Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite fantasy authors. She creates a vivid and rich environment, one that you can easily immerse yourself into. I have yet to read a novel or short story of hers that I don’t like. She writes all types of stories in all different worlds, and she writes in a descriptive language that only helps to describe, not lose the reader. She writes in worlds with fairy tales, mages, vampires, and mythical beings. Her characters are believable and when I finish a novel, I’m always longing to find out more on what happens with the characters. Her characters are relatable and always seem to strike a chord in some way.

Mercedes Lackey, also known as Misty, was born in 1950, and she is a prolific American author. She has written over 70 novels and short stories, and she has also done several collaborations with people such as her husband, Larry Dixon, and writers Andre Norton, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Piers Anthony. She began writing while in college at Purdue University and her desire to write only grew from there. She started by submitting her short stories to fanzines and then, with the help of mentors, began work on her first novel. She started working as a computer programmer and later, instead of writing just for fun, she decided to write full time for her career. Today, she has an impressive list of credits to her name. She has many stand-alone works, and she writes the series Heralds of Valdemar, Elemental Masters, Bardic Voices, Serrated Edge, Bedlam’s Bard, the Halfblood Chronicles, and the 500 Kingdoms. She has been nominated three times for the Lambda Literary Award, winning in 1991 for Magic’s Price.

Misty and her husband live in Oklahoma. She has done a lot of work in wildlife and raptor rehabilitation and educates people on the work this entails. She is also active in the filking community (music community related to SF/Fantasy), and she has won 5 Pegasus awards for her songwriting. She has written and recorded almost 50 songs. She also supports The Alex Foundation, a foundation that does research on animal cognizance with African Grey Parrots. She also creates jewelry to be sold for this charity. Misty also likes creating dolls that resemble her characters, then donating them to charity auctions. She reaches out to her fans when she can and genuinely cares about them. When she had received death threats in the past, Misty’s greatest concern was not for herself or her husband, but that a fan would be harmed (ie, at a book signing). She is truly a remarkable author and woman.