Deb Vanasse
Deb Vanasse (born September 12, 1957) is an American writer of more than a dozen books, many of which are set in Alaska. Her children's books include six picture books and two young adult novels. She and young-adult novelist Gail Giles are the co-authors of No Returns, Book One in a planned series, the Battleband Saga. Her books for adults include Cold Spell and a forthcoming biography of the Klondike gold rush figure Kate Carmack.[1] She has also authored three travel guides on Alaska, one under a pseudonym, and she has edited a collection of historic photographs.
Life and career
Vanasse was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.[2] Her maiden name is Debra Lynn Lehmann; her brother is the writer Chris Lehmann. She lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Galesburg, Illinois; and Madison, Wisconsin before moving to Iowa, where she graduated from Davenport West High School. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and graduated with a Bachelor in Science from Bemidji State University in Minnesota and a Masters in the Humanities from California State University Dominguez Hills.
Vanasse's debut novel for young adults, A Distant Enemy,[3] was a Junior Literary Guild selection and is featured in Best Books for Young Teen Readers, Grades 7 to 10,[4] as was her second novel Out of the Wilderness.[5] Her picture book titles include Under Alaska's Midnight Sun (illustrated by Jeremiah Tramell);[6][7] Alaska Animal Babies (photographs by Gavriel Jecan); Totem Tale[8] (illustrated by Erik Brooks); and Amazing Alaska (illustrated by Karen E. Lewis). Set in a Yup'ik village, there is also a Yup'ik language edition of Lucy's Dance, illustrated by Nancy Slagle.[9] Black Wolf of the Glacier, also illustrated by Nancy Slagle, is based on the true story of Romeo, a well-known wolf that lived near Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska. No Returns, Book One of the Battleband Saga, is Vanasse’s first co-authored novel with Gail Giles. Cold Spell, her first work of literary fiction for adults, is part of the University of Alaska Press Alaska Literary Series.[10]
Vanasse and another writer, Andromeda Romano-Lax, founded the 49 Alaska Writing Center.[11] She lives on Hiland Mountain in Eagle River, Alaska, with her husband and dog.
Bibliography
| Picture Books |
| 1. Under Alaska’s Midnight Sun (March 1, 2005) |
| 2. Alaska Animal Babies (March 1, 2005) |
| 3. Totem Tale (Feb. 7, 2006) |
| 4. Amazing Alaska (March 2, 2010) |
| 5. Lucy’s Dance (June 15, 2011) |
| 6. Black Wolf of the Glacier (March 15, 2013) |
| Novels |
| 1. A Distant Enemy (Jan. 10, 2014) |
| 2. Out of the Wilderness (June 13, 2013) |
| 3. No Returns (Feb. 12, 2014) |
| 4. Cold Spell (2014) |
| Nonfiction |
| 1. Picture This, Alaska (Jan. 27, 2009) |
| 2. Wealth Woman: Kate Carmack and the Last Great Race for Gold (2014) |
References
- ↑ Dunham, Mike (3 January 2014). "Discovering Shaaw Tlaa". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ↑ Gale Reference Team. "Biography - Vanasse, Deb (1957-)". Contemporary Authors Online.
- ↑ Devereaux, Elizabeth (Jan 13, 1997). "Review: A Distant Enemy". Publisher's Weekly 244 (2): 76. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ↑ Gillespie, John (2000). Best Books for Young Teen Readers, Grades 7 to 10. RR Bowker. p. 1066. ISBN 9780835242646.
- ↑ Carton, Debbie (March 1999). "Book Review: Out of the Wilderness". Booklist 95 (14): 130. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ↑ Harac, Lani (Oct 2005). "What's New". Teacher Magazine 17 (2): 60. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ↑ McKay, Carol (August 2005). "Review: Under Alaska's Midnight Sun". School Library Journal 51 (8): 107. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ↑ Lamont, Blanche (2008). Mentoring Young Writers. Rainbow Literacy. pp. 30–236. ISBN 978-0981023809.
- ↑ . University of Alaska Press http://www.alaska.edu/uapress/browse/search/index.xml. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ↑ "Alaska Literary Series". University of Chicago. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ↑ . 49 Alaska Writing Center http://www.49writingcenter.org/About%20Us/mission.php. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
External links