A.C. Crispin | Science fiction writer, 63

A.C. Crispin, 63, a science fiction author who wrote popular tie-in novels to

Star Trek

and

Star Wars

and helped run the online watchdog Writer Beware that alerted authors to literary scams, has died.

Ms. Crispin died of cancer Friday, according to an announcement on the website of the publisher Tor Books and on the site for Writer Beware.

Starting in 1983, Ann Carol Crispin wrote more than 20 novels, many based on movies and TV series, including Star Trek, Star Wars, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Other novels by Ms. Crispin included Storms of Destiny, Sylvester, and an original series, Starbridge.

In 1998, Ms. Crispin and Victoria Strauss founded Writer Beware, which provides warnings about everything from poetry contests to vanity presses.
- AP