Pat Cadigan

**Patricia Oren Kearney Cadigan** (born September 10, 1953) is an American science fiction author. Her work is part of the cyberpunk movement. Her novels and short stories all share a common theme of exploring the relationship between the human mind and technology.

## Life and early work

She was born in Schenectady, New York, and grew up in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Cadigan was a student at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Kansas. She studied with James Gunn at Kansas and graduated in 1975. That same year Cadigan joined the convention committee for MidAmeriCon, the 34th World Science Fiction Convention being held in Kansas City, Missouri over Labor Day weekend 1976. Her job as a committee member was to help guest of honor Robert A. Heinlein.

She also worked for fantasy writer Tom Reamy at his Nickelodeon Graphics typesetting and graphic design business. Reamy died in 1977 and Cadigan went to work as a writer for Kansas City's Hallmark Cards. She went to live in England with her son Bob Fenner in 1996. She is now married there to her third husband.

## Writing

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was a magazine editor. She worked on small press fantasy and science fiction magazines called _Chacal_ and_ Shayol_ with her second husband, Arnie Fenner. Cadigan sold her first professional science fiction story in 1980. She became a full-time writer in 1987.

Cadigan's first novel was _Mindplayers_. It introduced a common theme in her writing. Her stories make the human mind a real place where people can go and do things. What is real becomes unclear.

Cadigan has won several awards, including: Nebula Award for Best Short Story in 1986; the Philip K. Dick Award in 1987 for _Mindplayers_; the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1991; the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1992 and 1995 for her novels _Synners_ and _Fools_.

## Other writers

Robert A. Heinlein had become her friend after she helped him when he was a guest at the 34th Worldcon in Kansas City. He partly dedicated his novel _Friday_ to her.

## Childhood fantasies

In the 1960s, Cadigan and a childhood girlfriend "invented a whole secret life in which we were twins from the planet Venus," she told National Public Radio. The Beatles asked "us for advice about their songs" and help being famous, Cadigan says. In this fantasy, sometimes the girls would shape-shift to become The Beatles and finish recording songs or playing concerts for them. As Venusian twins, Cadigan said they had other superpowers too. Sometimes they would help Superman, Wonder Woman and other heroes, she said.

## Original novels

- _Mindplayers_ (1987)
- _Synners_ (1991)
- _Fools_ (1992)
- _Tea from an Empty Cup_ (1998)
- _Dervish is Digital_ (2001)

## Books from movies

- _The Making of Lost in Space_ (1998) (book on the making of the movie _Lost in Space_)
- _Resurrecting the Mummy: The Making of the Movie_ (1999) (book on the making of the movie _The Mummy_)
- _Lost in Space: Promised Land_ (1999) (spinoff novelisation from the movie _Lost in Space_)
- _Cellular_ (2004) (novelization of the movie _Cellular_)
- _Jason X_ (2004) (novelization of the movie _Jason X_)
- _Jason X: The Experiment_ (2005)

## Short-story collections

- _Patterns_ (1989)
- _Dirty Work_ (1993)
- _Home By The Sea_ (1993)
- _Letters From Home_ (1991)

One of her early stories appeared in _Rock On_ (1981).

## Infobox (writer)

- **name**: Pat Cadigan
- **image**: Pat Cadigan.jpg
- **caption**: Pat Cadigan at the 2007 World Fantasy Convention
- **nationality**: United States
- **alma mater**: University of Massachusetts, University of Kansas
- **genre**: science fiction, cyberpunk
- **notableworks**: _Synners_, _Fools (novel), Fools_