Early life

Although Barr was born in Yerington, Nevada, she was named not after her state of birth but after a character in one of her father's favorite books. She grew up in Johnstonville, California, and finished college at the University of California, Irvine. With a master's degree in drama, she pursued a career in theater, TV, films, commercials and voice work for almost two decades.

Writing

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.

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 New York City.

Bibliography

Anna Pigeon series

• 1993 Track of the Cat (ISBN 0-399-13824-2)
  Guadalupe Mountains National Park
• 1994 A Superior Death (ISBN 0-399-13916-8)
  Isle Royale National Park
• 1995 Ill Wind (ISBN 0-399-14015-8)
  Mesa Verde National Park
• 1996 Firestorm (ISBN 0-399-14126-X)
  Lassen Volcanic National Park
• 1997 Endangered Species (ISBN 0-399-14246-0)
  Cumberland Island National Seashore
• 1998 Blind Descent (ISBN 0-399-14371-8)
  Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• 1999 Liberty Falling (ISBN 0-399-14459-5)
  Statue of Liberty National Monument
• 2000 Deep South (ISBN 0-399-14586-9)
  Natchez Trace Parkway
• 2001 Blood Lure (ISBN 0-399-14702-0)
  Glacier National Park
• 2002 Hunting Season (ISBN 0-399-14846-9)
  Natchez Trace Parkway
• 2003 Flashback (ISBN 0-399-14975-9)
  Dry Tortugas National Park
• 2004 High Country (ISBN 0-399-15144-3)
  Yosemite National Park
• 2005 Hard Truth (ISBN 0-399-15241-5)
  Rocky Mountain National Park
• 2008 Winter Study (ISBN 978-0-399-15458-4)
  Isle Royale National Park
• 2009 Borderline (ISBN 978-0-399-15569-7)
  Big Bend National Park
• 2010 Burn (ISBN 978-0-312-61456-0)
  New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
• 2012 The Rope (ISBN 978-0-312-61457-7)
  Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
• 2014 Destroyer Angel (ISBN 978-0-312-61458-4)
  Superior National Forest
• 2016 Boar Island (ISBN 978-1-250-06469-1)
  Acadia National Park

Other books

Barr has published two other novels besides the Anna Pigeon series in addition to a non-fiction book:

• 1984 Bittersweet (ISBN 0-312-08244-4), a lesbian historical novel set in the days of the Western frontier
• 2003 Seeking Enlightenment... Hat by Hat: A Skeptic's Guide to Religion (ISBN 0-399-15057-9), a memoir
• 2009 13½ (ISBN 978-1-59315-553-7), a psychological thriller

Awards

Barr has received a number of awards and nominations for her work. Her début novel, Track of the Cat, won the 1994 Anthony Award and Agatha Award for "Best First Novel". Her next novel, Superior Death, was nominated for the Dilys Award in 1995. Firestorm was nominated for the 1997 Anthony Award in the "Best Novel" category. Blind Descent was the next novel to receive attention from the mystery community, receiving a "Best Novel" nomination at the 1999 Anthony Awards, Dilys Awards and the Macavity Awards in the same year. Deep South, published in 2000, won the Barry Award for "Best Novel" and was again nominated for the Anthony Award in the same category.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]