Samantha Mills (author)

Last updated
Samantha Mills
BornCalifornia, U.S.
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • short story writer
  • archivist
Alma mater University of California, Santa Cruz
San Jose State University
Genre Science fiction, fantasy
Notable awards Locus - Short Story (2023)
Theodore Sturgeon (2023)
Hugo - Short Story (2023)
Nebula - Short Story (2023)
Website
samtasticbooks.com

Samantha Mills is an American author and archivist. She received numerous awards for her short story "Rabbit Test," praise for her debut novel, and her other short stories have been longlisted for several science fiction and fantasy awards.

Contents

Early life and education

Mills grew up in Southern California. [1] According to Mills, she wrote her first short story, “What Hapend March Ninth!!” at seven years old after her sister threw a rock at her during a water fight. She continued reading and writing throughout her childhood. [2]

Mills earned a B.A. in Pre- and Early Modern Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Master's in Information and Library Science from San Jose State University. [1] She works part-time as an archivist specializing in managing primary documents for local Southern California institutions. [3]

Career

Short stories

In 2018, Mills published her first science fiction short story: "The Gestational Cycle of Flies in a Cupboard" in Lamplight Magazine. [4] She has since published science fiction and fantasy short stories in various magazines and podcasts. [3] By 2020, she had one work longlisted for the BSFA Best Shorter Fiction Award, and had two stories placed on Locus's Recommended Reading list. [5] [6] [7]

"Rabbit Test" was published online in 2022 via Uncanny Magazine , Issue #49. It tells the story of Grace, and later her daughter Olivia, living in a near-future society where women's rights are limited and pregnancies are heavily monitored, with abortions made illegal. Reviewer Lis Carey described the story as powerful but dark, providing readers with a useful history of pregnancy tests and abortion. [8] Reviewer Niall Harrison described it as an "incandescent" response to Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. [9]

"Rabbit Test" awards

"Rabbit Test" won the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Theodore Sturgeon awards for Best Short Story. [9] However, in January 2024 there was a large controversy over the 2023 Hugo Award nomination process, when internal documents were released showing that Worldcon leaders had decided to censor certain authors by excluding them from the nomination process. [10] In response to these allegations, Mills wrote a blogpost titled "'Rabbit Test' unwins the Hugo," explaining the situation and stating that she couldn't truly feel she was a Hugo winner, so she was removing all references to the award from her media presence. [11] [4]

The Wings Upon Her Back

Mills published her first novel, The Wings Upon Her Back, in 2024. The science fiction tale focuses on the war-torn city of Radezhda, where five different sects serve five gods with varying occupations. [12] The narrative alternates between two points in Winged Zemolai's life: as a youth, training to be a warrior under the powerful Winged Vodaya, and as an adult, disgraced and indecisive. The relationship between Zemolai and Vodaya is a key tension throughout the book. [13] One critic praised the book's consideration of the impacts of abuse and its focus on female and non-binary protagonists. [14]

Mills began writing the novel The Wings Upon Her Back in 2017. She initially planned it as an action fantasy but added themes of fascism and strongmen politics into the book, inspired by the themes she saw in U.S. politics at the time. Mills revised the book repeatedly to strengthen these themes. [3] The book was published by Tachyon Publications. [12] Upon release, critics received the book with universal acclaim. [15] Critics praised the examination of the consequences of Zemolai's choices and the complex impacts of fascism and religious zealotry. [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

In an May 8, 2024 interview, Mills stated that she was working on a new fantasy novel, nicknamed The Secret Sea Monster WIP. [21]

Selected works

Novels

Short stories

Awards

YearWork (if applicable)Award or NominationRef
2018"Strange Waters" BSFA Best Shorter Fiction (longlist) [5]
2019"Adrianna in Pomegranate"2019 Locus Recommended Reading List [6]
2020"Kiki Hernández Beats the Devil"2020 Locus Recommended Reading List [7]
2022 "Rabbit Test" Nebula Award for Best Short Story [25]
Locus Award for Best Short Story [26]
Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award [27]
Hugo Award for Best Short Story (see note above) [28]
BSFA Best Shorter Fiction (longlist) [29]

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References

  1. 1 2 Mills, Samantha (18 August 2017). "Bio". SAMANTHA MILLS. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  2. ↑ Mills, Samantha (2017-01-29). ""what hapend march ninth!!"". SAMANTHA MILLS. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  3. 1 2 3 Chang, Myna (2024-03-29). "In Glorious Tones of Copper:An Interview with Samantha Mills". Uncharted. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  4. 1 2 3 "Mills, Samantha". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  5. 1 2 "BSFA Awards Longlist". Vector - From the British Science Fiction Association. 2019-01-16. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  6. 1 2 "2019 Locus Recommended Reading List". Locus Online. 2020-02-01. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  7. 1 2 "2020 Locus Recommended Reading List". Locus Online. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  8. ↑ Glyer, Mike (2023-09-13). "Lis Carey Review: Samantha Mills' "Rabbit Test"". File 770. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  9. 1 2 Harrison, Niall (2023-09-21). "The Year's Best Is Dead, Long Live the Year's Best: On the 2023 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award Finalists". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  10. ↑ Stewart, Sophia (2024-02-01). "Resignations, Censures Follow in Wake of Hugo Awards Controversy". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  11. ↑ ""Rabbit Test" unwins the Hugo". SAMANTHA MILLS. 2024-02-18. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  12. 1 2 3 "The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills". Publishers Weekly. 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  13. ↑ "Gary K. Wolfe Reviews The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills". Locus Online. 2024-05-18. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  14. ↑ Tongue, Zoe L. (2024-04-22). "A Tale of Abuse, Fascism, and Rebellion: Review of The Wings Upon Her Back". Ancillary Review of Books. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  15. ↑ Giltz, Michael (2024-04-23). "Best New Book Releases This Week: April 23-29, 2024". Parade. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  16. ↑ Rabe, Kristen (2024-03-01). "The Wings Upon Her Back". Foreword. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  17. ↑ Collins, Adrian (2024-04-01). "REVIEW: The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills". Grimdark Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  18. ↑ "THE WINGS UPON HER BACK". Kirkus Reviews. 2024-04-05.
  19. ↑ Samantha, Mills. "The Wings Upon Her Back". Library Journal. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  20. ↑ Bennet, Raychel (2024-02-15). "The Wings upon Her Back". Booklist. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  21. ↑ Garnier, Jean-Paul L. (2024-05-08). "Interview with Samantha Mills". Vector: From the British Science Fiction Association. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  22. ↑ "August 2023 Reading Group – Re-Trace / Re-Wire – London Science Fiction Research Community". 2023-08-06. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  23. ↑ Drud, Jakob (2020-09-22). "Read a Few Issues – Deep Magic – Science Fiction and Fantasy Author Jakob Drud" . Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  24. ↑ Mills, Samantha (2022-11-01). "Rabbit Test". Uncanny Magazine (49).
  25. ↑ "SFWA Announces the Winners of the 58th Annual Nebula Awards". The Nebula Awards®. 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  26. ↑ "2023 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. 2023-06-25. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  27. ↑ "Mills Wins Sturgeon". Locus Online. 2023-08-25. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  28. ↑ "2023 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Award. 2023-07-06. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  29. ↑ "THE BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION ASSOCIATION AWARDS". BSFA - British Science Fiction Association. Archived from the original on 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
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