenor's Award nomination for Contributions to The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy2000 William Atheling Jr. Award nomination for The Coode Street Review of Science Fiction with Jonathan Strahan2000 Ditmar Award for Best Fan Production for The Coode Street Review of Science Fiction with Jonathan Strahan1996 Origins Award for Best Game-Related Fiction won by The Cthulhu Cycle: Thirteen Tentacles of Terror edited by Robert M. Price which contained Paulsen's short story 'In the Light of the Lamp'1999 William Atheling Jr. Award won by Paul Collins for The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy for which Paulsen was Assistant Editor and primary contributor1999 World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology won by Dreaming Down-Under, Edited by Jack Dann and Janeen Webb (HarperCollins Australia/Voyager) which contained Paulsen's short story 'Ma Rung'1999 Ditmar Award for Best Anthology won by Dreaming Down-Under, Edited by Jack Dann and Janeen Webb (HarperCollins Australia/Voyager) which contained Paulsen's short story 'Ma Rung' 