Emilie Richards is an American author of over 50 contemporary

romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...

and

mystery novels Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...

Early years

Emilie Richards was born in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

and raised in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

. After receiving an undergraduate degree in American studies from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

, Richards earned a master's degree in family development from

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

. She worked as a

therapist A therapist is a person who offers any kinds of therapy. Therapists are trained professionals in the field of any types of services like psychologists, social workers, counselors, etc. They are helpful in counseling individuals for various mental ...

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 Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

minister.

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. The book was published in 1985 in the

Silhouette A silhouette (, ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhouett ...

Romance category line. 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. As a result of years working as a family counselor, her novels "feature complex characterizations and in-depth explorations of social issues." Richards won a

Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by inc ...

RITA Award, the highest award given to romance authors, in 1994 for ''Dragonslayer''. Richards has also been nominated three times for ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Awards and is a recipient of their Career Achievement Award. Despite the occasional use of overly clichéd lines, Richards' writing "effortlessly flows from page to page." Her characters often sport unusual quirks, such as a penchant for strange sandwich ingredients, which gives the story an added charm. In 2004, Richards began a new series of single-title novels centered around quilting. These novels were inspired by a volunteer stint with

VISTA Vista may refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 * VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) a medical records system of the United States ...

. While she was an undergraduate, Richards spent a summer living in the

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

Ozark Mountains The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

, helping the residents and learning to quilt. 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 ndwell-developed," although suspense is "minimal."

Personal life

Richards and her husband, Michael, have three biological sons and a daughter who was adopted from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. They have lived throughout the United States, including in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. As of 2007, they reside in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

. She was the first person to be named to the National Advisory Board of ABC Quilts, a non-profit association which teaches people to quilt.

Series

Ministry is Murder

* ''Blessed is the Busybody'' (2005) * ''Let There Be Suspects'' (2006) * ''Beware False Profits'' (2007) * ''A Lie for a Lie'' (2009) * ''A Truth for a Truth'' (10/2010)

Shenandoah Album

* ''Wedding Ring'' (2004) * ''Endless Chain'' (2005) * ''Lover's Knot'' (2006) * ''Touching Stars'' (2007) * ''Sister's Choice'' (2008)

MacDonalds Sisters

* ''Sweet Georgia Gal'' (1985) * ''Sweet Sea Spirit'' (1986) * ''Sweet Mockingbird's Call'' (1986) * ''Sweet Mountain Magic'' (1986) * ''Sweet Homecoming'' (1987)

Men of Midnight

* ''Duncan's Lady'' (1995) * ''Iain Ross's Woman'' (1995) * ''MacDougall's Darling'' (1995)

Maggie

* ''Lady of the Night'' (1986) * ''Bayou Midnight'' (1987)

Tales of the Pacific

* ''From Glowing Embers'' (1988) * ''Smoke Screen'' (1988) * ''Rainbow Fire'' (1989) * ''Out of the Ashes'' (1992)

Jensen

* ''Runaway'' (1990) * ''Way Back Home'' (1990) * ''Fugitive'' (1990)

Whiskey Isl.

* ''Whiskey Island'' (2000) * ''Parting Glass'' (2003)

Gerritsen

* ''Iron Lace'' (1996) * ''Rising Tides'' (1997)

Alden

* ''From a Distance'' (1992) * ''Somewhere Out There'' (1993)

Shadows

* ''Desert Shadows'' (1991) * ''Twilight Shadows'' (1991)

Novels

* ''Brendan's Song'' (1985) * ''Gilding the Lily'' (1985) * ''The Unmasking'' (1985) * ''Angel and the Saint'' (1986) * ''Something So Right'' (1986) * ''Good Time Man'' (1986) * ''Season of Miracles'' (1986) * ''Outback Nights'' (1987) * ''Aloha Always'' (1987) * ''All the Right Reasons'' (1988) * ''Classic Encounter'' (1988) * ''Island Glory'' (1989) * ''All Those Years Ago'' (1991) * ''One Perfect Rose'' (1992) * ''Dragonslayer'' (1993) * ''The Trouble with Joe'' (1994) * ''Once More With Feeling'' (1996) * ''Woman Without a Name'' (1996) * ''Mail-order Matty'' (1996) * ''Twice upon a Time'' (1997) * ''One Moment Past Midnight'' (1999) * ''Beautiful Lies'' (1999) * ''Fox River'' (2001) * ''Prospect Street'' (2002)

Omnibus / Compilations

* ''Christmas Classics'' (1989) (with Joan Hohl) * ''Birds Bees and Babies'' (1990) (with Jennifer Greene, Karen Keast) * ''Mistletoe and Holly / Sweet Sea Spirit'' (1991) (with

Janet Dailey Janet Anne Haradon Dailey (May 21, 1944 – December 14, 2013) was an American author of numerous romance novels as Janet Dailey (her married name). Her novels have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold more than 300 million ...

) * ''Desperate Needs'' (1995) (with Fern Michaels and

Sherryl Woods Sherryl Woods (pen names Alexandra Kirk and Suzanne Sherrill; born July 23, 1944, Arlington, Virginia) is an American writer of over 110 romance and mystery novels since 1982. Her Chesapeake Shores novels inspired a six season series on Hall ...

) * ''Outlaws and Lovers'' (1996) (with Naomi Horton, Kathleen Korbel) * ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Delivery Room'' (1997) (with Kathleen Eagle, Kasey Michaels) * ''A Mother's Gift'' (1998) (with Kathleen Eagle, Joan Elliott Pickart) * ''Southern Gentlemen'' (1998) (with Jennifer Blake) * ''A Mother's Day'' (2002) (with

Elizabeth Bevarly Elizabeth Bevarly (born 1961 in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American writer of over 70 romance novels since 1989. She is a ''New York Times'' bestselling author. Biography Bevarly was born in 1961 and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. Her grandmo ...

Marie Ferrarella Marie Ferrarella, née Rydzynski (born March 28, 1948, in West Germany) is an American writer of over 272 romance novels as Marie Ferrarella, which have been translated into at least seven languages. She has also written under the names Marie N ...

) * ''Maybe This Time'' (2003) (with Fern Michaels and Sherryl Woods) * ''To the One I Love'' (2003) (with Allison Leigh, Peggy Moreland) * ''More Than Words'' (2004) (with

Susan Mallery Susan Mallery (born 1970) is an American author of popular romance novels set in non-urban, close-knit communities. Because of her love for animals, pets play a significant role in her books. Biography Born in 1970, Susan grew up in the Los An ...

, Carla Neggers, Brenda Novak, Diana Palmer) * ''Mother's Love'' (2004) (with Elizabeth Bevarly, Marie Ferrarella) * ''Nobody's Child / Older Woman / Royal MacAllister'' (2004) (with Joan Elliott Pickart, Cheryl Reavis) * ''Love Undercover'' (2004) (with Merline Lovelace) * ''A Mother's Touch: Way Home / Stranger's Son / Paternity Test'' (2005) (with

Linda Howard Linda S. Howington (born August 3, 1950 in Alabama, United States) is an American best-selling romance/suspense author under her pseudonym Linda Howard. Biography Howington began to write at nine years old, and wrote for twenty years for her ...

and Sherryl Woods) * ''Lady of the Night / Island Glory'' (2005) * ''From This Day Forward'' (2005) (with Marie Ferrarella)

Filmography

A series of German TV films *''Sehnsucht nach Neuseeland'' (2009, based on ''Smoke Screen'') *''Das Paradies am Ende der Welt'' (2009, based on ''Out of the Ashes'') *''Emilie Richards: Für immer Neuseeland'' (2010, based on ''Aloha Always'') *''Emilie Richards: Zeit der Vergebung'' (2010, based on ''From Glowing Embers'') *''Emilie Richards: Denk nur an uns beide'' (2010, based on ''Sweet Georgia Gal'') *''Emilie Richards: Sehnsucht nach Sandy Bay'' (2011, based on ''Bayou Midnight'') *''Emilie Richards: Sehnsucht nach Paradise Island'' (2011, based on ''Rainbow Fire'') *''Emilie Richards: Entscheidung des Herzens'' (2011, based on ''Whiskey Island'') *''Emilie Richards: Der Zauber von Neuseeland'' (2011, based on ''Duncan's Lady'') *''Emilie Richards: Spuren der Vergangenheit'' (2012, based on ''Good Time Man'')

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Emilie 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American romantic fiction writers American women novelists Florida State University alumni Living people RITA Award winners Virginia Tech alumni 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Year of birth missing (living people)