Book or Interview novelist and technologist

(Printer-friendly pdf version of this Press Kit.)

Before taking the plunge in 2004 into full-time writing, technologist turned author Edward M. Lerner spent thirty years in high tech at every level from engineer to senior vice president. Many novels later, he’s glad (and still just a bit surprised) that he leapt.

Edward M. Lerner at Noreascon 4 (Worldcon 2004) Photo by Michael Benveniste

He worked at such techie havens as Bell Labs, Hughes Aircraft, and Northrop Grumman—and at a long-gone start-up of which you’ve likely never heard. He delivered high-tech products and systems to government agencies (including NASA, the FBI, and the Defense Department) and commercial customers as varied as AT&T and McDonald’s. Along the way, he visited a satellite factory, flew the space-shuttle training simulator, wandered about the space-station trainer, and watched a space-shuttle launch. Sooner or later, all that experience shows up in his fiction.

Lerner’s novels run the gamut from technothrillers like Energized (solar-power satellites), Small Miracles (medical nanotech), and Fools’ Experiments (AI) to traditional science fiction, like Dark Secret and his InterstellarNet series, to (with NY Times bestselling author Larry Niven) the space epic Fleet of Worlds series. Ed’s fiction has been nominated for Hugo, Prometheus, and Locus awards, and won the inaugural Canopus Award.

Ed’s short fiction has appeared in major science fiction magazines, anthologies, and collections. His short story “Grandpa?” became the award-winning short film “The Grandfather Paradox.”

He writes nonfiction as well, most notably Trope-ing the Light Fantastic: The Science Behind the Fiction. He also teaches the occasional writing class, blogs regularly on the state of science and SF, and has spoken at, among venues, the Library of Congress and the US Naval Academy. His fiction has been translated into ten languages.

The varied career(s) didn’t just happen: Ed’s education is almost as eclectic, with degrees in physics, computer science, and business.

Lerner is a member of the Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and SIGMA (not an acronym, and sometimes known as “The Science Fiction Think Tank”).

Lerner was born in Chicago, has lived in Illinois, New Jersey, and New York. He now resides in Virginia. His blog, SF and Nonsense, can be found at https://blog.edwardmlerner.com/.

Contact information:

For a bibliography, book covers, reviews, past interviews, and more, visit Ed’s website at https://edwardmlerner.com.

To book an interview or appearance, contact Ed directly at eml@edwardmlerner.com.

For literary-rights inquiries concerning only the Fleet of Worlds series, contact Eleanor Wood of Spectrum Literary
Agency at eleanor@spectrumliteraryagency.com.

For all other literary-rights inquiries, contact Ed directly at eml@edwardmlerner.com.

For dramatic-rights inquiries, contact Vince Gerardis of Startling, Inc. at vincegerardis@gmail.com.