Connie Willis is an American author born on December 31, 1945 in Denver, Colorado. After graduating high school, she attended Colorado State College to study English and elementary education. Her first foray into the literary world began with her short story The Secret of Santa Titicaca, which was published in The Worlds of Fantasy magazine. While writing short stories, Willis taught middle school students to support herself. However, after she released her first novel entitled Water Witch, she won a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts that allowed her to become a full-time author.
Willis published the science-fiction book To Say Nothing of the Dog in 1997. Its setting is identical to that of her other published works, including Fire Watch, Doomsday Book, and Blackout. This novel tells the story of Verity Kindle, a professional time traveler in the year 2057. Despite her extensive knowledge of time travel, Kindle makes a grave mistake when she is traveling through the Victorian era. She, with the help of her friend Ned Henry, come together to prevent history from changing.
Upon its publication, To Say Nothing of the Dog received positive reviews from audiences and critics alike for its vivid world-building and enticing plotline. It was ultimately nominated for the 1998 Nebula Award and won the 1999 Hugo and Locus Awards. Connie Willis is still actively publishing science-fiction stories to this day. After To Say Nothing of the Dog, she has released numerous books, including Passage (2001), Inside Job (2005), D.A. (2007), All Seated on the Ground (2007), Blackout (2010), All About Emily (2011), and Crosstalk (2016).
