Mark W. Tiedemann
Mark W. Tiedemann | |
|---|---|
 Tiedemann in 2022 | |
| Born | 1954 (age 69–70) St. Louis,Missouri,U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Clarion Workshop |
| Genres | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Mark W. Tiedemann(born 1954 inSt. Louis, Missouri) is an Americanscience fictionanddetective fictionauthor. He has written novels set inIsaac Asimov'sRobotuniverse,and within his own original universe, known as the Secantis Sequence.[1]
In spring 2005 he was named president of theMissouri Center for the Book,[2]which is the Missouri state adjunct program to theLibrary of CongressCenter for the Book.[3]
Biography
[edit]Born to Henry and Donna Tiedemann,[4]Mark W. Tiedemann grew up an only child. He wrote several short stories, a few of which he submitted to major SF magazines of the day such asGalaxy,Worlds of If,The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction,though none were accepted for publication.[5]
Upon entering high school, he discovered photography, which became his primary career.[5]Writing still attracted his interest though, and in 1978 he completed a novel,Random Factor,though it was never published. He then wrote several more novels. In 1980, he met his future partner, Donna, who encouraged him to pursue his passion for writing. He met with limited success, with three short stories published before 1988, in small press magazines, the most notable of which wasReveleven,published byScott Edelmanin Edelman's magazineLast Wavein 1986. Tiedemann then applied to and was accepted by the Clarion SF Writers Workshop[6]In the summer of 1988, he attended Clarion with instructorsTim Powers,Lisa Goldstein,Samuel R. Delany,Kim Stanley Robinson,Kate Wilhelm,andDamon Knight.That workshop produced writers such asKelley Eskridge,Nicola Griffith,andPeg Kerr,and within a year, Tiedemann began selling short stories. His first major sale wasTargets,sold toGardner Dozois,editor ofAsimov's Science Fiction Magazine.Several more quickly followed.
His next novel,Compass Reach,was shortlisted for thePhilip K. Dick Award.This first in hisSecantis Sequence,the novel approaches an interstellar empire from the perspective of the underclass, the main characters being so-called Freeriders---essentiallyhoboswho stow away on translight ships and maintain a loose but widespread community. The novel deals with questions of class, material wealth, identity boundaries, and control, in the face of an expanding human presence that must deal with truly alien species. The novel ends with the principle polity, the Pan Humana, descending into civil war. The next novel in the series,Metal of Night,deals with that civil war, but from the standpoint of the victims and deals with issues of costs and consequence. The third Secantis novel,Peace and Memory,takes place some 80 years after the civil war and considers questions ofself-determination,identity, and the parameters of appropriate political growth.
These three novels, plus a number of short stories, are constructed in such a way as to offer multiple possibilities for future stories, none of which share common characters, only a common background.Meisha Merlin Publishingpublished the novels.
Another novel,Remains,from BenBella Publishing, is separate from his Secantis universe.Remainsis more of a "planetary romance", the action taking place within the confines of the Solar System. The novel was shortlisted for theJames Tiptree Jr. Awardin 2006.
While working for the independent bookstore Left Bank Books (10 years), he composed the historical novel Granger's Crossing, which is set during the Revolutionary War era in frontier St. Louis. Amphorae Publishing released it in spring of 2023 under their Blank Slate Press imprint.
Upon retiring in 2022, he returned to short fiction, with a string of sales to Analog SF among others.
Bibliography
[edit] |
Novels
[edit]The Secantis Sequence:
- Compass Reach(2001)
- Metal of Night(2002)
- Peace & Memory(2003)
- Other Ways: Three Tales From The Secant(chapbook) (2005)
Isaac Asimov's Robot Mysteryseries:[7]
- Asimov's Mirage(2000)
- Asimov's Chimera(2001)
- Asimov's Aurora(2002)
Terminatorseries:
- Terminator 2: Hour of the Wolf(2004)[8]
Stand-alones:
- Extensions(chapbook) (1999)
- Realtime(2001)
- Of Stars And Shadows(2004)
- Remains(2005)
- Diva(chapbook) (2005)
Short fiction
[edit]- Collections
- Tiedemann, Mark.Gravity box and other stories.Walrus Publishing.[9]
- Tiedemann, Mark.Logic of Departure.Yard Dog Press.[10]
References
[edit]- ^Tiedemann, Mark W. (October 19, 2008). "Ordinary world and underworld collide".St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- ^"Board Members".Missouri Center for the Book.Retrieved2009-01-24.
- ^Henderson, Jane (November 13, 2005). "Author Q&A: Mark W. Tiedemann".St. Louis Post Dispatch.p. F9.
- ^Tiedemann,Chimera
- ^abGifford, Russell (2004)."Interview: Time, Space and Mark Tiedemann".Vision: A Resource for Writers.RetrievedOctober 1,2011.
- ^The Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop
- ^This trilogy is set in the chronology ofIsaac Asimov'sRobotseries,between the novelsThe Robots of DawnandRobots and Empire.
- ^A sequel to theNew John Connor Chroniclestrilogy byRussell Blackford.It is unrelated to the trilogy byS. M. Stirlingor novels byAaron Allston.
- ^Briefly reviewed in the July 2015 issue ofAsimov's Science Fiction,pp.107–111
- ^Tiedemann, Mark (2014).Logic of Departure.Yard Dog Press.ISBN978-1937105617.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1954 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male writers
- 20th-century American novelists
- 20th-century American short story writers
- 21st-century American male writers
- 21st-century American novelists
- 21st-century American short story writers
- American male novelists
- American male short story writers
- American mystery writers
- American science fiction writers
- Chapbook writers
- The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction people
- Novelists from Missouri