Lois McMaster Bujold, born November 2, 1949, is a distinguished American writer known for her significant contributions to speculative fiction. Bujold has garnered critical acclaim, winning the Hugo Award for best novel four times, a feat that matches the record held by Robert A. Heinlein. Her novella The Mountains of Mourning received both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, showcasing her prowess in the genre.

In the realm of fantasy, her work The Curse of Chalion won the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature and was a contender for the 2002 World Fantasy Award for best novel. Bujold's fourth Hugo Award and second Nebula Award were for Paladin of Souls. She was honored with the Skylark Award in 2011, and received Hugo Awards for Best Series in both 2017 and 2018, for the Vorkosigan Saga and the World of the Five Gods respectively. In 2019, the Science Fiction Writers of America named her its 36th SFWA Grand Master, recognizing her extensive contributions to the field.

The majority of Bujold's work consists of three main series: the Vorkosigan Saga, the World of the Five Gods, and the Sharing Knife series. Born the daughter of an engineering professor at Ohio State University, she developed an early interest in science fiction, which has significantly influenced her writing career. She currently resides in Minneapolis and has two grown children. Bujold's work has been translated into over twenty languages, reflecting her global appeal and the universal themes explored in her stories.