Dana Stabenow (born March 27, 1952 in Anchorage, Alaska) is an American author of science fiction, mystery/crime fiction, suspense/thriller, and historical adventure novels.Many of Stabenow's books are set in her home state of Alaska, where she was raised by her single mother who lived and worked on a fish tender in the Gulf of Alaska, and feature numerous descriptions of Alaska's geography, geology, weather, and wildlife.Stabenow received a BA in journalism from the University of Alaska in 1973 and, after deciding to try her hand as an author, later enrolled in UAA's MFA program.Her first novel, Second Star, was bought by Ace Science Fiction in 1990. It was followed by two other science fiction books. Her first Kate Shugak mystery, A Cold Day for Murder, won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original in 1993.Her 2011 Kate Shugak mystery, Though Not Dead, received the 2012 Nero Award.In 2007 Stabenow was named Alaska Artist of the Year in the Governor's Awards for the Arts and Humanities.In 2011, Stabenow wrote on her blog an informative article about her childhood reading experiences and how these influenced her to write detective novels.