Nevada Barr
Nevada Barr (born March 1, 1952) is an American author of mystery fiction. She is known for her Anna Pigeon series, which is primarily set in a series of national parks and other protected areas of the United States.
Nevada Barr | |
|---|---|
 Signing books at the 2006 Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in Madison, Wisconsin | |
| Born | March 1, 1952 Yerington, Nevada |
| Occupation | Author |
| Genre | Mystery novel |
| Notable awards | Agatha Award, Anthony Award |
| Spouse | Donald Paxton |
| Website | |
| www | |
Early life
Although Barr was born in Yerington, Nevada, she was named not after her state of birth but after a character in one of her father's favorite books.[1] She grew up in Johnstonville, California, and finished college at the University of California, Irvine. With a master's degree in drama, she pursued a career in theater, TV, films, commercials and voice work for almost two decades.
Writing
When Barr's then-husband changed careers from being a theatre director and became interested in the environmental movement, she began working as a seasonal park ranger in the summer. Her first permanent park ranger job was on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. She created the character of Anna Pigeon while working at her second seasonal job in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas. Pigeon is a law enforcement ranger with the United States National Park Service. The books in the series take place in various national parks (and other protected areas) where Pigeon solves murders that are often related to natural resource issues. The Anna Pigeon character shares several similarities with Barr, such as working as a park ranger and having had a husband who worked in the theater in New York City.
Barr became a full-time writer when her books began to achieve commercial success.[2] She and her husband currently reside in Ashland, Oregon.
Bibliography
Anna Pigeon series
- 1993 Track of the Cat (ISBN 0-399-13824-2)
Guadalupe Mountains National Park - 1994 A Superior Death (ISBN 0-399-13916-8)
Isle Royale National Park - 1995 Ill Wind (ISBN 0-399-14015-8)
Mesa Verde National Park - 1996 Firestorm (ISBN 0-399-14126-X)
Lassen Volcanic National Park - 1997 Endangered Species (ISBN 0-399-14246-0)
Cumberland Island National Seashore - 1998 Blind Descent (ISBN 0-399-14371-8)
Carlsbad Caverns National Park - 1999 Liberty Falling (ISBN 0-399-14459-5)
Statue of Liberty National Monument - 2000 Deep South (ISBN 0-399-14586-9)
Natchez Trace Parkway - 2001 Blood Lure (ISBN 0-399-14702-0)
Glacier National Park - 2002 Hunting Season (ISBN 0-399-14846-9)
Natchez Trace Parkway - 2003 Flashback (ISBN 0-399-14975-9)
Dry Tortugas National Park - 2004 High Country (ISBN 0-399-15144-3)
Yosemite National Park - 2005 Hard Truth (ISBN 0-399-15241-5)
Rocky Mountain National Park - 2008 Winter Study (ISBN 978-0-399-15458-4)
Isle Royale National Park - 2009 Borderline (ISBN 978-0-399-15569-7)
Big Bend National Park - 2010 Burn (ISBN 978-0-312-61456-0)
New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park - 2012 The Rope (ISBN 978-0-312-61457-7)
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area - 2014 Destroyer Angel (ISBN 978-0-312-61458-4)
Superior National Forest - 2016 Boar Island (ISBN 978-1-250-06469-1)
Acadia National Park
Other books
Barr has published three other novels besides the Anna Pigeon series in addition to a non-fiction book:
- 1984 Bittersweet (ISBN 0-312-08244-4), a lesbian historical novel set on the Western frontier[3]
- 2003 Seeking Enlightenment... Hat by Hat: A Skeptic's Guide to Religion (ISBN 0-399-15057-9), a memoir
- 2009 131⁄2 (ISBN 978-1-59315-553-7), a psychological thriller
- 2019 What Rose Forgot (ISBN 978-1-250-20713-5), a standalone thriller
Awards
Barr's début novel, Track of the Cat, won the 1994 Anthony Award and Agatha Award for "Best First Novel".[4][5] Her next novel, Superior Death, was nominated for the Dilys Award in 1995.[6] Firestorm was nominated for the 1997 Anthony Award in the "Best Novel" category.[4] Blind Descent was the next novel to receive attention from the mystery community, receiving a "Best Novel" nomination at the 1999 Anthony Awards, Dilys Awards and the Macavity Awards in the same year.[4][6][7] Deep South, published in 2000, won the Barry Award for "Best Novel" and was again nominated for the Anthony Award in the same category.[4][8]
In 2011, the National Parks Conservation Association honored Barr with the Robin W. Winks Award for Enhancing Public Understanding of National Parks. The award recognizes an individual or organization that has effectively communicated the values of the National Park System to the American public.[9]
References
- Davis, Jon M. "Nevada Barr". The Mississippi Writers Page. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
- Hoover, Kris. "Interview with Nevada Barr, Hennepin County, Minnesota". reflections.mndigital.org. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- Bittersweet. worldcat.org. OCLC 57248628.
- "Bouchercon World Mystery Convention : Anthony Awards Nominees". Bouchercon.info. October 2, 2003. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
- "Malice Domestic Convention – Bethesda, MD". Malicedomestic.org. August 23, 1988. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
- "The Dilys Award – (Imba)". Mysterybooksellers.com. March 31, 2012. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
- "Mystery Readers International's Macavity Awards". Mysteryreaders.org. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
- "Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine- Barry Awards". Deadlypleasures.com. October 9, 2008. Archived from the original on April 23, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
- https://www.npca.org/resources/3286-awards-and-recognition
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nevada Barr. |
