Merc Fenn Wolfmoor

Merc Fenn Wolfmoor (born June 14, 1986) is a prolific American author of speculative fiction short stories, active in the field since 2007. Their works have been published in a number of magazines and anthologies, including various collections of the year's best stories, and have been finalists for the Otherwise, Locus, and Nebula Awards along with winning the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing in 2025. Some of their early work was published as by Abby Rustad, Abby "Merc" Rustad, or Merc Rustad.

Biography Wolfmoor was born in Minnesota, where they currently reside. They identify as queer, non-binary, and have depression and anxiety; they also believe they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder but were still seeking diagnosis . They use they/them pronouns and prefer no honorific, but are okay with Mr. and Mx.

Their work has also been featured in a number of original anthologies such as Love Hurts edited by Tricia Reeks and A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams. Their story in that latter anthology, "Our Aim Is Not To Die", addresses the issue of ableism and features an autistic "non-binary human being who lives in a world where you're forced to choose a gender, or you are erased". Victor LaValle said the story "knocked me out of my chair".

Critical reception Publishers Weekly gave a starred review to Wolfmoor's short story collection So You Want to Be a Robot, calling their writing "creative, often whimsical, and deliciously inclusive"

Apex Magazine described Wolfmoor's fiction as "personal, raw, intimate, and powerful, featuring strong characters who are either on a journey to know exactly who they are, or have already reached that point and are waiting for others to catch up". while "This Is Not a Wardrobe Door" was nominated for the 2017 Nebula Award for Best Short Story. So You Want to Be a Robot placed seventeenth in the 2018 Locus Poll Award for Best Collection. "I Sing Against the Silent Sun" was a preliminary nominee for the 2018 BSFA Award for Best Short Fiction. "The Sweetness of Honey and Rot" placed thirty-fourth in the 2019 Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette.

In 2025, Wolfmoor was part of the team that won the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing for A Death in Hyperspace.