Emilie Richards
Emilie Richards was born in Bethesda, Maryland and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. After receiving an undergraduate degree in American studies from Florida State University, Richards earned a master's degree in family development from Virginia Tech.
She worked as a therapist in a mental health center, before becoming a parent services coordinator for families enrolled in Head Start and then working in several pastoral counseling centers. Richards' husband is a Unitarian Universalist minister.[1]
Writing career Richards began writing in 1983 after the birth of her fourth child. Her son would sit on her lap as she wrote, and Richards titled her first completed work, Brendan's Song, after him.[2] The book was published in 1985 in the Silhouette Romance category line.[3] She has subsequently written over 40 novels for Silhouette, including six, all set in Australia or New Zealand, written during a four-month sabbatical in Australia.[2]
As a result of years working as a family counselor, her novels "feature complex characterizations and in-depth explorations of social issues."[4] Richards won a Romance Writers of America RITA Award, the highest award given to romance authors, in 1994 for Dragonslayer.[4] Richards has also been nominated three times for Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards and is a recipient of their Career Achievement Award.[5]
Despite the occasional use of overly clichéd lines, Richards' writing "effortlessly flows from page to page."[6] Her characters often sport unusual quirks, such as a penchant for strange sandwich ingredients, which gives the story an added charm.[6]
In 2004, Richards began a new series of single-title novels centered around quilting. These novels were inspired by a volunteer stint with VISTA. While she was an undergraduate, Richards spent a summer living in the Arkansas Ozark Mountains, helping the residents and learning to quilt.[1]
The following year, Richards began writing murder mysteries in addition to romance novels. The novels, in a series called Ministry is Murder, are based partially on her experience as a minister's wife and are written in first-person from the perspective of the heroine, minister's wife "Aggie" Wilcox. Characters in this series are "interesting [and] well-developed," although suspense is "minimal."
On the Web
Books
- All The Right Reasons - 1988
- All Those Years Ago - 1991
- Aloha Always - 1987
- Angel And The Saint - 1986
- Bayou Midnight - 1987
- Beautiful Lies - 1999
- Beware False Profits - 2007
- Billy Ray Wainwright - 1998
- Blessed Be The Busybody - 2005
- Brendan's Song - 1985
- Classic Encounter, A - 1988
- Color Of Light, The - 2015
- Desert Shadows - 1991
- Dragonslayer - 1993
- Duncan's Lady - 1995
- Endless Chain - 2005
- Family Of Strangers, A - 2019
- Fortunate Harbor - 2010
- Fox River - 2001
- From a Distance - 1992
- From Glowing Embers - 1988
- Fugitive - 1990
- Gilding The Lily - 1985
- Good Time Man - 1986
- Hanging By A Thread - 2004
- Happiness Key - 2009
- Hold Back The Night - 2017
- Home For The Holidays, A
- House Guests, The
- Iain Ross's Woman - 1995
- Iron Lace - 1996
- Island Glory - 1989
- Labor Dispute - 1990
- Lady Of The Night - 1986
- Let It Snow - 2013
- Let There Be Suspects - 2006
- Lie For A Lie, A - 2009
- Lover's Knot - 2006
- MacDougall's Darling - 1995
- Mail-Order Matty - 1996
- Mother's Day, A - 2010
- Naughty Or Nice - 1993
- Night Magic - 2018
- No River Too Wide - 2014
- Nobody's Child - 1998
- Once More With Feeling - 1996
- One Moment Past Midnight - 1999
- One Mountain Away - 2012
- One Perfect Rose - 1992
- Out Of The Ashes - 1992
- Outback Nights - 1987
- Parting Glass, The - 2003
- Prospect Street - 2002
- Rainbow Fire - 1989
- Rising Tides - 1997
- Runaway - 1990
- Season Of Miracles - 1986
- Sister's Choice - 2008
- Smoke Screen - 1988
- Something So Right - 1986
- Somewhere Between Luck And Trust - 2013
- Somewhere Out There - 1993
- Stranger's Son, A - 1997
- Sunset Bridge - 2011
- Surprise Of A Lifetime, The - 2019
- Swallow's Nest, The
- Sweet Georgia Gal - 1985
- Sweet Homecoming - 1987
- Sweet Mockingbird's Call - 1986
- Sweet Mountain Magic - 1986
- Sweet Sea Spirit - 1986
- That Old Familiar Feeling - 2003
- To The One I Love - 2010
- Touching Stars - 2007
- Treasure Beach - 2012
- Trouble With Joe, The - 1994
- Truth For A Truth, A - 2010
- Twice Upon A Time - 1997
- Twilight Shadows - 1991
- Unmasking, The - 1985
- Way Back Home, The - 1990
- Wedding Ring - 2004
- When We Were Sisters - 2016
- Whiskey Island - 2000
- Woman Without A Name - 1996
Non-Fiction
- Quilt Along With Emilie Richards: Lover’s Knot ISBN: 1574866273, 64 pages, Softcover
Series/Related Books
American Hero (multi-author series)
Family
From Bud To Blossom (multi-author series)
Goddesses Anonymous
Happiness Key
Hawaii
Iron Lace
Men In Blue (multi-author series)
The Men Of Midnight
Ministry Is Murder
New Orleans Nights
Otherworldly
Reincarnation
Runaway
Shadows
Shenandoah Album
Sonny's Girls (multi-author series)
Sweet Five
Tales Of The Pacific
Awards/Honors
- 1992-1993 Career Achievement Award Winner - Romantic Times Magazine - Best All Around Series Romance
- 1994 RITA® - Long Contemporary category for Dragonslayer
- 1996 RRA Awards Nominee - Best Series/Category Romance Author
