Dana Stabenow (born March 27, 1952 in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

) is an American author of science fiction, mystery/crime fiction, suspense/thriller, and historical adventure novels.

Biography

Many of Stabenow's books are set in her home state of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, where she was raised by her single mother who lived and worked on a fish tender in the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska (Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, ...

, and feature numerous descriptions of Alaska's geography,

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmosphere, the ...

, and wildlife. Stabenow received a BA in journalism from the

University of Alaska The University of Alaska System is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was created in 1917 and comprises three separately accredited universities on 19 campuses. The system serves nearly 30,000 full- and part-time stud ...

in 1973 and, after deciding to try her hand as an author, later enrolled in UAA's MFA program."Author Stabenow's Kate Shugak may be headed for Television
. Anchorage Daily New. April 18, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2011. Her first novel, ''Second Star'', was bought by Ace Science Fiction in 1990. It was followed by two other science fiction books. Her first Kate Shugak mystery, ''A Cold Day for Murder'', won the

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

for Best Paperback Original in 1993. Her 2011 Kate Shugak mystery, ''Though Not Dead'', received the 2012

Nero Award The Nero Award is a literary award for excellence in the mystery genre presented by The Wolfe Pack, a society founded in 1978 to explore and celebrate the Nero Wolfe stories of Rex Stout Rex Todhunter Stout (; December 1, 1886 – October 27, ...

. In 2007 Stabenow was named Alaska Artist of the Year in the Governor's Awards for the Arts and Humanities. In 2011, Stabenow wrote on her blog an informative article about her childhood reading experiences and how these influenced her to write detective novels. Note: The plots of the Kate Shugak and Liam Campbell Mystery series are interconnected.

Books

Single titles

* ''Blindfold Game'' (2006) * ''Prepared for Rage'' (2008)

Silk and Song trilogy

A historical adventure in which protagonist Wu Johanna, the granddaughter of

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

, travels from her home in 14th-century Cambaluc (Beijing) to Europe. * ''Everything Under the Heavens'' (2014) * ''By the Shores of the Middle Sea'' (2014) * ''The Land Beyond'' (2015)

Star Svensdotter series

Stabenow had three books published in the "Star Svensdotter" science fiction series: * ''Second Star'' (1991) * ''A Handful of Stars'' (1991) * ''Red Planet Run'' (1995)

Kate Shugak series

The first book in the mystery series, ''A Cold Day for Murder'', won the

for Best Paperback Original in 1993. Characters of the series include Kate Shugak, Mutt (her half-wolf dog), Ekaterina, Jack, Jane, and Johnny Morgan, "Chopper" Jim Chopin, and Samuel Dementieff. * ''A Cold Day for Murder'' (1992) * ''A Fatal Thaw'' (1992) * ''Dead in the Water'' (1993) * ''A Cold Blooded Business'' (1994) * ''Play with Fire'' (1995) * ''Blood Will Tell'' (1996) * ''Breakup'' (1997) * ''Killing Grounds'' (1998) * ''Hunter's Moon'' (1999) * ''Midnight Come Again'' (2000) * ''The Singing of the Dead'' (2001) * ''A Fine and Bitter Snow'' (2002) * ''A Grave Denied'' (2003) * ''A Taint in the Blood'' (2004) * ''A Deeper Sleep'' (2007) * ''Whisper to the Blood'' (2009) * ''A Night Too Dark'' (2010) * ''Though Not Dead'' (2011) * ''Restless in the Grave'' (2012) * ''Bad Blood'' (2013) * ''Less Than a Treason'' (2017) * ''No Fixed Line'' (2020) * ''Not the Ones Dead '' (2023)

Liam Campbell series

In 1998, she began a new mystery series featuring Alaska State Trooper Liam Campbell. In addition to Liam Campbell, the books also feature

bush pilot Bush flying refers to aircraft operations carried out in the bush. Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways, frequently necessitating that bush planes be equipped with abnormally ...

Wyanet Chouinard, Moses Alakuyak, and Bar & Grill owner Bill Billington. * ''Fire and Ice'' (1998) * ''So Sure of Death'' (1999) * ''Nothing Gold Can Stay'' (2000) * ''Better to Rest'' (2002) * ''Spoils of the Dead'' (2021)

Eye of Isis series

Mysteries set in Egypt during the reign of Cleopatra VII. * ''Death of an Eye'' (2018) * ''Disappearance of a Scribe'' (2022) * ''Theft of an Idol'' (2022)

Anthologies

* ''The Mysterious North'' (2002) * ''Powers of Detection'' (2004) * ''Unusual Suspects'' (2008) * ''At the Scene of the Crime'' (2008)

References

External links

Official Dana Stabenow web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stabenow, Dana 1952 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American science fiction writers American mystery novelists American thriller writers American women novelists Edgar Award winners Living people Writers from Anchorage, Alaska Writers from Alaska People from Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska University of Alabama alumni 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Women mystery writers Women thriller writers Women science fiction and fantasy writers