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Diane A. S. Stuckart

Diane A. S. Stuckart began her writing career almost 20 years ago with five critically acclaimed historical romances from Pinnacle Books and Zebra Books. Writing as “Alexa Smart” and “Anna Gerard,” her novels included Masquerade, which was a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award finalist. Diane later moved on to writing short fiction under her own name. Her works appear in various anthologies, including Enchantment Place and Front Lines, all published by DAW Books.

Almost by accident, Diane eventually made the switch to the mystery genre with a limited series from Berkley Prime Crime featuring Leonardo da Vinci as a 15th century sleuth. The Queen’s Gambit, which introduced the Renaissance man and his trusty apprentice, Dino, was published in January 2008. Portrait of a Lady followed in January 2009, and was a Florida Book Awards Silver Medal winner in Popular Fiction. The third Leonardo book, A Bolt from the Blue, was published in January 2010. Her Leonardo books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal and have found great success in Leonardo’s home country of Italy.

Writing as “Ali Brandon,” Diane is also the national bestselling author of the contemporary cozy series, The Black Cat Bookshop Mysteries.

A native Texan with a journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma, Diane left the plains of North Texas for the beaches of South Florida, where she now resides with her husband and a small menagerie. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and the South Florida Chapter of MWA. When she’s not writing or at her day job—she’s a Certified Professional in Supply Management—she enjoys ghost hunting, gardening, and belly dancing.

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Historical Fiction by Diane A. S. Stuckart featured on this website

The Queen’s Gambit

Portrait of a Lady

A Bolt from the Blue

Other fiction by Diane A. S. Stuckart

Historical Romances

Contemporary Mysteries


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