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J. A. Lawrence

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Judith Ann Lawrence
BornJudith Ann Lawrence
(1934-12-14)December 14, 1934(age 89)
New York City, US
Pen nameJ. A. Lawrence, Judy Blish
GenreScience fiction
Years active1968–2009
Spouse
​
(m.1964)​
[1]

Judith Ann Blish(néeLawrence;born December 14, 1934)[2]is an American sketch artist and short fiction writer, known professionally asJudith L. Blish,Judy Blish,andJ. A. Lawrence.From 1967 to 1978, she co-wrote a sequence of short story adaptations based on episodes ofStar Trekwith her husband,James Blish.

Since 1975, Lawrence has been active in preserving and promoting her husband's work.[citation needed]

Early life

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Lawrence was born on December 14, 1934, to pulp-fiction writers Jack Lawrence and Muriel Bodkin.[2][3]

She and James Blish met sometime after his divorce fromVirginia Kidd,in 1963. Lawrence and Blish married in November 1964.[1]In 1968, she and Blish moved toOxford,England. Her mother followed sometime later.[3]

After her husband's death, in 1975, Lawrence spent considerable time in Athens, Greece. She settled there permanently in 1977.[4]

Career

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Lawrence illustrated the covers to editions ofBlack EasterandThe Day After Judgment.She also sketched the cover ofFugue for a Darkening IslandbyChristopher Priest.She contributed two covers to theKalki: Studies in James Branch Cabellfanzine, for which she served as Art Director from 1967 to 1971.[5]Lawrence created the cover for the April 1972 issue ofThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.[6][7]Lawrence's short fiction was regularly published byGalaxy Science Fiction,and was included in several short-fiction anthologies.

In 1975, James Blish was unable to complete his commission to adaptStar Trekepisodes for Bantam Books. Lawrence completed the adaptations which were published in 1977. Lawrence and her mother, Muriel, had contributed to Blish'sStar Trekadaptations since 1972.[8]However, Lawrence was not credited untilStar Trek 12(1977).[9]The last volume in the series,Mudd's Angels,was released in 1978. It included two episode adaptations credited to James Blish that featured the popularHarry Muddcharacter. Included was an original novella by Lawrence,The Business, as Usual, During Altercations.In the introduction toMudd's Angels,it is stated Blish left the adaptations incomplete and Lawrence "finished them."

Further information:Star Trek (Bantam Books) § Episode novelizations

Bibliography

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Cover art and illustrations

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  • Black Easter(September 1969), by James Blish. Doubleday.
  • Kalki: Studies in James Branch Cabell,Vol. II, No. 4(a) (1968).
  • The Vanished Jet(1968), by James Blish. Weybright & Talley.
  • Kalki: Studies in James Branch Cabell,Vol. V, No. 2 (1971).
  • The Day After Judgment(January 1971), by James Blish. Doubleday.
  • Fugue for a Darkening Island(21 February 1972), by Christopher Priest.Faber and FaberISBN0-571-09794-4.
  • The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction,Vol 42, No. 4 (Apr 1972).
  • Jack of Eagles(18 June 1973), by James Blish.Faber and FaberISBN0-571-10276-X.

Short fiction

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Star Trek(1977–78)

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References

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  1. ^abOlendorf, Donna, ed. (October 1981). "BLISH, James (Benjamin) 1921–1975".Something About the Author.Vol. 66. Detroit, Michigan:Gale Research, Inc.p. 21.ISBN9780810322769.ISSN0276-816X.
  2. ^ab"Petition for Naturalization by Muriel Bodkin Lawrence on behalf of John Lawrence" (1942-03-30). Naturalization Records, ID: 232758. Waltham, Massachusetts: National Archives at Boston.
  3. ^abHanley, Terence E. (January 18, 2019)."Muriel Cameron Bodkin (1903-1994)".Tellers of Weird Tales.RetrievedMarch 2,2020– viaBlogspot.
  4. ^Ayers, Jeff (July 30, 2010). "Read Long and Prosper". In Goldberg, Lee (ed.).Tied In.Calabasas, California: International Association of Media Tie-In Writers (published July 30, 2010). p. 169.ISBN9781453716106.
  5. ^"Kalki Issues: Tables of Contents".The Silver Stallion: The James Branch Cabell Website.RetrievedJune 17,2021.
  6. ^"Summary Bibliography: J. A. Lawrence".ISFDB.RetrievedDecember 16,2016.
  7. ^"Lawrence, J A".The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.March 4, 2016.RetrievedDecember 16,2016.
  8. ^Ayers, Jeff (November 14, 2006).Voyages of Imagination: The Star Trek Fiction Companion.New York:Pocket Books.p. 9.ISBN9781416503491.
  9. ^Ketterer, David (September 1987).Imprisoned in a Tesseract: The Life and Work of James Blish.Kent, Ohio:Kent State University Press.p. 25.ISBN9780873383349.
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