Dana Cameron | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 (age 58–59) |
| Occupation |
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| Education | Ph.D. |
| Period | 2002–present |
| Genre |
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| Notable awards | Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity |
| Website | |
| www | |
Dana Cameron (born 1965) is an American archaeologist, and author of award-winning crime fiction and urban fantasy.
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Dana Cameron began her professional career as an historical archaeologist specializing in British and New England cultural history from 1607 to 1760. She presently lives in Beverly, Massachusetts.[1]
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 Mystery Magazine in 2012. Shortlisted for the prestigious Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award, Dana Cameron has won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity 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 and urban fantasy. 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, Sisters in Crime (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 (BSI), a "Sherlockian literary society", with the investiture of "The Giant Rat of Sumatra".[2][3]
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[4] on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel, starring Courtney Thorne-Smith and James Tupper.[5] The second movie, Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery, premiered in January 2018,[6] and a third, More Bitter Than Death, was telecast in 2019.[7]
