Vivian Shaw is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

writer.

Literary career

Shaw is known for her critically acclaimed trilogy of novels about the fictional doctor Greta Helsing, who has a clinic in London for special-needs clients with supernatural abilities. Shaw's first novel, ''Strange Practice'', was listed by the

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

Book Concierge as one of the Best Books of 2017. In the sequel, ''Dreadful Company'', Greta Helsing travels to Paris. ''Dreadful Company'' appeared on the 2018 ''

Locus Locus (plural loci) is Latin for "place". It may refer to: Mathematics and science * Locus (mathematics), the set of points satisfying a particular condition, often forming a curve * Root locus analysis, a diagram visualizing the position of r ...

'' recommended reading list. In the third book, ''Grave Importance'', Greta Helsing temporarily directs an exclusive

mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and Organ (biology), organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to Chemical substance, chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the ...

spa near

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

Literary influences

''Strange Practice'' and its sequels reference many characters from classic

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

literature, including Lord Ruthven,

Sir Francis Varney ''Varney the Vampire; or, the Feast of Blood'' is a Victorian-era serialized gothic horror Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the ...

, and

Abraham Van Helsing Professor Abraham Van Helsing () is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula'' written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the ...

. In an interview with the journalist

Liz Bourke Liz is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God's Promise". It is also a short form of Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Lisbeth, Lizanne, Liszbeth, Lizbeth, Lizabeth, Lyzbeth, Lisa, Lizette, Alyssa, and Eliza. People * Liz Allan (cricketer) (born 194 ...

, Shaw stated that she once wished to be a doctor like her protagonist, and reads medical textbooks for fun.

Bibliography

*''The Helios Syndrome'' (2023)

Greta Helsing series

#''Strange Practice'' (2017) #''Dreadful Company'' (2018) #''Grave Importance'' (2019) #''Bitter Waters'' (2024)

Short fiction

*"The Utmost Bound" (2018) *"Black Matter" (2019) *"Transference" (2022)

Personal life

Shaw was born in Kenya, and lived in the United Kingdom before moving to the United States at age of seven. She received a B.A. in Art History from

St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in St. Mary's City, Maryland.Maryland State Archives, Online Manual, "St. Mary's College Of Maryland: Origin & Fun ...

in 2002, and M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts from the

University of Baltimore The University of Baltimore (UBalt, UB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is part of the University System of Maryland. UBalt consists of four colleges in applied arts and sciences, Robert G. Merrick School of Bu ...

in 2013. She and her wife, fellow author

Arkady Martine AnnaLinden Weller, better known under her pen name Arkady Martine (born April 19, 1985), is an American author of science fiction literature. Her first novels '' A Memory Called Empire'' (2019) and '' A Desolation Called Peace'' (2021), which for ...

, lived initially in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

and as of 2020 live in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

. She also is a freelance editor and graphic designer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Vivian American lesbian writers American LGBTQ novelists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Santa Fe, New Mexico St. Mary's College of Maryland alumni University of Baltimore alumni 21st-century American women writers Lesbian novelists