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Alma Katsu

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Alma Katsu
Alma Katsu
BornAlma Katsu
(1959-11-29) November 29, 1959 (age 65)
Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.
Occupation
  • Author
  • novelist
  • writer
EducationBrandeis University (BA)
Johns Hopkins University (MA)
GenreParanormal romance, historical fiction, Gothic fiction, dark fantasy
Notable worksThe Taker, The Reckoning, The Descent
Notable awardsBram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction (2022)
SpouseBruce Katsu
Website
almakatsubooks.com

Alma Katsu (born November 29, 1959) is an American writer of adult fiction. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages,[1][2][3] and have been published in the United Kingdom,[4][5] Brazil,[6] Spain, and Italy.[7]

Katsu has also had a 29-year career in the NSA and CIA working in a number of positions dealing with intelligence and foreign policy, with an emphasis on technology issues. She previously worked as a senior policy analyst for the RAND Corporation.[8][9]

Biography

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Katsu was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, the daughter of an American-born father and a Japanese-born mother. She spent the majority of her youth living near Concord, Massachusetts, to which she attributes her interest in the early American history featured in her novels.[10] She attended Brandeis University (BA in literature and writing, 1981), where she studied with novelist John Irving and children's book author Margaret Rey, and the Johns Hopkins University (MA in fiction, 2004).[11] She is also an alumna of the Squaw Valley writers workshops.[12][13]

Career

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Katsu's writing has received praise for its quality and ability to create authentic and realistic settings.[14][15][16][17] She published her first novel, The Taker, in 2011 through Gallery Books. It received praise from outlets such as Booklist and The Washington Post[18] and was recognized as one of the ten best debut novels of the year by the American Library Association.[19]

Described as a literary take on the Faustian bargain,[20] The Taker Trilogy tells the story of a young woman who has been given eternal life but comes to see this condition as a punishment for evil acts she perpetrated in life and is now condemned to revisit until the end of time.

Personal life

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She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband, musician Bruce Katsu.[13]

Bibliography

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Taker trilogy

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  • —— (2011). The Taker. Gallery Books. ISBN 9781439197059.
  • —— (2012). The Reckoning. Gallery Books. ISBN 9781451651805.
  • —— (2014). The Descent. Gallery Books. ISBN 9781451651829.

Lyndsey Duncan novels

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Standalone novels

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Chapbooks

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  • —— (2012). The Devil's Scribe. Pocket Star Books. ISBN 9781451687965.
  • —— (2013). The Witch Sisters. Melancholy Press. ASIN B008N1YHPM.
  • —— (2022). The Wehrwolf.

Short stories

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Awards

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The Taker was named one of the ten best debut novels of 2011 by Booklist magazine, the publication of the American Library Association.[33] The second novel, The Reckoning, was nominated for several year-end awards including Goodreads Choice Award for Best Paranormal Fantasy[34] and Romantic Times Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award for Best Paranormal Romance.[35] The Deep was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel[36] and a finalist for the Locus Award for Best Horror Novel.[37]

Year Title Award Category Place
2012 The Reckoning Goodreads Choice Awards Paranormal Fantasy Nom (19th)
The Reckoning Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award Paranormal Romance
2018 The Hunger Bram Stoker Award Novel Shortlisted
Goodreads Choice Awards Horror Nom (8th)
2019 Locus Award Horror Novel Nom (5th)
2020 The Deep Bram Stoker Award Novel Shortlisted
2021 Locus Award Horror Novel Nom (8th)
2022 The Fervor Bram Stoker Award Novel Shortlisted
Goodreads Choice Awards Horror Nom (20th)
The Wehrwolf Bram Stoker Award Long Fiction Won
2023 The Fervor Locus Award Horror Novel Shortlisted
The Wehrwolf Shirley Jackson Award Best Novella Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "BEA Show Daily 2011: At Gallery- A One-Woman Show". Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  2. ^ "The Big Books of BEA 2011: Adult Titles". Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  3. ^ "The New (Para) Normal". Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  4. ^ "Supernatural debut for Cornerstone - The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  5. ^ "Entertainment reviews: 14 April". April 14, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  6. ^ "Alma Katsu - Autores no SKOOB". www.skoob.com.br. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  7. ^ "Ecco come passare dalla Cia ai romanzi gotici". February 16, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  8. ^ "RAND Corporation Provides Objective Research Services and Public Policy Analysis". www.rand.org. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  9. ^ "Alma Katsu biography at Penguin". Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Former Beacon reporter publishes a novel, Margaret Smith, September 29, 2011, The Beacon newspapers, Archived March 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Alma Katsu". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "NotableAlumniWriters". www.squawvalleywriters.org. Archived from the original on October 4, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Bio". Almakatsubooks.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  14. ^ Taker, by Alma Katsu - Booklist Online – via www.booklistonline.com.
  15. ^ "Fiction Book Review: The Taker by Alma Katsu. S&S/Gallery, $25 (448p) ISBN 978-1-4391-9705-9". Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Book Review: The Deep by Alma Katsu". Culturefly. March 11, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  17. ^ "January 2012 Table of Contents". December 29, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  18. ^ Hand, Elizabeth (December 27, 2011). "Alma Katsu's 'The Taker'". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  19. ^ Top 10 First Novels: 2011, by Donna Seaman - Booklist Online – via www.booklistonline.com.
  20. ^ One Super(natural) Debut, Carolyn Cooke, Surrey Now newspaper, October 6, 2011, Archived November 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ Weinman, Sarah (March 19, 2021). "She Awoke in Central Park, Handcuffed to a Stranger. What Happened?". New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  22. ^ Duffy, Bob (March 31, 2021). "Red Widow: A Novel". Washington Independent Review of Books. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  23. ^ LeBor, Adam (April 5, 2021). "The best new thrillers — tales of conflict and espionage". Financial Times. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  24. ^ Lipez, Richard (March 5, 2021). "Five thrillers to read now — and soon". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  25. ^ "Q&A Alma Katsu". Mystery and Suspense Magazine. March 21, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  26. ^ "John Langan Reviews The Hunger by Alma Katsu". Locus Online. May 29, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  27. ^ Macallister, Greer (March 15, 2018). "'The Hunger' Is a Supernatural Spin on the Donner Party". Chicago Review of Books. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  28. ^ Spry, Jeff (March 7, 2018). "Author Alma Katsu on her new historical horror novel, The Hunger". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  29. ^ Cha, Steph. "'The Hunger' relives horrors of Donner Party cannibalism, with supernatural twist". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  30. ^ Lovegrove, James (June 1, 2018). "Short review: The Hunger by Alma Katsu". Financial Times. Archived from the original on June 3, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  31. ^ "Thrillers review: The Hunger; All the Beautiful Lies; Paper Ghosts". the Guardian. April 24, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  32. ^ "Review "The Deep" by Alma Katsu". Suspense Magazine. May 11, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  33. ^ "Book Review Site for Librarians in Public Libraries and School Libraries - Booklist Online". www.booklistonline.com. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  34. ^ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Paranormal Fantasy!". Goodreads. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  35. ^ "RT Award Nominees & Winners". Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  36. ^ "The 2020 Bram Stoker Awards® Final Ballot: Winners and Nominees". The Bram Stoker Awards. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  37. ^ "2021 Locus Awards Top Ten Finalists". Locus Magazine. May 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
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