Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Bear studied English and anthropology at the University of Connecticut but did not graduate. She worked as a technical writer, stable hand, reporter and held various office jobs. She sold a few stories in the 1990s and began writing seriously in 2001.[2]
Bear's first novel, Hammered, was published in January 2005 and was followed by Scardown in July and Worldwired in November of the same year. The trilogy features Canadian Master Warrant Officer Jenny Casey, who is also the main character in the short story "Gone to Flowers". Hammered won the Locus Award for Best First Novel in 2006.
The Chains That You Refuse, a collection of her short fiction, was published May 2006 by Night Shade Books. Blood and Iron, the first book in the fantasy series entitled "The Promethean Age", debuted June 27, 2006. She is also a coauthor of the ongoing Shadow Unit website/pseudo-TV series.
In 2008, she donated her archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.[3]
The opening quote in Criminal Minds episode "Lauren" (6.18) was a direct quote of the second and third lines of Bear's book Seven for a Secret: "The secret to lying is to believe with all your heart. That goes for lying to yourself even more than lying to another."
She is one of the regular panelists on podcast SF Squeecast, which won the 2012 and 2013 Hugo Awards for "Best Fancast".[4]
^"2009 Hugo Awards". www.locusmag.com. 2009-08-09. Archived from the original on 2009-03-26.
^"Locus Online: Elizabeth Bear interview excerpts". Locus: The Magazine of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Field. April 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-04-25. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
^"Elizabeth Bear - Award Bibliography". www.isfdb.org.
^"Scott Lynch and Elizabeth Bear got married!". Gentlemen Bastards. October 10, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
^Pixel Scroll 9/3/21 "If It Doesn’t Scroll Naturally, File It", by Mike Glyer, at File 770; published September 3, 2021; retrieved October 6, 2021
^"Elizabeth Bear One Eyed Jack cover art and synopsis reveal". Upcoming4.me. May 2, 2013. Archived from the original on May 5, 2013. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
^"Elizabeth Bear - Steles of the Sky cover art and synopsis reveal". Upcoming4.me. July 8, 2013. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
^Martin, George R. R. (June 19, 2014). "Not A Blog: Venus In March". GRRM.livejournal.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
^Newitz, Annalee (May 6, 2008). "Environmental Fascists Fight Gun-Loving Lesbians for Alien Technology". io9. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
^ abcdef"Elizabeth Bear". The Locus Index to SF Awards. Locus Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-08-29. Retrieved 2013-10-02.