Whether it’s about the history of seal hunting in the Bering Sea or the biography of a woman who accidentally triggered a gold rush in the Klondike, author Deb Vanasse’s stories explore Alaska as much as they document the people she writes about.
Vanasse will be the guest author at the Cannon Beach Library at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20. The free event will be hybrid; her presentation will be presented in person and online, via the library’s website,
www.cannonbeachlibrary.org.
The Warrenton, Oregon author spent 36 years in Alaska, where she co-founded 49 Writers, a statewide writing center offering creative writing workshops. Vanasse has written 25 books in various genres, including nonfiction, historical fiction and children’s books; most are focused on Alaska.
Her 2022 release, Roar of the Sea, was an Oregon State Book award finalist. It tells the story of the unlikely hero who fought pirates and national governments to save Alaskan fur seals from extinction.
In 2016, Vanasse published Wealth Woman, about Kate Carmack, a Tagish woman who was a key figure in the discovery that set off the Klondike gold rush.
Vanasse enjoys seeking out hidden histories, and she likes to keep readers turning pages with characters who aren’t easily forgotten.
When she isn’t buying books, drinking tea or walking her boxer dog at the beach, Vanasse also does freelance editorial work, helping authors pull together plots, develop characters, and fine-tune their voice and pacing.
Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Vanasse’s presentation is coordinated by the Cannon Beach Library’s NW Authors Series Committee, which sponsors authors monthly from September through May. The committee also sponsors the Writers Read Celebration, where residents and visitors read works based on a local theme. This year, the celebration will be on March 22; the theme is “Beach Noir.”
