Best American Science and Nature Writing

Amy Stewart (born August 18, 1967) is an American author best known for her novels set in the American South, often featuring historical or botanical themes. Stewart grew up in California and received a degree in English from UC Berkeley. She worked as a journalist before publishing her first novel, "Girl Waits with Gun," in 1999. The novel won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel and was adapted into a Hallmark Channel movie. Stewart's subsequent novels have also been critically acclaimed. "The River of No Return" (2003) was a New York Times bestseller and received the Romantic Times Krime Novella of the Year Award. "The Last Innocent Hour" (2007) was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In addition to her novels, Stewart has written several non-fiction books on gardening and home cultivation. Her book "The Drunken Botanist" (2013) was a finalist for the James Beard Award for Best Writing on Food.