Thomas J. Bassler (1932-2011), who wrote two science fiction novels as T. J. Bass, Half Past Human and The Godwhale, saw both books nominated for the Nebula Award. In addition, Bass published a handful of short stories. A doctor, Bassler was an early proponent of the use of Marathon-running for health purposes, although his claim that marathon runners who didn’t smoke could eat anything they wanted without fear of a heart attack was somewhat controversial.