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Jeffrey Ricker
173 ratings | 27 reviews | avg rating:4.71

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Jeffrey Ricker

Goodreads Author


Born
in Alpha Quadrant, Sector 001, Earth, The United States
Website

Twitter
rickerje

Genre
Gay & Lesbian, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fiction

Member Since
May 2010


Jeffrey Ricker is the author of Detours (2011), the YA fantasy The Unwanted (2014), The Final Decree (2020), and co-author (with ’Nathan Burgoine and J. Marshall Freeman) of Three Left Turns to Nowhere. His stories have appeared in Foglifter, Phoebe, Little Fiction, The Citron Review, The Saturday Evening Post, and others. A 2014 Lambda Literary Fellow and recipient of a 2015 Vermont Studio Center residency, he has an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and teaches creative writing at Webster University.

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Popular Answered Questions

People talk about "Aha!" moments. What about "I've stopped caring!" moments? Can you recall a particular instance, in writing or in life, where stopping caring was the cure? Where *letting go* jettisoned you forward, helped you get unstuck? If so, can you describe?
Jeffrey Ricker Oh, really good question, and I think I could answer it either "yes" or "no." I think that's because "letting go" doesn't necessarily mean you stop ca…moreOh, really good question, and I think I could answer it either "yes" or "no." I think that's because "letting go" doesn't necessarily mean you stop caring (or at least, it doesn't mean that I stop caring). It may just be that I'm not at the right point where I can finish a particular project, whether it's a story or a novel or an essay or, heck, a to-do list.

Case in point: I started writing a short story in the spring of 2014 that I was hoping to workshop in the Lambda Literary Foundation's emerging writers retreat, but it was just giving me fits. I couldn't figure out where it was going or how to get to the ending that I had in mind. The deadline for submitting my work was approaching and I knew I was going to blow it if I kept banging my head against that story, so I put it aside and finished something else that, it turned out, I had much more momentum on.

Later, when I went back to the original story, I realized my initial concept for it was kind of flawed, but that if I let go of that, I still had a story that interested me, so I've been working on it since then (when I haven't been working on other things, at least).

So yeah, I don't know if it's accurate to say that I stop caring—but I think if a story doesn't hold your interest as a writer, you can't expect it to hold a reader's interest, right? In the case of this story (the working title is "The Empty World"), I had to let go of where I thought the story was supposed to go and figure out where the thing that I had created actually did go.

Hopefully this makes sense; thanks for asking this! It really made me think.(less)
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What are you currently working on?
Jeffrey Ricker I always seem to be working on several things at once. At the moment I'm outlining the sequel to THE UNWANTED, revising several short stories, and wor…moreI always seem to be working on several things at once. At the moment I'm outlining the sequel to THE UNWANTED, revising several short stories, and working on two other novels.(less)
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Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.9 · 796 ratings · 239 reviews · 25 distinct works • Similar authors
The Unwanted
4.10 avg rating — 107 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions
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Fool For Love: New Gay Fiction
by
3.82 avg rating — 114 ratings — published 2009 — 9 editions
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Three Left Turns to Nowhere
by
3.90 avg rating — 60 ratings — 2 editions
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Detours
3.75 avg rating — 53 ratings — published 2011 — 4 editions
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The Final Decree
4.21 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2020
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Straightening Up
3.67 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2012
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New Normal
3.73 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2010 — 2 editions
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Maternal Instincts
4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2011 — 2 editions
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Lies I Tell Myself and Others
it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
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Lies I Tell Myself: Stories
0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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673 posts
Jeffrey Ricker's Blog

Go where everyone else isn’t

Most years, we haven’t been home for Halloween. Last year, we were in Greece, touring the ruins of the world’s first democracy while the death knell for Earth’s most recent democracy was sounding. (Call that dramatic, I don’t care. Have you met me?) We live on a lane that’s off the beaten path and doesn’t get much traffic unless you live here or are delivering parcels. I see Amazon and UPS trucks

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Published on November 07, 2025 03:53
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Jeffrey Ricker wrote a new blog post

Go where everyone else isn’t

Most years, we haven’t been home for Halloween. Last year, we were in Greece, touring the ruins of the world’s first democracy while the death knell f Read more of this blog post »
Nov 14, 2025 12:19AM  · 
Jeffrey Ricker wants to read
A Thousand Nights by Nafiza Azad
A Thousand Nights
by Nafiza Azad (Goodreads Author)
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Oct 23, 2025 03:05PM  · 
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One and Done by Frederick Smith
One and Done
by Frederick Smith
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Jul 25, 2024 02:22PM  ·   ·  preview book
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Maggie & Me by Damian Barr
Maggie & Me
by Damian Barr (Goodreads Author)
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Jul 01, 2024 04:01PM  · 
Jeffrey Ricker finished reading
We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
We Are the Ants
by Shaun David Hutchinson (Goodreads Author)
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Jul 01, 2024 04:01PM  ·   ·  preview book
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Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei
Icebreaker
by A.L. Graziadei (Goodreads Author)
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Jul 01, 2024 04:01PM  ·   ·  preview book
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Blackouts by Justin Torres
Blackouts
by Justin Torres (Goodreads Author)
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Jun 06, 2024 09:28AM  ·   ·  preview book
Jeffrey Ricker made a comment on What to read: Catfish Rolling, by Clara Kumagai
" <3 I loved this book SO MUCH. I can't wait to see what Clara writes next. ...more "
Jun 06, 2024 09:20AM  · see blog post
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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Untreed Reads: Enjoy STRAIGHTENING UP by Jeffrey Ricker 1 3 Dec 04, 2012 11:47AM  
Untreed Reads: New LGBT Christmas Short From Jeffrey Ricker: STRAIGHTENING UP 1 1 Dec 07, 2012 12:43PM  
Making Connections: 703. STRAIGHTENING UP by Jeffrey Ricker 12 82 Dec 12, 2012 04:55AM  

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Jeffrey’s Groups

102681 Read with Pride Northwest — 211 members — last activity May 26, 2021 05:41AM
Read with Pride NW ran an annual conferences celebrating LGBTQIA genre fiction from 2013-2017. Check our website for our community action toolkit. Rea ...more
49526 YA LGBT Books — 13383 members — last activity Nov 17, 2025 01:29AM
For anyone who enjoys LGBTQ books written for young adults. We're a friendly, supportive group that provides a non-judgmental place to discuss the boo ...more
142932 Lethe Press Books — 53 members — last activity Sep 10, 2017 12:42PM
A group for authors, readers, and fans of Lethe Press.
25x33 Ask Gavin Atlas (almost) anything — 16 members — last activity Oct 31, 2012 01:36PM
A group to ask Gavin about his writing, about him, possibly about publishing erotica, and perhaps whatever else is on your mind. There may be giveaway ...more
56203 Untreed Reads — 74 members — last activity Aug 26, 2023 12:59AM
Come discuss your favorite titles and authors, learn about new books, hear about great deals and maybe even meet the people who write what you read.
3579 Gay fiction/non-fiction — 1231 members — last activity Oct 22, 2025 12:11PM
A group for sharing thoughts on favorite books involving gay life, themes or issues. (To see all discussions, click on "all" to the right of discussi ...more
28965 Gay Science Fiction — 1932 members — last activity Sep 28, 2025 10:18AM
Hi. I decided since it was so hard to find other gay themed science fiction books I'd make this group. Please post M/M only themed books, though M/M/F ...more
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Jeffrey’s Friend Comments

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message 1: by Untreed
Jan 27, 2012 02:16PM

Untreed Reads Hey Jeffrey, just stopping by to let you know that both New Normal and Maternal Instincts are now available for purchase directly from Goodreads. Not only that but both tiles can be previewed, which we hope makes it easier for the folks you meet in the forums to check out your work.


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