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Dana Cameron (born 1965) is an American
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
, and author of award-winning
crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...
and
urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, placing supernatural elements in a contemporary urban area, urban-affected setting. The combination provides the writer with a platform for classic fantasy tropes, quixotic plot-elements, and unusual charac ...
.


Life and career

Born and raised in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, Dana Cameron began her professional career as an historical archaeologist specializing in British and
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
cultural history from 1607 to 1760. She presently lives in
Beverly, Massachusetts Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Sho ...
. Her archaeological training and experiences in the field led her to write fiction; the first of six archaeology mysteries was published in 2002. The novels feature amateur sleuth Professor Emma Fielding and all are set in fictional towns in New England, with the exception of ''Grave Consequences'', which takes place in a fictional town in the southeast of England. Each novel features some aspect of archaeological research and considers how the past and the present are enmeshed. One Emma Fielding short story, "Mischief in Mesopotamia", was published in ''
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fic ...
'' in 2012. Shortlisted for the prestigious
Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is a professional organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the E ...
's
Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...
, Dana Cameron has won multiple Agatha,
Anthony Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the '' Antonii'', a '' gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descenda ...
, and
Macavity Macavity the Mystery Cat, also called the Hidden Paw, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book '' Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''. He also appears in the Andrew Lloyd Webber 1981 musical ''Ca ...
awards. Cameron's short stories are also informed by her research. The historical and fantastic elements are an integral part of her fantasy world-building. Her stories vary in range from traditional mystery to historical passing by noir,
thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
and
urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, placing supernatural elements in a contemporary urban area, urban-affected setting. The combination provides the writer with a platform for classic fantasy tropes, quixotic plot-elements, and unusual charac ...
. She often follows a single character throughout several stories. "The Night Things Changed" eventually led to a series of urban novels set in the urban fantasy Fangborn universe, featuring vampires, werewolves, and oracles dedicated to secretly fighting evil. The protagonist, Zoe Miller, is an archaeologist who is forced to accept that she is also werewolf and Fangborn and must use those powers, along with her archaeology training, to keep artifacts with potentially world-ending power from falling into the hands of human and Fangborn foes. Cameron's professional affiliations include the
Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is a professional organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the E ...
,
Sisters in Crime Sisters in Crime (SinC) is a writing organization focused on increasing equity and inclusion for women crime writers within the publishing industry. The group has 4,500 members in 60+ regional chapters worldwide, offering networking, advice and su ...
(she served on the board and as Vice President and President of the New England Chapter), and the American Crime Writers League. She is also a member of
The Baker Street Irregulars The Baker Street Irregulars is an organization of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts founded in 1934 by Christopher Morley. As of 2015, the nonprofit organization had about 300 members worldwide. The group has published ''The Baker Street Journal,'' ...
(BSI), a "Sherlockian literary society", with the investiture of "The Giant Rat of Sumatra".


Published works


Emma Fielding Archaeology Mysteries

*''Site Unseen'' (2002). *''Grave Consequences'' (2002). *''Past Malice'' (2003) *''A Fugitive Truth'' (2004). *''More Bitter Than Death'' (2005). *'' Ashes and Bones'' (2006).


Fangborn Urban Fantasy

*''Seven Kinds of Hell'' (2013). *''Pack of Strays'' (2014). *''Hellbender'' (2015).


Short stories

*"The Lords of Misrule", in ''Sugarplums and Scandal'' (2006) *"Mischief in Mesopotamia", in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' (2012) *"The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars", in ''Dead But Not Forgotten'' (2014) *"Whiskey and Light", in ''Seize the Night'' (2014) *"Where There Is Honey", in ''Echoes of Sherlock Holmes'' (2016) *"The White Rat", in ''The Grimm Future'' (2016)


Fangborn

*"The Night Things Changed" in ''Wolfsbane and Mistletoe'' (2008) *"Swing Shift" in ''Crimes By Moonlight'' (2010) *"Love Knot" in ''The Wild Side'' (2011) *"Pattern Recognition" in ''Murder and Mayhem in Muskego'' (2012) *"Finals" in ''Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine'' (2013) *"The Serpent's Tale" an Amazon Kindle Short (2013) *"The God's Games" in ''Games Creatures Play'' (2014) *"The Curious Case of Miss Amelia Vernet", an Amazon Kindle Short (2014) *"Burning the Rule Book", an Amazon Kindle Short (2015)


Anna Hoyt "Colonial Noir"

*"Femme Sole", in ''Boston Noir'' (2009) *"Disarming" in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' (2011) *"Ardent" in ''Cape Cod Noir'' (2011) *"Declaration", in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' (2014) *"An Obliging Cousin", in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' (2016)


"a/k/a Jayne" thrillers

*"One Soul at a Time" in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' (2012) *"Dialing In" in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' (2013) *"Episode 4: Raven and the Cave Girl vs. Dan Malmon!" in ''Killing Malmon'' (2017)


TV adaptations

In 2016, the Emma Fielding novels were optioned by Muse Entertainment. ''Site Unseen: An Emma Fielding Mystery'', a two-hour TV movie, premiered in June 2017 on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel, starring
Courtney Thorne-Smith Courtney Thorne-Smith (born 1966 or 1967) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Alison Parker on '' Melrose Place'', Georgia Thomas on '' Ally McBeal'', and Cheryl Mabel on '' According to Jim'', as well as her recurrin ...
and
James Tupper James Tupper (born August 4, 1965) is a Canadian actor known for his roles as Jack Slattery on the ABC television series '' Men in Trees'', Dr. Chris Sands on the NBC medical drama series '' Mercy'', and David Clarke on ABC's ''Revenge''. He a ...
. The second movie, ''Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery'', premiered in January 2018, and a third, ''More Bitter Than Death,'' was telecast in 2019.


Awards and honors

;2007 : ''Ashes and Bones'',
Anthony Award The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Categori ...
(winner), Best Paperback Original : "The Lords of Misrule", Anthony Award nominee, Best Short Story ;2009 : "The Night Things Changed",
Agatha Award The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short ...
((2008) winner),
Anthony Award The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Categori ...
(nominee),
Macavity Award The Macavity Awards, established in 1987, are a group of literary awards presented annually to mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the "Macavity, mystery cat ...
(winner), Best Short Story ;2010 : "Femme Sole",
Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...
(nominee),
Agatha Award The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short ...
((2009) nominee),
Anthony Award The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Categori ...
(nominee),
Macavity Award The Macavity Awards, established in 1987, are a group of literary awards presented annually to mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the "Macavity, mystery cat ...
(nominee), Best Short Story ;2011 : "Swing Shift",
Agatha Award The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short ...
((2010), nominee),
Anthony Award The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Categori ...
(winner),
Macavity Award The Macavity Awards, established in 1987, are a group of literary awards presented annually to mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the "Macavity, mystery cat ...
(winner), Best Short story ;2012 : "Disarming",
Agatha Award The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short ...
((2011), winner),
Anthony Award The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Categori ...
(winner),
Macavity Award The Macavity Awards, established in 1987, are a group of literary awards presented annually to mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the "Macavity, mystery cat ...
(winner), Best Short Story : Toast Master,
Malice Domestic The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie, are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write in the traditional mystery subgenre: "books typified by the works of Agatha Christie . . . loosely defined as mysteries that contain no expli ...
24 : "One Soul at Time" was named a " Black Mask" feature in
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fic ...
;2013 : "Mischief in Mesopotamia",
Agatha Award The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short ...
((2012), winner),
Anthony Award The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Categori ...
(winner), Best Short Story


References


Further reading

* Gillette, Christine (September 23, 2005) “Woman of Mystery: Beverly writer releases fifth book centered on archaeologist” in ''The Salem News''.


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Dana 1965 births Living people 21st-century American novelists Agatha Award winners American crime fiction writers American women novelists Anthony Award winners Macavity Award winners Novelists from Massachusetts American women short story writers American women mystery writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American short story writers