Evelyn E. Smith

Evelyn E. Smith (1922-2000) was an American science fiction writer, mystery novelist, and compiler of crossword puzzles. She began publishing short fiction in the early 1950s, appearing regularly through the decade in magazines such as Galaxy Science Fiction and Fantastic Universe, and wrote gothic romances, some with supernatural elements, under the pen name Delphine C. Lyons. Her science fiction, often satirical, includes the novel The Perfect Planet, set on a former health farm turned into a utopia run by women, and the later, more ambitious Unpopular Planet, framed as a memoir from an overpopulated, dystopian Earth. Later in her career she turned to mystery fiction, writing the Miss Melville series, including Miss Melville Returns and Miss Melville's Revenge. Selections of her short fiction were collected posthumously, keeping her work available to new readers.