Mary Francis Shura Craig, née Young (23 February 1923 in
Pratt, Kansas
Pratt is a city in and the county seat of Pratt County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,603. It is home to Pratt Community College.
History
19th century
Pratt was founded in 1884 and named after ...
– 12 January 1991 in
Maywood, Illinois
Maywood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was founded on April 6, 1869, and organized October 22, 1881. The population was 23,512 at the 2020 United States Census.
History ...
) was an American
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
of over 50
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
s from 1960 to 1990. She wrote
children's adventures and
young adult romances as Mary Francis Shura, M. F. Craig, and Meredith Hill;
gothic novels
Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...
as Mary Craig;
romance novel
A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...
s as Alexis Hill, Mary Shura Craig and Mary S. Craig; and
suspense novels as M. S. Craig.
She was a recipient of the
Carl Sandburg
Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...
Literary Arts Award in 1985, and was elected president of the
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City.
The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday.
It presents the Edgar Award ...
in 1990.
Biography
Mary Francis Young was born on 23 February 1923 in
Pratt, Kansas
Pratt is a city in and the county seat of Pratt County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,603. It is home to Pratt Community College.
History
19th century
Pratt was founded in 1884 and named after ...
, the daughter of Jackson Fant and Mary Francis (Milstead) Young. She studied at Maryville State College. Her family moved to the Pacific Northwest. On 24 October 1943, she married Daniel Charles Shura, who died in 1959. They had three children: Marianne Francis Shura (Sprague), Daniel Charles Shura, and Alice Barrett Shura Craig (Stout). On 8 December 1961, she married Raymond C. Craig. They had a daughter Mary Forshay Craig (Shay Craig) before their divorce.
On 12 January 1991, she died of injuries suffered in a fire in her apartment on 13 December 1990.
Mary Francis Shura Craig; Mystery Writer, 67 - New York Times
/ref>
Bibliography
Some of her novels were republished under different titles
As Mary Francis Shura
Children's literature
= Single novels
=
*''Simple Spigott'' (1960); Publisher: New York, Alferd A. Knopf.
*''The garret of Greta McGraw'' (1961); Publisher: New York, Knopf.
*''Mary's marvelous mouse'' (1962); Adrienne Adams; Publisher: New York, Knopf.
*''The nearsighted knight'' (1964); Publisher: New York, Knopf.
*''Shoefull of shamrock'' (1965); Publisher: New York : Atheneum.
*''Run away home'' (1965)
*''A tale of middle length'' (1966); Publisher: New York, Atheneum.
*''Backwards for luck'' (1966)
*''Pornada'' (1968)
*''The valley of the frost giants'' (1971)
*''The seven stone'' (1972) aka ''Maggie in the middle''; Dale Payson; Publisher: New York : Scholastic Book Services.
*''The shop on Threnody Street'' (1972)
*''Topcat of Tam'' (1972) aka ''Top Cat''
*''The riddle of Raven's Gulch'' (1975) aka ''The riddle of Raven Hollow''; Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead
Dodd, Mead and Company was one of the pioneer publishing houses of the United States, based in New York City. Under several names, the firm operated from 1839 until 1990.
History Origins
In 1839, Moses Woodruff Dodd (1813–1899) and John S. Ta ...
.
*''The season of silence'' (1976); Ruth Sanderson
Ruth Sanderson (born 1951) is an American illustrator and writer of children's books.
Biography
Sanderson graduated from the Paier College of Art in Connecticut in 1974.Stevens (2001), 107. She is a member of the Society of Illustrators, the S ...
; Publisher: New York : Atheneum.
*''The gray ghosts of Taylor Ridge'' (1978); Michael A Hampshire; Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
*''The Barkley Street six-pack'' (1979) aka ''My Friend Natalie'' aka ''Some Kind of Friend''; Gene Sparkman; Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
*''Mister Wolf and me'' (1979); Konrad Hack
Konrad is a German (with variants ''Kunz'' and ''Kunze'') given name and surname that means "bold counselor" and may refer to:
People Given name
Surname
*Alexander Konrad (1890–1940), Russian explorer
*Antoine Konrad (born 1975), birth name o ...
; Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead
*''Happles and cinnamonger'' (1981); Bertram M Tormey Bertram may refer to:
Places
*Bertram, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth, Australia
*Bertram, Iowa, United States, a city
*Bertram, Texas, United States, a city
*Bertram Building, a historic building in Austin, Texas
*Bertram Glacier, Palmer Lan ...
; Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
*''The search for Grissi'' (1985); Ted Lewin
Theodore Peter Lewin (May 6, 1935 – July 28, 2021) simply known as Ted Lewin, was an American illustrator and writer of children's books. Lewin and his wife Betsy Lewin drew on their travels to exotic places such as the Amazon River, Botswana, ...
; Publisher: New York, N.Y. : Dodd, Mead.
*''Tales from Dickens'' (1985)
*''The Josie gambit'' (1986); Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
*''Don't call me Toad!'' (1987); Jacqueline Rogers
Jacqueline Rogers (born 1958) is an American children's-book illustrator.
Early life and education
Rogers was the youngest of six children, and grew up in a family of artists in Westport, Connecticut. She attended the Rhode Island School of De ...
; Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
*''The Sunday doll'' (1988); Ted Lewin
Theodore Peter Lewin (May 6, 1935 – July 28, 2021) simply known as Ted Lewin, was an American illustrator and writer of children's books. Lewin and his wife Betsy Lewin drew on their travels to exotic places such as the Amazon River, Botswana, ...
; Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
*''The mystery at Wolf River'' (1989); Publisher: New York, N.Y. : Scholastic.
*''Kate's book'' (1989); Publisher: New York : Scholastic.
*''Kate's house'' (1990); Publisher: New York : Scholastic.
*''Polly panic'' (1990); Publisher: New York : Putnam, 1990.
*''Gentle Annie : the true story of a Civil War nurse'' (1991); Publisher: New York : Scholastic.
*''Our teacher is missing'' (1992); Publisher: New York : Scholastic.
= Kids of the Neighborhood series
=
#''Chester the great'' (1980) aka ''Chester''; Susan Swan
Susan Swan (born 9 June 1945) is a Canadian author, journalist, and professor. Susan Swan writes classic Canadian novels. Her fiction has been published in 20 countries and translated into 10 languages.
Born in Midland, Ontario, she studied at ...
; Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
#''Eleanor'' (1983); Susan Swan; Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
#''Jefferson'' (1984); Susan Swan; Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
Young adult romances
= Sunfire
=
*''Jessica'' (1984); Publisher: New York : Scholastic Inc.
Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...
*''Marilee'' (1984); Publisher: New York : Scholastic.
*''Marilee'' (1987); Publisher: New York : Scholastic.
*''Diana'' (1988): Publisher: New York : Scholastic.
*''Darcy'' (1989); Publisher: New York : Scholastic.
= Other novels
=
*''Winter dreams, Christmas love'' (1992); Publisher: New York : Scholastic.
*''Summer dreams, winter love'' (1993); Publisher: London : Scholastic.
As Mary Craig
Gothic novels
*''A Candle for the Dragon'' (1973)
*''Ten Thousand Several Doors'' (1973) aka Mistress of Lost River
*''The Cranes of Ibycus'' (1974) aka Shadows of the Past
*''Were He a Stranger'' (1978)
As Alexis Hill
Riviere Saga (romance)
#''Passion's Slave'' (1979)
#''The Untamed Heart'' (1980)
As M. S. Craig
Romance novels
*''Dust to Diamonds: The Chicagoans'' (1981)
Suspense novels
*''To play the fox'' (1982); Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
*''Gillian's chain '' (1983); Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
*''The third blonde'' (1985); Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead.
*''Flash point'' (1987); Publisher: New York, N.Y. : Dodd, Mead.
As Mary Shura Craig
Romance novels
*''Lyon's Pride'' (1983)
*''Pirate's Landing'' (1983)
*''Fortune's Destiny'' (1986)
As Meredith Hill
Young adult romances
= Individual novels
=
*''The Silent Witness'' (1983)
=
Chrystal Falls
Chrystal Falls is a novel series that was written over seven books by various ghost writers dealing with the residents of a fictional (and fiercely divided) Pennsylvania town. The books were published by Scholastic in the mid-1980s.
Plot summary ...
series =
:1. ''The Wrong Side of Love'' (1986)
:5. ''A Loss of Innocence'' (1986)
:6. ''Forbidden Love'' (1986)
As M. F. Craig
Children's literature
*''The Mystery at Peacock Place'' (1986)
As Mary S. Craig
Romance novels
*Dark Paradise (1986)
References and sources
External links
Guide to the Mary Francis Craig papers at the University of Oregon.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shura, Mary Francis
1923 births
1991 deaths
20th-century American novelists
American children's writers
American mystery writers
American romantic fiction writers
American women novelists
People from Pratt, Kansas
Writers from Kansas
American women children's writers
Women romantic fiction writers
Women mystery writers
20th-century American women writers
Pseudonymous women writers
20th-century pseudonymous writers