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119 ratings | 7 reviews | avg rating:4.85

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Eric Picard

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

https://ericpicard.com

Genre

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller

Influences

Neal Stephenson
Neil Gaiman
Charles de Lint
Hugh Howey
Emma Bull
J.R.R. Tol ...more

Member Since

April 2025

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Eric Picard grew up in Newport, Rhode Island, and holds a degree in History — yet no one ever told him that the Battle of Rhode Island was decided by a hurricane that wrecked both the French and British fleets in August 1778. Finding stories like that one is why he writes: the American histories that got left out of the books — the vanished towns, the invisible spies, the family secrets that refuse to stay buried.

His fiction is built on archival research, real people, and real places. Before writing novels, he worked as a commercial boat captain, SCUBA diver, and lighthouse keeper — experience that shapes every page he sets on the water. He also holds a degree in Fine Art from the University of Rhode Island and an MFA from the University of Eric Picard grew up in Newport, Rhode Island, and holds a degree in History — yet no one ever told him that the Battle of Rhode Island was decided by a hurricane that wrecked both the French and British fleets in August 1778. Finding stories like that one is why he writes: the American histories that got left out of the books — the vanished towns, the invisible spies, the family secrets that refuse to stay buried.

His fiction is built on archival research, real people, and real places. Before writing novels, he worked as a commercial boat captain, SCUBA diver, and lighthouse keeper — experience that shapes every page he sets on the water. He also holds a degree in Fine Art from the University of Rhode Island and an MFA from the University of Cincinnati.

His newest novel, The Hazard Trade, is a Revolutionary War thriller set in British-occupied Newport, following one family's transformation from shopkeepers to spies. Its pages are populated by real Newporters history nearly forgot — including Duchess Quamino, the "Pastry Queen of Rhode Island," who baked her way toward her family's freedom while still enslaved, and John Quamino, the first African American to receive a college education. And yes, that hurricane is in there too.

His debut, Legacy of the Bitterroots, was inspired by visiting a ghost town in the Bitterroot mountains, then reading a prospector's diary and reading about the Great Fire of 1910. It's a slow-burn historical mystery and multigenerational saga about Crystal Village, a utopian mining settlement in Idaho's Bitterroots that vanished in the fire — and a descendant's discovery that what survived defies everything the history books say. Wyatt Earp and Calamity Jane really did pass through Eagle City, fifteen miles from where Eric placed his fictional village — and they made it into the book.

He is also the author of the urban fantasy novella Frost and the nautical adventure short story Sally Braid.

Eric lives with his wife, Erynn, in a former livery stable built in 1680, a block from the streets and harbor of The Hazard Trade. When not writing, he swims in the ocean, drives his boat, explores ghost towns, and collects the odd historical facts that turn into novels. ...more

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Eric Picard’s books

Average rating: 4.31 · 68 ratings · 34 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Legacy of the Bitterroots: A Crystal Village Tale 4.28 avg rating — 32 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
	The Hazard Trade: A novel of occupied Newport - 1778 4.24 avg rating — 29 ratings — 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
	Sally Braid 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings — 2 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
	Frost it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 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

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19 posts
Eric Picard's Blog

Posting on Royal Road

I will be posting the first chapter of The Hazard Trade, and publishing subsequent chapters monthly. I’m waiting for approval, but you’ll be able to find me there at: https://www.royalroad.com/profile/102... (Partially I’m posting this so that they know it’s really me! They’re very diligent about ensuring ownership of the content.) Read more of this blog post »

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Published on July 18, 2026 13:18

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Eric is Currently Reading

Eric Picard is currently reading

The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777

by Rick Atkinson

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 06, 2025 01:42PM

Eric’s Recent Updates

Eric Picard is now friends with Myles
12 hours, 54 min ago · like
Eric Picard rated a book it was amazing The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (Goodreads Author)	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
I am a fiction reader, and business books often leave me a bit cold. This book is fantastic. It's probably the only book I recommend to people for business, at least with any regularity. I still get value from it years later. ...more
Oct 09, 2026 12:42PM · like · see review
Eric Picard rated a book it was amazing A Parade of Horribles (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #8) by Matt Dinniman (Goodreads Author)	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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Eric Picard rated a book it was amazing This Inevitable Ruin (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #7) by Matt Dinniman (Goodreads Author)	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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Eric Picard rated a book it was amazing The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #6) by Matt Dinniman (Goodreads Author)	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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Eric Picard rated a book it was amazing The Butcher's Masquerade (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #5) by Matt Dinniman (Goodreads Author)	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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Eric Picard has read This Inevitable Ruin (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #7) by Matt Dinniman (Goodreads Author)	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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Eric Picard rated a book it was amazing The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #4) by Matt Dinniman (Goodreads Author)	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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Eric Picard has read The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #6) by Matt Dinniman (Goodreads Author)	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
Oct 06, 2026 05:57PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Eric Picard rated a book it was amazing The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #3) by Matt Dinniman (Goodreads Author)	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
Oct 06, 2026 05:57PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">