Deb Vanasse
- Bemidji State University (BS)
- California State University Dominguez Hills (MH)
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,[clarification needed] 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.[citation needed] 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 (illustrated by Erik Brooks);[8] 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.[10] 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.[11] Vanasse and another writer, Andromeda Romano-Lax, founded the 49 Alaska Writing Center.[12]
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. Archived from the original on 10 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ Gale Reference Team. "Biography - Vanasse, Deb (1957-)". Contemporary Authors Online.
- ^ Devereaux, Elizabeth (Jan 13, 1997). "Review: A Distant Enemy". Publishers Weekly. 244 (2): 76. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ Gillespie, John (2000). Best Books for Young Teen Readers, Grades 7 to 10. RR Bowker. pp. 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 Press of Colorado - University of Alaska Press". University of Alaska Press. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ Black Wolf of the Glacier. The University of Chicago Press Books. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Alaska Literary Series". University of Chicago. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Mission". 49 Alaska Writing Center. Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
External links
- Official website
- The Self-Made Writer (blog)
- Battleband Saga series (official)
- Deb Vanasse at Library of Congress, with 11 library catalog records