Who is your favorite current sci fi writer, if the net had been in wide use during Wells, Asimov, or Dick’s time would you have written them and if so what would you have asked them? what would you ask current sci fi writers?
I’ve just discovered Connie Willis (winner of 11 Hugos and 7 Nebulas), and am enjoying her novels immensely.
So many to choose from. If I were picking pure hard SF, then it’s Jack McDevitt. There’s also Ken Liu, whose short stories are amazing. If you’re willing to deal with fantasy, it’s clearly A. Lee Martinez.
Usually, I’m asking them what panel they want to be on at Albacon. Occasionally, it’s something about the business of writing.
What I’d really like to ask one is if they could accept the Hugo or Nebula Award for me, but that’s not likely. 
Hi Guys,
Thanks for the posts, I would probably ask about AI and what the definition of a human is in 50 years, or let’s say a popular sci fi writer cloned himself, when his human body dies who gets the copyrights, the clone or the children? find those questions cool plus. Would love to ask jazz like that.
although 11 Hugos and 7 Nebulas is nothing to laugh at.
I love Connie Willis, and really enjoyed her last two books, although sometimes I was confused about who was where in time.
Jack McDevitt’s “Omega” and Vernor Vinge’s “A Deepness in the Sky” are, in my opinion, the best two “first contact” novels ever written. The complement each other wonderfully, and should hold a place of honor in any hard sf fan’s bookshelf.
That said…is McDevitt still writing? I had the impression he’d retired from the game. (But talk about going out while at the top!)
(Is Vernor Vinge still writing? The last of his I saw was “Rainbows End.” Lovely story, but, ouch, cringeworthy in places!)
it’s funny, when i stand in front of the sf section in the book store I have never picked up Willis, I will now.
He had a new book out last year (StarHawk) and another one scheduled for November this year (Coming Home) so I’d say the answer is yes, he’s still writing.
Yay! McDevitt is not only a heck of a good writer, he’s also really cool in person, pure gentleman, all the way. (Ditto for Vinge.)
John Ringo is my current favorite writer.
Charles Stossl, Chris Nuttall and James S. A. Corey are names worth knowing.
He only writes short stories and novellas, and not too often, but just about everything Ted Chiang has written is fantastic. Out of 14 works, 6 have gotten either a Hugo, a Nebula, or both.
Ann Leckie. She only has one novel out so far, but Ancillary Justice won the 2014 Hugo Award for Best Novel as well as the Nebula Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the BSFA Award.
That book still has my head swimming especially with the sexuality issues. That’s not to say there’s a lot of sex described in the book.
Ancillary Sword is due out in October.
Should you have Connie Willis questions, I will try to ask her.
Last year at MileHiCon, I was standing around the booth (I have a bookstore that specializes in F&SF, especially Pratchett, and I do the dealer’s room at the Con every year) and a lady comes in and says “I see you have a copy of ‘Doomsday’…would you like me to sign it?” I gasp and say “I didn’t even know you were here!” and she said that she always comes to the Con.
So I suspect she will be there again this year (October 24-26) and I hope she will come in to the dealer’s room again.
Thanks for that! Leckie is now on my wish list! And I got a birthday coming up!
I second this. Chaing is amazing, but since he doesn’t write novels, it’s harder to find his work.
He might make some nice money selling them on Amazon for two bucks a pop if they are that good.
Lois McMaster Bujold
I like Alan Steele a lot.
Robert J. Sawyer is another favorite. A lot of sf writers get the science right, a lot do characterization right. Sawyer is that rare writer who does both at once. And, as a bonus, he’s a trekkie and almost always throws a Trek reference or two into every novel.