From the last post,
A) goldsmith
B) Romancing Mister Bridgerton
C) elf
D) Ghostwalker
E) Whale
F) glaucoma
G) AHHD
H) Naff
I) galah
J) Little Annie Rooney
K) oaf
L) rattail
M) yam.

First letters read: Greg Egan, Glory

Text: An ingot of metallic hydrogen gleamed in the starlight, a narrow cylinder half a meter long with a mass of about half a kilogram.