Ellen Hart Explained

Ellen Hart should not be confused with Ellen Hart Peña.

Ellen Hart
Birth Date:10 August 1949
Occupation:Novelist
Genre:Mystery fiction, LGBT fiction
Subjects:-->
Notable Works:Jane Lawless series, Sophie Greenway series
Spouses:-->
Partners:-->
Awards:Mystery Writers of America Grand Master
5-time Lambda Literary Award winner
Golden Crown Literary Society Trailblazer Award
Years Active:1989–present

Ellen Hart (born August 10, 1949) is the award-winning mystery author of the Jane Lawless and Sophie Greenway series. Born in Maine, she was a professional chef for 14 years. Hart's mysteries include culinary elements similar to those of Diane Mott Davidson.[1]

Life and career

The author says of her work, "I don't write about the Mean Streets. I don't live there .... I don't do lots of blood and gore. I don't do sex scenes in any great detail. I'd never kill a dog or a cat. I guess you could call my style, maximal suspense and minimal gore."[2] Hart is openly lesbian.[3] Her Jane Lawless series features a lesbian restaurateur and her smart mouth best friend, Cordelia Thorn. The Jane Lawless series began in 1989 and is an early post-Stonewall example of the mystery genre in lesbian literature. Hart's novels deal with LGBT issues and five of the Lawless series have won Lambda Literary Awards.[4]

Dubbed the "lesbian answer to Agatha Christie,[5] " for her Jane Lawless series, Hart also pens the culinary Sophie Greenway mystery series. She frequently tours[6] and lectures on the craft of mystery writing. She has contributed to numerous crime writer anthologies including Resort to Murder: Thirteen More Tales of Mystery by Minnesota's Premier Writers.

In 2005, Hart was inducted into the Saints and Sinners Hall of Fame, joining literary greats such as Dorothy Allison, Felice Picano, Katherine V. Forrest, and others. At the 2007 annual meeting of the Golden Crown Literary Society, Hart was the keynote speaker. Nominated twenty-three times for the Lambda Literary Award, Hart has won six.

In 2010, Hart won the Trailblazer Award from the Golden Crown Literary Society which honours the contributions of lesbian writers. Previous winners include Ann Bannon, Jane Rule, and Lee Lynch. In 2017, she became the first openly LGBT writer to be named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.[7]

She is a founding member of The Minnesota Crime Wave along with Twin Cities crime-fiction writers Carl Brookins and William Kent Krueger. The Minnesota Crime Wave's TV show about mysteries and writing airs on CTV-15 in the Twin Cities or episodes can be seen at MinnesotaCrimeWave.org.

Hart has taught introductory classes for mystery writers at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis for many years. She and Kathy, her partner of over thirty years, lived in Minneapolis[3] until 2012 when they downsized and now live in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Awards and honors

In 2010, Ellen Hart received the Golden Crown Literary Society's Trailblazer Award.[8]

Awards for Hart's writing!Year!Work!Award!Result!Ref.
1990Hallowed MurderFinalist[9]
1993Stage FrightFinalist[10]
1995A Small Sacrifice Winner[11]
Minnesota Book Award for Mystery & Detective Winner[12]
1996Faint PraiseFinalist[13]
Minnesota Book Award for Mystery & Detective Winner
1997Robber's WineWinner[14]
1999Wicked GamesFinalist[15]
2000Hunting the WitchWinner[16]
2002The Merchant of Venus Winner[17]
2003Immaculate Midnight Winner[18]
2005An Intimate GhostGolden Crown Literary Society Award for MysteryWinner[19] [20]
Finalist[21]
2006The Iron GirlGolden Crown Literary Society Award for MysteryWinner
Minnesota Book Award for Popular Fiction Winner
Finalist[22]
2007Night VisionFinalist[23]
2008The Mortal GrooveGolden Crown Literary Society Award for Dramatic General Fiction Winner[24]
Finalist[25]
2009Sweet Poison Finalist[26]
2010The Mirror and the MaskFinalist[27]
2011The Cruel Ever After Golden Crown Literary Society Award for MysteryNominee
Finalist
2013Rest for the WickedFinalist[28]
2014Taken by the WindFinalist[29]
2015The Old Deep and Dark Winner[30] [31]
2016The Grave SoulMinnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction Winner
2018Fever in the DarkLambda Literary Award for Lesbian MysteryFinalist[32]
2019A Whisper of BonesFinalist[33]
2020Twisted at the RootLambda Literary Award for Lesbian MysteryFinalist[34] [35]

Bibliography

Anthology contributions

Anthologies edited

Jane Lawless series

  1. Hallowed Murder (1989)
  2. Vital Lies (1991)
  3. Stage Fright (1992)
  4. A Killing Cure (1993)
  5. A Small Sacrifice (1994)
  6. Faint Praise (1995)
  7. Robber's Wine (1996)
  8. Wicked Games (1998)
  9. Hunting The Witch (1999)
  10. The Merchant of Venus (2001)
  11. Immaculate Midnight (2001)
  12. An Intimate Ghost (2004)
  13. The Iron Girl (2005)
  14. Night Vision (2006)
  15. The Mortal Groove (2007)
  16. Sweet Poison (2008)
  17. The Mirror and the Mask (2009)
  18. The Cruel Ever After (2010)
  19. The Lost Women of Lost Lake (2011)
  20. Rest for the Wicked (2012)
  21. Taken by the Wind (2013)
  22. The Old Deep and Dark (2014)
  23. The Grave Soul (2015)
  24. Fever in the Dark (2017)
  25. A Whisper of Bones (2018)
  26. Twisted at the Root (2019)
  27. In A Midnight Wood (2020)

Sophie Greenway series

  1. This Little Piggy Went to Murder (1994)
  2. For Every Evil (1995)
  3. The Oldest Sin (1996)
  4. Murder in the Air (1997)
  5. Slice and Dice (2000)
  6. Dial M For Meat Loaf (2001)
  7. Death on a Silver Platter (2003)
  8. No Reservations Required (2005)

References

  1. Web site: Oh no! | Harris County Public Library . 2008-08-22 . https://archive.today/20120804161040/http://www.hcpl.lib.tx.us/booklists/culmys.htm . 2012-08-04 . dead .
  2. Web site: Interview with "The Minnesota Crime Wave" . Jon Jordan . booksnbytes.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120511111549/http://www.booksnbytes.com/auth_interviews/minnesota.html . 2012-05-11.
  3. Web site: Ellen Hart Sheds Light on Her Mystery Writing . Owen Keehnen . glbtq . 2008-08-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080513101838/http://www.glbtq.com/sfeatures/interviewehart.html . 2008-05-13 .
  4. Web site: Q and A with Ellen Hart. 2007-03-30.
  5. Web site: Seajay. Carol. Carol Seajay. Books to Watch Out for Lesbian Edition, Vol 1, #2. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120419021405/http://www.btwof.com/enews/templates/2LES_HTML.html . 2012-04-19 . Books To Watch Out For.
  6. Web site: Writers on the Road, Ellen Hart, Lori Lake - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive - Windy City Times. Windy City. Times. Windy City Times. 30 March 2005 .
  7. Web site: Walters . Gillian . Lez Dish it OUT! - Lesbianing With AfterEllen Friday Round-Up . AfterEllen . 2017-01-10 . 2017-01-21.
  8. Web site: 2010 Award Winners . 2022-02-27 . Golden Crown Literary Society.
  9. Web site: 1990-07-13 . 2nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards . 2022-02-27 . Lambda Literary . en.
  10. Web site: 1992-07-14 . 4th Annual Lambda Literary Awards . 2022-02-27 . Lambda Literary . en.
  11. Web site: Gonzalez Cerna . Antonio . 1995-07-15 . 7th Annual Lambda Literary Awards . 2022-02-27 . Lambda Literary . en.
  12. Web site: Minnesota Book Awards Winners & Finalists . 2022-02-27 . The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library . 4 September 2017 . en-US.
  13. Web site: Gonzalez Cerna . Antonio . 1996-07-15 . 8th Annual Lambda Literary Awards . https://web.archive.org/web/20220121001311/https://lambdaliterary.org/1996/07/lambda-literary-awards-1995/ . 2022-01-21 . 2022-02-27 . Lambda Literary . en . bot: unknown .
  14. Web site: Antonio . Gonzalez Cerna . 1997-07-15 . 9th Annual Lambda Literary Awards . 2022-01-18 . Lambda Literary . en.
  15. Web site: Antonio . Gonzalez Cerna . 1999-07-15 . 11th Annual Lambda Literary Awards . 2022-01-18 . Lambda Literary . en.
  16. Web site: Antonio . Gonzalez Cerna . 2000-07-15 . 12th Annual Lambda Literary Awards . 2022-01-18 . Lambda Literary . en.
  17. Web site: Gonzalez Cerna. Antonio. 2002-07-10. 14th Annual Lambda Literary Awards. live. 2022-01-14. Lambda Literary. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20200804145706/https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2002/07/lambda-literary-awards-2001/ . 2020-08-04 .
  18. Web site: Schechner. Karen. 2003-06-04. Lambda Literary Foundation Presents 2003 Lammies. live. 2022-01-14. American Booksellers Association. https://web.archive.org/web/20220114215043/http://archivenews.bookweb.org/news/lambda-literary-foundation-presents-2003-lammies.html . 2022-01-14 .
  19. Web site: 2005 Award Winners . 2022-02-27 . Golden Crown Literary Society.
  20. Web site: Mystery/Thriller Winners . 2022-02-27 . Golden Crown Literary Society.
  21. Web site: Gonzalez Cerna . Antonio . 2005-07-09 . 17th Annual Lambda Literary Awards . 2022-01-18 . Lambda Literary . en.
  22. Web site: Gonzalez Cerna . Antonio . 2013-12-11 . 18th Annual Lambda Literary Awards . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131211105334/http://www.lambdaliterary.org/winners-finalists/04/09/lambda-literary-awards-2005/ . 11 December 2013 . 2022-01-18 . Lambda Literary.
  23. Web site: 2006-04-30. 19th Annual Lambda Literary Awards. 2022-01-12. Lambda Literary. en.
  24. Web site: 2009 Award Winners . 2022-02-27 . Golden Crown Literary Society.
  25. Web site: 2007-04-30. 20th Annual Lambda Literary Awards. 2022-01-12. Lambda Literary. en.
  26. Web site: Gonzalez Cerna . Antonio . 2010-02-18 . 21st Annual Lambda Literary Awards . 2022-02-27 . Lambda Literary . en.
  27. Web site: Valenzuela. Tony. 2010-05-10. 22nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards. live. 2022-01-12. Lambda Literary. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20200809233141/https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2010/05/2010-awards-finalists-winners/ . 2020-08-09 .
  28. Web site: 2013-06-04. 25th Annual Lambda Literary Award Winners Announced!. 2022-01-14. Lambda Literary. en.
  29. Web site: 2014-06-03. Winners of the 26th Annual Lambda Literary Awards Announced. 2022-01-14. Lambda Literary. en.
  30. Web site: Bennett. Karma. 2015-06-04. Lambda Literary Award 2015 Winners Announced. live. 2022-01-14. Alibris. https://web.archive.org/web/20220114215043/https://www.alibris.com/blog/lambda-literary-award-2015-winners-announced/?doing_wp_cron=1642192409.1770710945129394531250 . 2022-01-14 .
  31. Web site: Hertzel . Laurie . 2015-06-18 . Ellen Hart wins her sixth Lambda Award . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150622063459/http://www.startribune.com/ellen-hart-wins-her-sixth-lambda-award/308217311/ . 2015-06-22 . 2022-01-16 . Star Tribune.
  32. Web site: Boureau . Ella . 2018-03-06 . 30th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced . 2022-02-27 . Lambda Literary . en.
  33. Web site: 2019-03-07 . 31st Annual Lammy Finalists . 2022-01-11 . Lambda Literary . en.
  34. Web site: Yee . Katie . 2020-03-10 . Here are the finalists for the 2020 Lambda Literary Awards! . 2022-02-27 . Literary Hub . en-US.
  35. Web site: Hart . Michelle . 2020-03-10 . Here are the Finalists For the 2020 Lambda Literary Awards . 2022-02-27 . Oprah Daily . en-US.

External links

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