Nancy Kressis the author of seventeen books: three fantasy novels, six SF novels, two thrillers, three collections of short stories, one YA novel, and two books on writing fiction. She is perhaps best known for the "Sleepless" trilogy that began withBeggars in Spain . Kress's short fiction has appeared in all the usual places. Her work has won three Nebulas and a Hugo, and has been translated into Swedish, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish, Croatian, Lithuanian, Romanian, j.a.panese, and Russian. In addition to writing fiction and regularly teaching at various places, including Clarion, Kress is the monthly Fiction columnist forWriter's Digest magazine.

Elizabeth Moonis a native Texan who did not grow up on a ranch (she wishes), never owned an oil well (ditto), and wasn't a cheerleader with big hair (ditto, NOT). To compensate for these fundamental gaps in a Texas girlhood, she joined the Marines, programmed computers, got elected to public office, worked on a rural ambulance crew, and finally started finishing the stories she wrote. Her novelRemnant Population was a Hugo Nominee in 1997. Her most recent novel isChange of Command ; a sequel, Against the Odds , will be published by Baen in December 2000.

Kent Pattersonwas a science fiction writer from Eugene, Oregon, who before his death in 1995 achieved a small degree of infamy for his quirky sense of humor. Stories like "The Wereyam" and "Soren Sorensen's One Man, All Tuba, All Danish Band vs. the Short ET's" placed him firmly in the wacky-short-story camp, but his cla.s.sical literature background would occasionally burst through with poetry. "To His Iron-Clad Mistress" was one such explosion, which he said was inspired by the sight-nay, thevision - of Leslie What in a chain mail bikini.

Mother Berchte (Berchta, Berta, Percht) first stormed out of folklore and intoSteven Piziks 's life ten years ago. His life hasn't been the same since. This is his third sale to theChicks in Chainmail series andhis second sale involving Mother Berchte. (She stomped throughMarion Zimmer Bradley's FANTASY Magazine in 1997.) Berchte now glares at him from the top of his Yule tree, daring him to write about her again, while Na.s.sirskaegi burps in the branches below. He teaches English and health in southeastern Michigan, where he lives with his wife, son, and harp.

William Sanderswas born in 1942 in Arkansas. He has been at various times a soldier, preacher, logger, construction worker, encyclopedia salesman, powwow dancer, and sportswriter, besides publishing 16 books. His short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies; his story "The Undiscovered" was nominated for Hugo, Nebula, and Sturgeon Awards, and won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History. His latest novel,The Ballad of Billy Bada.s.s and the Rose of Turkestan , was published in 1999. He lives in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in a little old rock house, with his cat, his computer, and his motorcycle.

Charles Sheffieldhas published forty books. He is a winner of Nebula, Hugo, John W. Campbell Memorial, and Sei-un awards, and has had best-sellers of both fact and fiction. The story in this collection is the eleventh involving lawyers Henry Carver and Waldo Burmeister. He says that they are depressingly easy to write.

K.D. Wentworthused to have a life, but can't find it anymore. This is because of things like teaching 4th grade, working on con committees, and writing. As for the latter, she has sold short fiction to such markets asF&SF, Hitchc.o.c.k's,Realms of Fantasy,Return to the Twilight Zone, andChicks and Chained Males. Her fourth novel,Black/on/Black , was published by Baen in February 1999, and a sequel is currently in the works. Her first three novels,The Imperium Game ,Moonspeaker , andHouse of Moons will be reprinted by Hawk Publishing, Summer, 2000.

Leslie Whathas published over forty short stories and many nonfiction feature articles and columns. Her work has been featured in a variety of magazines, includingThe Writer, Amazing Stories, Hysteria, Asimov's, andThe MacGuffin , as well as in several anthologies. She has recently completed a comic novel and is at work on another. With Nina Kiriki Hoffman, she is the co-director of theWriters On Rugs photography studio. About the story, she writes: " 'Chain of Command' is a complete fabrication, a fanciful collaboration between two like-minded pranksters, and any resemblance to real life has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I'm the mother of two teenagers."

ALSO IN THIS SERIES:.

Chicks in Chainmail edited by Esther Friesner Did You Say Chicks?!

edited by Esther Friesner Chicks and Chained Males edited by Esther Friesner Mathemagicsby Margaret Ball BAEN BOOKS by ESTHER FRIESNER Child of the Eagle Wishing Season