Ray Bradbury is, for many reasons, the most influential writer in my life. Throughout our long friendship, Ray supplied not only his terrific stories but a grand model of what a writer could be, should be, and yet rarely is: brilliant and charming and accessible, willing to tolerate and to teach, happy to inspire but also to be inspired.

Early in his career he also publiGreg Beard work as an artist including illustrations for an early version of the Star Trek Concordance and covers for Galaxy and F&SF. It won the Best Novelette Nebula Award (1983) and Hugo Award (1984). He sold his first story "Destroyers" to Famous Science Fiction in 1967.

Greg Bear has written 44 books in total. His work has covered themes of galactic conflict (Forge of God books) artificial universes (The Way series) consciousness and cultural practices (Queen of Angels) and accelerated evolution (Blood Music Darwin's Radio and Darwin's Children).