Mary Robinette Kowal was the 2008 recipient of the Campbell Award for Best New Writer and a Hugo nominee for her story "Evil Robot Monkey." Her stories have appeared in Strange Horizons, Asimov's, and several Year's Best anthologies. She is the author of Shades of Milk and Honey (Tor 2010), the fantasy novel that Jane Austen might have written. Mary, a professional puppeteer and voice actor, has performed for LazyTown (CBS), the Center for Puppetry Arts, Jim Henson Pictures and founded Other Hand Productions. Her designs have garnered two UNIMA-USA Citations of Excellence, the highest award an American puppeteer can achieve. She also records fiction for authors such as Kage Baker, Cory Doctorow and John Scalzi. She is serving her second term as Secretary of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Mary lives in Portland, OR with her husband Rob and eleven manual typewriters.

It's 1961, and the Moon colony is well established, but tensions are rising on Earth-both from those who see themselves being left behind on a disaster-laden planet, and those who don't believe in equality. But even with personal sacrifices and political tensions, Elma York, the Lady Astronaut, dearly wants to go on the first mission to Mars.

The Second in the Nebula and Locus Award-Winning Series

One large step for humankind...

It's 1961, and the Earth's gaze is turning to Mars. The Moon colony is well established, but tensions are rising on Earth-both from those who see themselves being left behind on a disaster-laden planet, and those who don't believe in equality for all. But even with personal sacrifices and political tensions, Elma York, the Lady Astronaut, dearly wants to go on the first mission to Mars-despite everything that stands in her way.