A Little Shoot 'Em Up, a Little Romance, and a Dash of Weirdness

Some authors write neatly inside the lines. James L. Rickard appears to have looked at those lines, tipped his hat, and wandered off into the West.

A multi-genre author from the same mountains that claim Mothman, Rickard is a returning "veteran" of Cosmic Realms ,and one of the local writers we're excited to welcome back this year. His work has a little bit of everything: western, romance, mystery, horror, UFOs, time travel and enough... odd happenings to keep readers guessing where the story is going next.

Rickard credits some of his interest in Westerns to his family history, noting that he is related to both Wyatt Earp and Butch Cassidy, and a useful pedigree, perhaps, when you're writing about the Old West. His current literary quest is somewhat more ambitious: finding a connection to Kurt Vonnegut and J.D. Salinger.

Before becoming an author, Rickard studied journalism and photography, and spent time working in customer service, an experience he describes as its own "alternate reality." Those experiences have found their way into a writing career that refuses to stay in one genre for very long.

WHAT WILL YOU FIND ON HIS TABLE?

Something in the Air takes readers to a town where tragedy seems destined to repeat itself. Michael can feel that something is wrong. Some call it a curse. Others believe it is a warning. As fear spreads, Michael is forced to confront the difference between seeing a monster and being chosen by one.

For readers who prefer their strange stories in smaller doses, Bizarre Stories offers a collection of 15 unpredictable tales involving crime, time travel, UFOs, and irony gone very, very wrong. Ordinary people find themselves in extraordinary situations- some frightening, some darkly funny, and all decidedly unpredictable.

And then there's Treasure of the Ant People, which takes two friends from small-town Ohio on a search for buried treasure in Mexico. Naturally, things don't go according to plan. Their adventure takes an unexpected turn when they encounter a civilization of underground dwellers...

In other words, if your reading tastes run toward "What on Earth is going to happen next?", James L. Rickard may have exactly what you're looking for.

We're thrilled to have James back at Cosmic Realms this year. Stop by his table, say hello, talk books, and probably swap stories about close encounters of the third kind.