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Erika Raskin

Goodreads Author

Born

Washington, D.C.

Website

https://www.erikaraskin.com/

Twitter

erikaraskin

Genre

Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult

Member Since

March 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/erikaraskin

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Ever since I first started sketching stories I’ve been merging “write what you know” with “write what you worry about". (And trust me, the older one gets, the more of the latter there is.) I've been picking up plots, punchlines, and snippets of 'overheard' conversations forever, filling in the blanks along the way. Narratives and descriptions can come from anywhere--channel surfing, scary trips down rabbit holes on the web or even earnest conversations while driving carpool. Wherever the stories originate they tend to be cautionary tales. (Actually Allegiance, which is about fascism coming to America, is more of a car alarm.) Best Intentions is about medical malpractice — of the institutional variety. Close, concerns family therapy. On TV. ...more

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I love typewriter music...I taught in a classroom of 40 manual typewriters clicking and clacking...loved it. Did you learn to type on a manual or electric typewriter?

Erika Raskin A powder blue, electric IBM Selectric that I think weighed about as much as third-grader.

I love the sound of tapping keys, too. It's warm and familia…moreA powder blue, electric IBM Selectric that I think weighed about as much as third-grader.

I love the sound of tapping keys, too. It's warm and familiar.(less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Erika Raskin My advice is to be observant. What do things remind you of? (The narrow road was lined with a parade of trees whose outstretched hands touched the car…moreMy advice is to be observant. What do things remind you of? (The narrow road was lined with a parade of trees whose outstretched hands touched the car one after the other, for luck.)

Good dialogue in fiction is critical to story. It’s a way of revealing the interior lives of your characters while also moving action along. (“Hey Sam, I know you’re going to think this is just another one of my whacky ideas, but what would you say to hitchhiking cross-country after graduation?”)

I think there are many ways to write. Some people like to outline everything before typing the first word. Others just sit down and let the pages fill up on their own. I would like to be organized and in the first group (I'd like to have a well-ordered purse, too). But I’m not and I don't.(less)

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Erika Raskin’s books

Average rating: 3.92 · 510 ratings · 172 reviews · 9 distinct works • Similar authors

	Best Intentions 3.83 avg rating — 427 ratings — published 2017 — 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
	Close 4.34 avg rating — 65 ratings — published 2014 — 7 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
	Allegiance: a novel 4.82 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2024 — 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
	Streetlight Magazine 2018 Anthology by Trudy Hale, Susan Shafarzek, Erika Raskin (Goodreads Author) did not like it 1.00 avg rating — 1 rating	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
	Streetlight Magazine 2020 Anthology by Trudy Hale, Susan Shafarzek (Editor), Erika Raskin (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 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
	Streetlight Magazine 2021 Anthology by Trudy Hale, Susan Shafarzek, Elizabeth Meade Howard (Goodreads Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	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
	Streetlight Magazine 2022 Anthology by Trudy Hale, Susan Shafarzek (editor), Erika Raskin (Goodreads Author) (editor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 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
	Streetlight Magazine 2023 Anthology by Trudy Hale, Deborah Kelly (editor), Erika Raskin (Goodreads Author) (editor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	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
	Streetight Magazine 2024 Anthology by Trudy Hale, Erika Raskin (Goodreads Author), Elizabeth Meade Howard (Goodreads Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	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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Erika Raskin's Blog

Could You Move Your Head A Little To The Left?

I’ve been examining the background of people being interviewed on TV ever since Covid home studios sprang up around the country. Private lives sneaking through the frame is juicy and I am here for all of it. (I’m a writer, I can’t help it.) Scenery in impersonal TV studios is not revelatory—though if someone is being forced to sit at a glass table top in a group chat situation other information is Read more of this blog post »

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Published on May 03, 2026 13:32

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Erika Raskin is currently reading

Allegiance: a novel

by Erika Raskin (Goodreads Author)

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May 24, 2024 12:08PM

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Erika Raskin wrote a new blog post Could You Move Your Head A Little To The Left? I’ve been examining the background of people being interviewed on TV ever since Covid home studios sprang up around the country. Private lives sneakin Read more of this blog post »
May 04, 2026 03:03AM · like

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NetGalley Readers: Just Requested and Recently Approved	10684	1896	Dec 23, 2020 02:01PM
Minnesota Readers: Currently Reading	44	217	May 11, 2026 03:13PM