Nevada Barr
| Nevada Barr | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 1, 1952 Yerington, Nevada |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | Mystery novel |
| Notable award(s) | Agatha Award |
| Spouse(s) | Richard Jones |
|
www.nevadabarr.com |
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Nevada Barr (born March 1, 1952, Yerington, Nevada) is an American author best known for her Anna Pigeon series of mystery novels set in national parks in the United States. Barr won an Agatha Award and Anthony Award for best first novel for Track of the Cat. She lives in New Orleans.
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[edit] Early life
Although Barr was born in 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 masters degree in drama, she pursued a career in theater, TV, films, commercials and voice work for almost two decades.
[edit] Park ranger
When her then-director husband changed careers and became interested in the environmental movement she began working as a seasonal park ranger in the summer.
Barr created the Anna Pigeon series while working at her second seasonal job in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, 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, where Pigeon solves murders that are often related to natural resource issues.
Barr's first permanent Park Ranger job was on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. She resigned to focus on writing when her books began to achieve commercial success.
Barr has published three other books besides the Anna Pigeon series:
- 1984 Bittersweet (ISBN 0312775024), a lesbian historical novel set in the days of the Western frontier.[2]
- 2003 Seeking Enlightenment — Hat by Hat : A Skeptic's Path to Religion (ISBN 0399150579), a memoir
- 2009 13½ (ISBN 1593155530), psychological thriller
[edit] Anna Pigeon series
- 1993 Track of the Cat (ISBN 0380721643), Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- 1994 Superior Death (ISBN 0816174466), Isle Royale National Park
- 1995 Ill Wind (ISBN 0380723638), Mesa Verde National Park
- 1996 Firestorm (ISBN 0380725827), Lassen Volcanic National Park
- 1997 Endangered Species (ISBN 0399142460), Cumberland Island National Seashore
- 1998 Blind Descent (ISBN 0399143718), Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- 1999 Liberty Falling (ISBN 0399144595), Statue of Liberty National Monument
- 2000 Deep South (ISBN 0399145869), Natchez Trace Parkway
- 2001 Blood Lure (ISBN 0399147020), Glacier National Park
- 2002 Hunting Season (ISBN 0399148469), Natchez Trace Parkway
- 2003 Flashback (ISBN 0425194493), Dry Tortugas National Park
- 2004 High Country (ISBN 0399151443), Yosemite National Park
- 2005 Hard Truth (ISBN 0399152415), Rocky Mountain National Park
- 2008 Winter Study, Isle Royale National Park
- 2009 Borderline (ISBN 0399155694), Big Bend National Park
- 2010 Burn (ISBN 1441816011), New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
- 2012 The Rope (ISBN 0312614578), Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
[edit] Anna Pigeon character
Anna Pigeon is a fictional park ranger and detective in the series of novels by the same name. She shares some life experiences with the author such as working as a national park ranger and having had a husband who worked in the theater in NYC. The character of Anna is middle-aged, small, wiry, and wears her graying hair in a long braid. She is the widow of an actor who was killed by a taxi while crossing a street in NYC. She remarried a minister named Paul Davidson, who is also a sheriff. She has one sister, Molly, who is a NYC therapist. Molly's husband, Frederick, is a retired FBI agent..
[edit] References
- ^ Davis, Jon M.. "Nevada Barr". The Mississippi Writers Page. http://www.olemiss.edu/mwp/dir/barr_nevada/index.html. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
- ^ "Bittersweet". worldcat.org. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57248628&referer=brief_results. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
[edit] External links
- NevadaBarr.com
- Nevada Barr Resource Page
- Audio Downloads read by Barbara Rosenblat
- The Nevada Barr collection (MUM00021) owned by The University of Mississippi.
- Audio Books on CD and/or Tape
- Nevada Barr Audio Books Download
