Female Fantasy Authors, November 2012

In 1984, Andre Norton was named the first woman to receive the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America. And she deserved it. Publishing her first novel, The Prince Commands, in 1934, Norton would take on the world -- after changing her name from Alice to Andre, of course. She was a writer of open spaces as opposed to cityscapes and her characters were often witty and independent. 1965's Year of the Unicorn would see Norton utilize a rare idea -- a female protagonist. With 27 different series to her name, Norton truly defined the term Trailblazer, and left an indelible mark on generations of readers and writers.