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Judith Richards

Goodreads Author

Website

http://judithrichards.com

Twitter

judyrchrds

Genre

Mystery, Suspense, Romance

Influences

C. Terry Cline Jr. , Barbara Samuel , and Jodi Picoult ...more

Member Since

December 2009

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Before becoming a writer, Judith Richards was an actress, an animal trainer, and a carny hauling pig-iron, managing big rides on America's midways. Thelonious Rising, her sixth novel, reflects her lifelong love of music and fascination with the city of New Orleans. A Midwesterner gone South, Judith's marriage to author C. Terry Cline, Jr. first piqued her interest in writing. Since then, two of her six novels won the Alabama Library Association award for fiction, and Too Blue to Fly was nominated for the Lillian Smith Award. Her novel, Summer Lightning, has been in print since 1978, and has been read in 17 languages. ...more

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Judith Richards "Thelonious Rising" rose from the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I have lived on the Gulf Coast for more than 40 years and personally experienced …more"Thelonious Rising" rose from the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I have lived on the Gulf Coast for more than 40 years and personally experienced several severe storms, but it was the stories from Katrina refugees - residents of New Orleans and Mississippi - who appeared in our little town seeking shelter, not just prior to the storm, but for months after that gave me perspective. An acquaintance had found a family with three children living in their car because they had no money or means to go elsewhere after losing everything in the storm. He offered them free housing for six months in a rental he owned. His kind of unsolicited generosity was repeated by many many coastal citizens. The personal stories I overheard in cafes and from friends, and what I saw in front of me every day tugged at my heart and conscience.

I wanted in some way to restore the spirit of New Orleans and its people, and the only way I knew was through writing. That urge, a great deal of research, and journeys to New Orleans to see for myself were the beginnings of developing my story and main character, Thelonious Monk DeCay, a nine year old boy from a musical family of the Lower Ninth Ward. "Monk," as he is called, represents in my mind the innocent victims of a great tragedy, their struggle, and their triumph.

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Judith Richards’s books

Average rating: 4.25 · 673 ratings · 99 reviews · 39 distinct works • Similar authors

	Thelonious Rising 4.56 avg rating — 271 ratings — published 2011 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Summer Lightning 4.18 avg rating — 126 ratings — published 1968 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mark Lombardi: Global Networks by Judith Richards (Goodreads Author), Robert Hobbs, Mark Lombardi (Artist) 4.40 avg rating — 60 ratings — published 2003 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Too Blue to Fly 4.04 avg rating — 48 ratings — published 1997 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Sounds of Silence 3.95 avg rating — 20 ratings — published 1977 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	After The Storm 3.73 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 1987 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Katrina Rising 4.40 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2012	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Seminole Summer 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Reader's Digest Condensed Books; 1978 #5, Volume 121: Summer Lightning / Tara Kane / Flight into Danger / Raquela; A Woman Of Israel / The Snake by Judith Richards (Goodreads Author), George Markstein, Arthur Hailey really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1978	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Building Model Train Bridges it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Judith Richards's Blog

Thelonious Rising to be displayed at the TRIO Exhibit in Nashville Tennessee this July

Come see Judith Richard’s Thelonious Rising displayed at the TRIO exhibit at the

Parnassus Book Store in Nashville, Tennessee on July 15. TRIO is an exhibition of art,

music, and books with authors, musicians, and artists speaking about their collaboration

for this event.

The post Thelonious Rising to be displayed at the TRIO Exhibit in Nashville Tennessee this July appeared first on Judith Richards.

Judith is Currently Reading

Judith Richards is currently reading

But Enough About Me: How a Small-Town Girl Went from Shag Carpet to the Red Carpet

by Jancee Dunn (Goodreads Author)

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Apr 25, 2015 11:12PM

Quotes by Judith Richards (?)

“The stinging insects clung to one another and floated in clumps the size of basketballs, the ants on bottom giving their lives to save those on top. They”
― Judith Richards, Thelonious Rising

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