Wendy K. Webb is an American fiction author. Her books have received several awards, including the Minnesota Book Award for fiction in 2011 and 2017.

Early life and education

Webb was born and raised in

St. Louis Park, Minnesota St. Louis Park is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 50,010 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a first-ring suburb immediately west of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Min ...

, a suburb of Minneapolis. When Webb was in grade school, the school librarian encouraged her to read '' A Wrinkle in Time'' by

Madeleine L'Engle Madeleine L'Engle DStJ (; November 29, 1918 – September 6, 2007) was an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including ''A Wrinkle in Time'' and its sequels: ''A Wind in the Door'', ''A Swiftly Tilting Plan ...

. After reading that book, she knew from that point on that she was destined to be an author. She attended the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, where she graduated with a major in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and minors in French and history. Immediately after graduation, she lived in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

with two of her friends. Upon returning to the United States, she got an internship in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, with a congressman, and later with a Minnesota senator.

Writing career

After returning to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, Webb got her first writing job with a Minneapolis-based weekly arts and entertainment newsletter, ''

City Pages ''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to a ...

''. A career journalist, Webb has also written for the ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

'' and countless other publications. She was the editor-in-chief of a lifestyle monthly, ''Duluth Superior Magazine'', until the publication closed in 2014. Webb's first novel, ''The Tale of Halcyon Crane'', is a modern ghost story that won the Minnesota Book Award for fiction in 2011. Her second novel, ''The Fate of Mercy Alban'', depicts the uncovering of a hidden family scandal. The book was on the Indie Bestseller List for six weeks. ''The End of Temperance Dare'', won the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction in 2017 and has been optioned for film and television. ''Daughters of the Lake'', hit Number One on the Amazon bestseller list and was published in 2018.''The Haunting of Brynn Wilder '' also hit Number One on the Amazon bestseller list.

Personal life

Webb lives in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

with her family.

Works

* ''The Tale of Halcyon Crane'' (2010) * ''The Fate of Mercy Alban'' (2013) * ''The Vanishing'' (2014) * ''The End of Temperance Dare'' (2017) * ''Daughters of the Lake'' (2018) * ''The Haunting of Brynn Wilder'' (2020) * ''The Keepers of Metsan Valo'' (2021) * ''The Stroke of Winter'' (2022)

References

External links

*
Official Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Wendy 21st-century American novelists American women novelists American fiction writers University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni Living people Writers from Duluth, Minnesota 21st-century American women writers Novelists from Minnesota 1962 births