about
Claudia Cravens grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a BA in literature from Bard College and participated in Catapult's Twelve-Month Novel Generator. Her novel Lucky Red was a USA Today bestseller, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and was named a Best Debut of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews, Autostraddle, and Apple Books. She lives in New York's Hudson Valley.
The heart wants what it wants. Saddle up, ride out, and claim it.
When Bridget arrives penniless in Dodge City, already disillusioned by feckless men and the uncompromising landscape, she has only her wits to keep her alive. Thanks to the allure of her bright red hair and country-girl beauty, she’s recruited to work at the Buffalo Queen, the only brothel in town run by women. Bridget takes to brothel life, appreciating the good food, good pay, and good friendships she forms with her fellow “sporting women.”
But with the arrival of some infamous outlaws at the start of winter, tensions in Dodge City run high. When the Buffalo Queen’s peace and security are threatened, Bridget must decide what she owes to the women she loves and what it looks like to claim her own destiny.
praise for lucky red
“Cravens debuts with an exceptional historical tale of sex work and queer desire on the American frontier…Cravens peppers the thrilling plot with delicious language (Bridget’s clients are ‘a series of hats and mustaches’; Jim’s marriage offer feels ‘wedged in [her] chest, like a piece of furniture that can’t be got through a doorway’), and her sensitive portrayal of Bridget’s uncertainty over her sexuality resonates. This is a knockout.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
starred review