Tasha Alexander (born Anastasia Gutting on December 1, 1969) is an American author who writes New York Times bestselling historical mystery fiction.

Biography

Alexander was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana to Anastasia (Friel) and Gary Gutting, University of Notre Dame philosophy professors. In 2002, while living in New Haven, Connecticut, she started work on her first novel, after being inspired by a passage in

Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers (; 13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was an English crime writer and poet. She was also a student of classical and modern languages. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between th ...

's ''Gaudy Night''. Carolyn Marino at William Morrow acquired the book, ''And Only to Deceive'', which was published in 2005 as the first installment of the ''Lady Emily'' series. Following a move to Franklin, Tennessee, where Alexander wrote her second novel in a local Starbucks, she eventually relocated to Chicago, where she married British novelist Andrew Grant (brother of bestselling author

Lee Child James Dover Grant (born 29 October 1954), primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author who writes thriller novels, and is best known for his ''Jack Reacher'' novel series. The books follow the adventures of a former American ...

) in 2010. In 2007, according to ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'', Minotaur Books "lured her away" from William Morrow. She is now edited by Charles Spicer and is the imprint's top writer of historical mysteries. Alexander's work has been translated into more than a dozen languages and has been nominated for the Bruce Alexander Award and the RT Reviewers Choice Award. She has a reputation for being extremely careful about accuracy in her novels and is meticulous about research.

The ''Lady Emily'' series

The ''Lady Emily'' series, set in a time between the 1890s and 1900s and spanning across cities throughout Europe, follow the adventures of Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves. ;Novels and short stories

Non-''Lady Emily'' short story works

(Short stories appearing in anthology collections) * "Preparations" – ''Kwik Krimes'' (2013; anthology edited by

Otto Penzler Otto Penzler (born July 8, 1942) is a German-born American editor of mystery fiction, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. Biography Born in Germany to a German-American mother and a German father, Penzler moved to The B ...

) * "Before a Bohemian Scandal" – ''Echoes of Sherlock Holmes'' (2016; anthology edited by

Laurie R. King Laurie R. King (born September 19, 1952) is an American author best known for her detective fiction. Life and career Born in Oakland, California, King earned a degree in comparative religion from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1977 ...

and

Leslie S. Klinger Leslie S. Klinger (born May 2, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American attorney and writer. He is a noted literary editor and annotator of classic genre fiction, including the Sherlock Holmes stories and the novels '' Dracula'', ''Frankenst ...

) * " elf-titled essay – ''Private Investigations'' (2020; anthology edited by

Victoria Zackheim Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychel ...

)

Miscellaneous works

* ''Elizabeth: The Golden Age'', novelization, (2007);
based on motion picture screenplay written by William Nicholson and Michael Hirst;
published to coincide with release of 2007 film '' Elizabeth: The Golden Age'', starring Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Tasha Living people 1969 births American women novelists American women short story writers American short story writers Writers from South Bend, Indiana Women mystery writers Novelists from Indiana 21st-century American women