Sydney J. Van Scyoc

Sydney J. Van Scyoc was an American science fiction writer. Her first published story was "Shatter the Wall" in Galaxy in 1962. She continued to write short stories throughout the 1960s and in 1971, published her first novel, Saltflower. Other novels followed until 1992, when she abandoned writing to make and sell jewelry. Gordon Van Gelder, editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction published her first story in more than 20 years in the December 2004 issue. He stated in an introduction to the story that: "in June 1992, after years of writing fiction, she became obsessed with jewelry making and spent a decade selling earrings and bracelets in the San Francisco Bay area. Last year she retired from that trade and now spends most of her time gardening and conferring with her cats...and, yes, writing again." Van Gelder would publish one more story in the December 2005 issue of his magazine and at that time stated in the introduction: "Joyce Van Scyoc lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and spends all summer gardening until the October rains drive her inside."