Andy Weir
Andy Weir | |
|---|---|
| File:Andyweir.jpg | |
| Born | June 16, 1972[1] Davis, California[2] |
| Pen name | Jack Sharp[3] |
| Occupation | Novelist, Programmer |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | UC San Diego |
| Period | 2013–present |
| Genre | Science Fiction |
| Website | |
| www | |
Andy Weir is an American novelist best known for his debut novel The Martian.
Early life
Weir was born and raised in California. His father is a particle physicist, and Weir grew up reading classic science fiction such as the works of Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov.[2] At the age of 15, he began working as a computer programmer for Sandia National Laboratories.[4] He studied computer science at UC San Diego, although he did not graduate. He worked as a programmer for several software companies, including AOL and Blizzard, where he worked on Warcraft 2.[2][5]
Writing
Weir began writing science fiction in his 20s and published work on his website for years. His first work to gain significant attention was "The Egg", a short story that has been adapted into a number of YouTube videos and a one-act play.[2][6]
Weir is best known for his first novel The Martian. He wrote the book to be as scientifically accurate as possible and his writing included extensive research into orbital mechanics, conditions on Mars, the history of manned spaceflight, and botany.[5] Originally published as a free serial on his website, some readers requested he make it available on Kindle. First sold for 99 cents, the novel made it to the Kindle bestsellers list. Weir was then approached by a literary agent and sold the rights to the book to Crown Publishing Group. The print version of the novel debuted at #12 on The New York Times bestseller list.[7] The Wall Street Journal called the novel "the best pure sci-fi novel in years".[8] It has been made into a film set for a 2015 release.[5]
Weir is working on his fourth novel initially titled Zhek. He describes it as "a more traditional sci-fi novel. It has aliens, telepathy, faster-than-light travel, etc."[9]
Personal life
Andy is currently single and lives in Mountain View, California. He has a deep fear of flying, and has not been on an airplane since 2007.[10] Weir has stated that he is agnostic. He considers himself to be a fiscally conservative social liberal, and tries to keep his political views out of his writing.[11]
References
- ^ "California Birth Index".
- ^ a b c d Rowe, Georgia (10 March 2014). "Andy Weir's self-published 'The Martian' travels through space to best-sellerdom". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ^ "philosophical 4chan". Reddit. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "The Martian". Skepticality. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^ a b c Altar, Alexandra (14 February 2014). "A Survival Guide to Mars". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ^ Moran, Rita (10 January 2013). "Moorpark College students write, direct and stage five intriguing one-acts". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ^ "Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ^ Shippey, Tom (7 February 2014). "Book Review: 'The Martian' by Andy Weir". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ^ "I am Andy Weir, author of "The Martian", soon to be a major motion picture. AMA!". Reddit. January 2015.
- ^ Vilkomerson, Sara. "Andy Weir on his strange journey from self-publishing to Hollywood". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "I am Andy Weir, and I wrote "The Egg". AMA". Reddit. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
External links
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