A.R. Simmons
210 ratings | 18 reviews | avg rating:3.66

A.R. Simmons’s Followers (59)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo

A.R.’s Bookshelves

to-read (9)
currently-reading (13)
read (222)
the-death-of-a-president (0)

A.R.’s Friends (371)

Kaye Kelly
Kaye Kelly
1,093 books | 760 friends

Justin ...
Justin Alcala
588 books | 3,200 friends


C.L.R. ...
C.L.R. Dougherty
125 books | 4,672 friends

Zoe Saadia
Zoe Saadia
617 books | 1,691 friends

Stephen...
Stephen Bird
242 books | 589 friends

Shellie...
Shellie Blum
120 books | 5,365 friends

Rhonda
Rhonda
416 books | 4,989 friends

More friends…

A.R. Simmons

Goodreads Author


Born
in Chicago, IL, The United States
Website

Twitter
@arsimmons_rcn

Genre
Mystery, Suspense, Crime

Influences
I am inspired by a host of wonderful authors, Mark Twain, Francis Park ...more

Member Since
July 2013

URL


AR Simmons grew up in the Missouri Ozarks. He walked a gravel road to a rural school evocative of “Walton’s Mountain.” His parents did factory work to buy things not provided by their subsistence farm which was passed down from his grandfather who cleared the land from the native forest. He and his wife (beta reader, illustrator, and muse) still live on that farm. So his roots run deep in the Ozark soil. Using the culture, language, and mores of this "Bible Belt" region, he writes culturally immersive stories of obsession set amidst the small-town and rural life that he knows and loves.

He began writing seriously with a suspense novel which he serialized around the turn of the millennium on his website www.bluecreeknovels. It took until 2013 ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask A.R. Simmons questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

If you could travel to any fictional book world, where would you go and what would you do there?
A.R. Simmons I’ve read lots of horror, dystopian, and true-crime stories. Having a vivid imagination, I wouldn’t visit any of those worlds willingly. Instead, I’ll…moreI’ve read lots of horror, dystopian, and true-crime stories. Having a vivid imagination, I wouldn’t visit any of those worlds willingly. Instead, I’ll travel back to the London of 1898 and seek out a certain mahogany table that reflects the faces of five men sharing claret and listening as Charles Marlow spins tales of the sea, youth and life itself. I’ll sit quietly and listen as that master story-teller (surely he’s Joseph Conrad’s alter ego) transports us aboard a square-rigged mail packet on his first voyage to the East. I anticipate hearing more of his stories.

I’ll sit there silently as befits one whose closest brush with the perils and wonders of the wide sea is through vicarious adventure aboard the Pequod with Ishmael and with Richard Henry Dana as he rounds the horn on the brig Pilgrim.
(less)
flag
Thank you; after an initial revelation of backstory, I try to add further only gradually - as you say, just like you learn about people in real life. I also try to give each character a distinctly recognizable voice, so that I may avoid those, "she said/they answered" repetitions (re the old "Dick and Jane" primers!). Any thoughts on 'preparing' your readers...helping them to engage more fully?
A.R. Simmons I try to give the reader a vivid setting, an interesting situation, and someone to identify with. It is also important to have strong female character…moreI try to give the reader a vivid setting, an interesting situation, and someone to identify with. It is also important to have strong female characters. I think there is no better hook than to give readers someone precious and then put them at risk. (By the way for POV tags I totally ignore Leonard's "rule" that we shouldn't use anything but "said.")
(less)
flag
See all 15 answers from A.R. Simmons…

Combine Editions

Average rating: 4.12 · 145 ratings · 44 reviews · 16 distinct works
The Daughter (The Richard C...
4.35 avg rating — 26 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Devil's Run (The Richard Ca...
4.11 avg rating — 19 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Bonne Femme (The Richard Ca...
4.18 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Journey Man (The Richard Ca...
4.18 avg rating — 17 ratings — 2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Road Shrines (The Richard C...
4.18 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Cold Tears (The Richard Car...
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2007 — 5 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Canaan Camp (The Richard Ca...
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Call Her Sabine (The Richar...
4.29 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Secret Song (The Richard Ca...
3.63 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Cold Fury (The Richard Cart...
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
More books by A.R. Simmons…

150 posts
A.R. Simmons's Blog: Musings and Mutterings

I'm Back

After a period of flagging energy via Covid, (I am and have kept up with my vaccines) I am writing regularly again. I urge all my fellow authors and readers to take advantage of the availability of both the corona virus and flu vaccines.

For the information of those interested in the Richard Carter series, I am 150 or so pages into the latest novel MISSING PAGES. Like all the latest books, it featu Read more of this blog post »
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 18, 2022 07:34 • Tags: mystery, new-novel, series, suspense
View all 150 posts »

Series by A.R. Simmons

Bonne Femme Cold Tears Canaan Camp Secret Song The King Snake Call Her Sabine Devilry
(13 books)
by
4.11 avg rating — 144 ratings

A.R. is Currently Reading

SHATTERED JUSTICE...
A.R. Simmons is currently reading
by Paul Levine (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars

 
Jul 11, 2020 03:30PM
The Poison Garden
A.R. Simmons is currently reading
by A.J. Banner (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars

 
Jun 18, 2020 02:53PM
Woman in the Water
A.R. Simmons is currently reading
by Katerina Diamond (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars

 
Jun 17, 2020 10:01PM

rss
A.R.’s Recent Updates

A.R. Simmons is now friends with Anne Carpenter
6393695
Mar 13, 2024 03:45PM  · 
More of A.R.'s books…
Quotes by A.R. Simmons  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Only an egotist thinks that he deserves the blessings that come his way.”
Jill Carter, (character in The Playpretty)”
― AR Simmons
tags: philosophy-of-life
0 likes
Like

“Worrying about the past is tending the ashes instead of the fire.”
― A.R. Simmons, Bonne Femme
0 likes
Like

A.R.’s Quotes

“There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry –
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll –
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears a Human soul.”
― Emily Dickinson, Selected Poems
tags: literature, poetry, words
516 likes
Like

“All a man can betray is his conscience.”
― Joseph Conrad
tags: betrayal, ethics, honesty, truth
1 likes
Like

“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”
― Edgar Allan Poe, Eleonora
8634 likes
Like

“There's a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure truth.”
― Maya Angelou
tags: truth
1420 likes
Like

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
― Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
tags: 1970, inspirational, stories, writing
31535 likes
Like

recent posts
A.R.’s Groups

26989 Goodreads Authors/Readers — 55960 members — last activity 2 hours, 16 min ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more
99986 Modern Good Reads — 6774 members — last activity Jan 26, 2026 01:19PM
Modern Good Reads connects readers with books, authors, & challenges. We want to chat, inform, & provide events & discussions, a home for readers and ...more
109784 GOOD REVIEWS — 8620 members — last activity Jan 30, 2026 07:30PM
This Group is only for authors who are looking for reviews and Reviewers who love to read books and share their reviews.
1357 Cozy Mysteries — 24272 members — last activity 37 minutes ago
For those who love a good cozy mystery while curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee/tea/cocoa and maybe a dog/cat next to them. Please be kind ...more
105786 Goodreads Reviewers' Group — 13334 members — last activity Jan 31, 2026 07:05AM
This group helps to bring Reviewers and Authors together! Reviewers can make their own thread to post their reviews in, or post their reviews in the r ...more
77447 Virtual Writers — 2341 members — last activity Jan 21, 2026 06:29AM
Helping readers and writers connect. Virtual Writers is a popular online writers’ community committed to showcasing established and emerging writers ...more
26399 Book Giveaways — 5496 members — last activity Jan 28, 2026 06:36AM
The place to go to tell others about your book giveaways and contests. And where book lover's can go to find ways to get free books. We all love those ...more
130083 eBooks GROW ON TREES — 1735 members — last activity Jan 06, 2026 11:44PM
This group will allow you to find wonderful books at delightful prices! Want to recommend a book that is Free, $0.99, or $2.99 or Less? Please comment ...more
100710 Freelance authors self help — 498 members — last activity Jan 11, 2025 09:18AM
Hello to all self published and freelance authors who are alone and work hard to promote their books. First, this is a secret group. This is a group o ...more
812045 The Round Table — 93 members — last activity Mar 09, 2021 07:56PM
Connecting with readers
More of A.R.’s groups…

A.R.’s Friend Comments

No comments have been added yet.