Gilligan published articles, essays and poetry.[citation needed] Her short story Iron Joan was a preliminary ballot nominee for the 2002 Nebula Award in the category of Best Short Story.[3][4] Gilligan served as the secretary for the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) board of directors from 2002 to 2003, and she frequently attended OryCon and BayCon.[2]
Gilligan died from cancer on October 9, 2017, aged 55, in her sleep at her home in Newark, California. She was survived by her husband, Douglas Archer Gilligan, two children, and two grandchildren.[5]