Mercedes Lackey:
Born: June 24, 1950, Chicago Illinois.

Lived in Indiana until 1982, then moved to Oklahoma for a computer programming job with American Airlines. Have worked as: short order cook, retail clerk, department store security guard, lab technician, artist's model, computer programmer, public interest survey-taker.

First read my father's science fiction books ( very first one: AGENT OF VEGA by James Schmidt) when I was around 8 or 9. Began raiding the public library at that point, then spent my allowance on books (and still have most of them). Discovered fantasy with Andre Norton's 'Witch World' series. Discovered the SCA and RenFaires in 1975 (simultaneously), and conventions in 1978. Starting filking in 1979.

Began writing seriously in 1982 out of boredom and disillusion with some of the books then on offer. Or, in a variation to that story, discovered when I moved to Oklahoma that the legendary Ray Lafferty had gotten tired of being the only s/f writer in the state and in the 1950s put something in the water to trigger latent s/f writing genes in those who drank it. In any case, started writing shortly after I got here---song-lyrics first, then prose. Thanks to help from CJ Cherryh and Marion Zimmer Bradley broke into pro writing in 1985. Went full-time pro in 1993. Married Larry Dixon in 1992. Cause and effect?

Got into raptor rehab, and psitticines (parrots and cockatoos). Now have a flock of Goffin's cockatoos, African greys, macaws, a blue-streak lory and my beloved Umbrella cockatoo Ikaika. It's never quiet around here. Still doing rator rehab; usually around midsummer you'll find us out in the field playing owl-tossing and hawk-chucking (teaching the youngsters to fly). Favorite local raptors: Barred Owls and American Kestrels. Favorite bird-related charities, The Alex Foundation and the National Bird of Prey Center in Newent, Gloucestershire, UK.

Hobbies: sewing (including costuming dolls), embroidery and cross stitch, beadwork, music (listening, not playing), reading, watching TV that's usually considered of the 'educational' variety. Birds aren't a hobby, they're a passion. Prefer classical, New Age, Celtic and folk music, but will listen to almost anything except Country and Western. Used to scuba dive, haven't had a chance to do so for years. Would like to someday swim with wild dolphins (have done so with captive untrained ones). Have taken auto-racing school and sat second seat with Doc Bundy at Road Atlanta (going around 160 mph average. Wheee!). Would also like to ride second-seat in a fighter-jet. Would like to hitch a ride on the space shuttle, but will settle for being up close at a launch.

Lyn McConchie made her first professional sales in 1991. Since then she has had over 125 of her stories on radio, and in magazines and anthologies across USA, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Including work appearing in DAW theme anthologies CATFANTASTIC III, IV and V, SPACE OPERA, MERLIN and a new work recently sold to XENA: Warrior Princess and she has won six overseas awards for her short fiction.

Lyn has sold a number of novels. Her first book, FARMING DAZE, non-fiction about the amusing incidents on her farm, was published in 1993 in New Zealand and also made into an eight episode radio series broadcast on  National Radio in 1994 and again in '95. Her Witch World collaboration with Andre Norton, THE KEY OF THE KEPLIAN appeared from Warner in mid-1995. 'KEY' made top ten fantasy mass market p/b lists for two of the big book shop chains, was listed by the New York Public library as 'one of the best books for teenagers for 1995', (despite being written and marketed for adults,) It appeared in Poland in 1997, and after more than five years and in fourth printing, continues to sell in America. Lyn's second Witch World book, CIARA'S SONG, appeared from Warner Aspect mid-1998,  continues to sell in America and appeared from AST in Russia this year.

2000 has been an excellent year for Lyn. Her duo of SF novels, BEASTMASTER'S ARK and BEASTMASTER'S CIRCUS (set in Andre Norton's Beastmaster Universe,) were accepted by both Rebis in Poland and TOR BOOKS in America, (the first editions from Tor to appear in hardcover) and one of her NZ publishers, STONE PRESS, has accepted both Lyn's fourth 'Troll' book in her picture book series, and an as yet untitled collection of her genre cat stories to appear late in 2001.

"Responsible for bringing Filking to NZ fandom during an unscheduled programme breakdown at a Dunedin convention (those there will know which one) I have been active in filk fandom in NZ for 15 years.

I am a founding member of Meadow Mushrooms filk group in the 80's and a member of Infilktraitors Ink in late 80's and 90's

An inveterate toter of guitars to more conventions than I care to remember, I have always had fun wherever I have gone.

I look forward to attending the 2001 convention and hope that I can make a useful contribution to whatever Maree and the Committee require me to do..."

(Bwaha ha ha ha ha ... AHEM. - The Committee)

We’d like to get some more New Zealand guests from a variety of fields. If you have a suggestion then we would like to hear about it.

Since this is a New Zealand convention, it would be great to increase the New Zealand connection as much as possible.