Claudia Cravens

Lucky Red, Claudia Cravens's first novel, arrived from The Dial Press in June 2023 and became a USA Today bestseller. It is a western set in Dodge City in 1877, narrated by Bridget, who arrives orphaned and penniless and finds work at the Buffalo Queen, a house run by women, and a footing among the people there. Kirkus named it a best debut of the year and credited it with shaking the dust off the genre's tired habits; Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review. Cravens grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and studied literature at Bard, then took Catapult's year-long novel generator course. She has since left New York City for the Hudson Valley.