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Jeffrey Ricker

Goodreads Author

Born

in Kailua, Hawaii, The United States

Website

http://www.jeffrey-ricker.com

Twitter

rickerje

Genre

Gay & Lesbian, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fiction

Member Since

May 2010

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Jeffrey Ricker is the author of Detours (2011) and the YA fantasy The Unwanted (2014). His stories and essays 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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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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Jeffrey Ricker’s books

Average rating: 3.91 · 854 ratings · 265 reviews · 27 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Unwanted 4.07 avg rating — 102 ratings — published 2014 — 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
	Fool For Love: New Gay Fiction by Timothy J. Lambert (Editor), 'Nathan Burgoine (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Jeffrey Ricker (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 3.81 avg rating — 108 ratings — published 2009 — 8 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
	Night Shadows: Queer Horror by Greg Herren (Editor), J.M. Redmann (Editor), 'Nathan Burgoine (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 3.63 avg rating — 81 ratings — published 2012 — 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
	Detours 3.74 avg rating — 50 ratings — published 2011 — 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
	Three Left Turns to Nowhere by Jeffrey Ricker (Goodreads Author), J. Marshall Freeman, 'Nathan Burgoine (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 46 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
	The Final Decree 4.21 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2020	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
	Straightening Up 3.67 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2012 — 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
	New Normal 3.73 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2010 — 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
	Maternal Instincts 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2011 — 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
	Lies I Tell Myself and Others it was amazing 5.00 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

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Happy Ninth Birthday to The Unwanted

I was an awkward nine-year-old. This probably comes as no surprise, right? I was a nerdy kid with thick glasses and a bad haircut—and let’s face it, not much has changed in the 44 years since, except the glasses are contacts and the hair is gray. I’m still a big nerd, and most days my hair won’t do what I want it to. Somehow, I survived being nine, though—and ten, eleven, twelve, and somehow made

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Jeffrey Ricker wrote a new blog post Happy Ninth Birthday to The Unwanted I was an awkward nine-year-old. This probably comes as no surprise, right? I was a nerdy kid with thick glasses and a bad haircut—and let’s face it, n Read more of this blog post »
Mar 20, 2023 12:17AM · like
Jeffrey Ricker has read Three Left Turns to Nowhere by Jeffrey Ricker (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
Dec 15, 2021 04:33PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Three Left Turns to Nowhere by Jeffrey Ricker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Three Left Turns to Nowhere by Jeffrey Ricker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeffrey Ricker finished reading Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang	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
Aug 05, 2021 07:35AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Aug 05, 2021 07:35AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeffrey Ricker rated a book it was amazing Village Fool by 'Nathan Burgoine (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
Jul 11, 2021 02:02PM · like
Jeffrey Ricker rated a book it was amazing A Little Village Blend by 'Nathan Burgoine (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
(Fair disclosure: I know ’Nathan personally.) A Little Village Blend charmed me from the beginning. Ivan and his sister, Anya, own a tea shop, and both have a way with the beverage. With a touch, Ivan can infuse a drink with just what the recipient n ...more
Jul 03, 2021 04:34AM · 2 likes · like · see review
Jeffrey Ricker wants to read Straight Uphill: A Tale of Love and Chocolate by Jess Wells (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
Jun 27, 2021 10:25AM · like

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Untreed Reads: Enjoy STRAIGHTENING UP by Jeffrey Ricker	1	3	Dec 04, 2012 11:47AM
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Making Connections: 703. STRAIGHTENING UP by Jeffrey Ricker	12	82	Dec 12, 2012 04:55AM