SB Divya

I am born of one country, raised in another, of middling age, partnered, and childed. My gender doesn’t conform to normative standards. I studied science, worked in engineering, love math, play with language, and make art. I write stories - mostly science fiction - and sometimes I'm lucky enough to get paid for it. I worked for over 20 years as an electrical engineer in various fields including pattern recognition, machine intelligence, high speed communications, digital music, and medical devices.

I am currently disabled due to ME/CFS as a result of Long Covid. In my previous life, I liked to bike, hike, snowboard, and scuba dive. I still love travel and wilderness, though both are hard on my body. I have been a DJ, an oil painter, and a bharathanatyam dancer. I listen to everything from jazz to heavy metal to classical to electronica. I love to read, especially science fiction and fantasy. I also read nonfiction, often philosophical or scientific, the occasional piece of classic literature, and even more rarely, contemporary fiction.

My passion for science fiction began at the age of 9 years old, when my school librarian handed me a copy of “The Green Book” by Jill Patton Walsh. I wrote my first short story a few years later, inspired by an assignment in my eighth grade English class. After I began college at Caltech, I took a long hiatus from writing to focus on science and engineering, but in 2013, my interest rekindled, and I decided to write again with an eye toward publication. I was very fortunate with some early successes, and although the journey has been nonlinear, I continue to be humbled and honored that I’m able to inspire and entertain with my stories.