Craig Lancaster

Craig Lancaster (born 1970) is an American writer and journalist, best known for his novels 600 Hours of Edward, its sequel, Edward Adrift, and The Summer Son.[1][2][3] His other notable works include a short story collection as well as numerous articles and essays produced during his career as a newspaper writer and editor.[2][4][5] The author was lauded as "one of Montana's most important writers."[2][3][6]

Craig Lancaster
BornFebruary 9, 1970 (1970-02-09) (age 53)
Lakewood, Washington
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Writer, journalist
Known fornovels: 600 Hours of Edward, Edward Adrift, The Summer Son

Lancaster's works are set against the backdrop of the contemporary American West, specifically Montana, where he lives and writes.[3][6][7] His prose has been described as deeply emotional and deceptively direct,[8] centering on intense characters who navigate obstacles and relationships in ways that are simultaneously humorous and poignant.[3][9][10][11] His literary influences include Hemingway, Steinbeck, Stegner, and Doig.[7][11][12]

Biography

Craig Lancaster was born in Lakewood, Washington, on February 9, 1970. He was adopted by a Wyoming couple who met in Billings, Montana, where he would eventually settle and launch his career as a novelist.[12][13] After his parents divorced in the early 1970s, his mother remarried and moved Craig to suburban Fort Worth, Texas.[6]

His step-father, a longtime sportswriter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, had a tremendous impact on Lancaster's formative years by encouraging his early interest in writing.[12][13][14][15] Lancaster's fascination with the "Western identity" was also rooted in his childhood, as he traveled extensively during summer vacations to visit his father, who followed work in Western oil fields.[6][12] Lancaster describes his early memories of Montana as "vast, beautiful, [and] overwhelming," and knew that he "wanted to be a part of it."[6][7][12]

Lancaster attended the University of Texas at Arlington, and subsequently made his foray into "The West" of his early imagination via a series of journalistic assignments that led him from Texas to Alaska, Kentucky, Ohio, California, Washington, and eventually, Montana.[4][12][13] In 2006, Lancaster moved to Montana, where he married and subsequently divorced in 2015.[13] Lancaster married fellow novelist Elisa Lorello in 2016.[16] His work as a writer and editor has appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the San Jose Mercury News, The Billings Gazette, Magic City Magazine.[3][4][5][17] He also serves as design director of Montana Quarterly, in addition to being a frequent contributor.[3]

Major works

Novels
  • 600 Hours of Edward (Riverbend Publishing, 2009)[6][12]
  • The Summer Son (Lake Union Publishing, 2011)[6][14]
  • Edward Adrift (Lake Union Publishing, 2013)[2][17]
  • The Fallow Season of Hugo Hunter (Lake Union Publishing, 2014)[18]
  • This Is What I Want (Lake Union Publishing, 2015)[19]
  • Edward Unspooled (Missouri Breaks Press, 2016)[20][21]
  • Julep Street (Missouri Breaks Press, 2017)[22][23]
  • You, Me, & Mr. Blue Sky, co-author with Elisa Lorello (Lancarello Enterprises, 2019)[24]

Short stories
  • Quantum Physics and The Art of Departure (Missouri Breaks Press, 2011),[9] republished in 2016 as The Art of Departure[25]

Non-fiction
  • Past-due Pastorals: Memories and Observations of a Mind Adrift in the West (2009)[26][27]

Awards and recognition
  • 2009 Montana Honor Book, 600 Hours of Edward[3][10][28]
  • 2010 High Plains Award Recipient, "Best First Book," 600 Hours of Edward[10][29][30]
  • 2010 Utah Book Award Finalist, The Summer Son[3][31]
  • 2012 Independent Publishers Book Award, Gold Medal, "Best Regional Fiction," Quantum Physics and The Art of Departure[3][9][32]
  • 2012 High Plains Award Finalist, Quantum Physics and The Art of Departure[3][33]
  • 2014 Kindle First Selection, The Fallow Season of Hugo Hunter[18]
  • 2016 High Plains Book Award Fiction Finalist, This Is What I Want[34]
  • 2017 International Book Awards Finalist, Edward Unspooled[35]

References
  1. Shank, Jenny (11 September 2013). "Two Novelists' Love/Hate Relationship with Social Media". PBS. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  2. Crisp, David."Edward Adrift" Archived 2013-11-14 at the Wayback Machine, The Billings Outpost, Billings, 15 June 2013. Retrieved on 6 November 2013.
  3. Moore, David, and Simon, Lisa., Reflections West, Year 2, Episode 35, Retrieved on 6 November 2013.
  4. Ames, Larry.“On the Move: Long Road leads to Top Job at Mercury News”, The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Retrieved on 6 November 2013.
  5. Ens, Kaitlin.“Craig Lancaster to Read at Dances with Words” Archived 2013-11-22 at the Wayback Machine, UMW News, Retrieved on 6 November 2013.
  6. http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/600Hours , Biography, Craig Lancaster, Retrieved on 6 November 2013.
  7. "C-Span City Tour - Billings". October 4, 2013. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  8. Shafter, Judy (May 10, 2011). "Craig Lancaster - The Summer Son". livelytimes.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  9. Puffer, Jerry (June 13, 2012). "Sad, Funny, Alarming". K96FM. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  10. Evison, Jonathan.“When We Fell In Love--Craig Lancaster”, Three Guys One Book (3G1B), 3 February 2001, Retrieved on 6 November 2013.
  11. Miller, Mark.“Reading Hemingway in Yellowstone”, M. Mark Miller--News, Views, & Stories, 1 March 2011, Retrieved on 6 November 2013.
  12. “Craig Lancaster”, Goodreads, Retrieved on 6 November 2013.
  13. “Craig Lancaster”, LibraryThing, Retrieved on 6 November 2013.
  14. Sandifer, Linda. “Author Interview: Craig Lancaster", Writing the West, 17 February 2011, Retrieved on 6 November 2013.
  15. “Craig Lancaster” Archived 2013-11-14 at the Wayback Machine, WritersNet, Retrieved on 6 November 2013.
  16. Lorello, Elisa."It's Not About the Ring", Elisa Lorello, Author and Writing Coach Blog. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  17. “Craig Lancaster, Author of Edward Adrift”, The Write Question, KUFM, Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  18. Collins, Katie (1 October 2014). "Kindle First gives early access to Amazon titles for 99p". Wired. Wired.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  19. https://beta.prx.org/stories/157800 , "The Write Question-Craig Lancaster", Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  20. "Edward Unspooled | Craig Lancaster". Archived from the original on 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  21. "Craig Lancaster | Edward Unspooled". 25 November 2016.
  22. http://craig-lancaster.com/julep-street/%5B%5D
  23. "Newspaper shutdown sets stage for new Lancaster novel | Last Best News". Archived from the original on 2017-05-31. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  24. Hergett, Rachel. "'You Me and Mr. Blue Sky' first collaboration for writing duo". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  25. "The Art of Departure | Craig Lancaster". Archived from the original on 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  26. http://www.worldcat.org/title/past-due-pastorals-memories-and-observations-of-a-mind-adrift-in-the-west/oclc/317879476 , WorldCat, Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  27. https://archive.today/20131108183729/http://www.authorsden.com/categories/book_top.asp?catid=25&id=32993 , AuthorsDen, Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  28. “Montana Book Award Honors 5 Authors”, Billings Gazette, Billings, 6 March 2010, Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  29. “High Plains Book Award/Previous Winners” Archived 2016-03-14 at the Wayback Machine, Parmly Billings Library, Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  30. “Craig Lancaster”, Billings Gazette, Billings, Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  31. “Lancaster Novel a Finalist for Utah Book Award”, Billings Gazette, Billings, 31 July 2011, Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  32. “High Plains Book Awards Announces Finalists”, Billings Gazette, Billings, 24 May 2012, Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  33. “2012 High Plains Book Awards Finalists”, Billings Gazette, Billings, 14 October 2012, Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  34. "2016 High Plains Book Awards Finalists", Billings Public Library, High Plains Book Award. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  35. "International Book Awards - Honoring Excellence in Independent & Mainstream Publishing". Archived from the original on 2017-05-29. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
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