Anne McCaffrey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 1, 1926, which she considers an auspicious date. She is a well-known author of over 50 books, mostly science fiction, and has won the coveted Hugo Award for science fiction. McCaffrey has been a writer from the time she was a child. She was educated at Radcliffe College where she graduated cum laude with a degree in Slavonic languages. She worked in advertising for Helena Rubenstein from 1947 to 1952. McCaffrey has also studied voice and, at one time, sang opera. Her first publication was a short story in Science Fiction Magazine, and Ballantine Books published her first novel, "Restoree," in 1967. The book was unique in its portrayal of a woman as the main character in a science fiction novel, a genre known for its masculine heroes. McCaffrey was the first to introduce themes of romance into the genre as well. Anne McCaffrey is best known for her "Dragonriders of Pern" series, which consists of 14 books, and the "Ship Who Sang" series. She has also written books under the pseudonym Jody Lynn. McCaffrey is divorced, has three grown children, and now lives in Ireland.