Discover new books on Goodreads

See if your friends have read any of Michael R. Ritt's books

178 ratings | 14 reviews | avg rating:4.72

more photos (1)

Michael R. Ritt’s Followers (17)

Michael’s Bookshelves

to-read (93)
currently-reading (6)
read (189)
did-not-finish (0)

Michael’s Friends (433)

Amanda Geaney

2,061 books | 1,630 friends

Poetry Train

5,076 books | 709 friends

Aoife

3,500 books | 1,716 friends

Rachel Santino

308 books | 32 friends

DP Lyle

628 books | 1,443 friends

Jennifer Bohnhoff

697 books | 149 friends

J.E.S. Hays

2,964 books | 44 friends

Bruce Borgos

126 books | 836 friends

More friends…

Michael R. Ritt

Goodreads Author

Born

in Chicago, The United States

Website

https://rittwesterns.com/

Twitter

MRRittAuthor

Genre

Historical Fiction, History, Fiction

Member Since

April 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/mikeritt

edit data

Michael R. Ritt is a Wisconsin author who primarily writes in the Western genre. His short stories have appeared in many anthologies, including Contention: and Other Frontier Stories and The Trading Post: and Other Frontier Stories, both published by Five Star, as well as Rough Country and Showdown, published by High Hill Press. His latest book, The Sons of Philo Gaines, is his first novel and was released by Five Star in November 2020.

Ritt was born in Chicago but moved with his family to Wisconsin when he was nine years old. “My dad was an avid fisherman,” says Ritt. “I guess he finally got to the point where he had caught all of the fish in the lakes and rivers in Illinois, so he started going north to Wisconsin every weekend to fish in t Michael R. Ritt is a Wisconsin author who primarily writes in the Western genre. His short stories have appeared in many anthologies, including Contention: and Other Frontier Stories and The Trading Post: and Other Frontier Stories, both published by Five Star, as well as Rough Country and Showdown, published by High Hill Press. His latest book, The Sons of Philo Gaines, is his first novel and was released by Five Star in November 2020.

Ritt was born in Chicago but moved with his family to Wisconsin when he was nine years old. “My dad was an avid fisherman,” says Ritt. “I guess he finally got to the point where he had caught all of the fish in the lakes and rivers in Illinois, so he started going north to Wisconsin every weekend to fish in the Wisconsin River. Eventually, he figured out it would be a lot cheaper if we just moved there.”

He graduated from high school in Wisconsin and attended Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Afterwards, he moved back to Wisconsin, where he met his wife, Tami. They were married in 1989. “My redheaded sweetheart was a widow with two young boys and a teenage daughter when we married. We became an instant family. Then, a year later, we had a son of our own.”

In 2002, they moved to Colorado when Ritt accepted a position with the United States Department of Agriculture. Thirteen years later, his job took him and Tami to Montana, where they lived in a 600-square-foot cabin on thirty acres in the western mountains of the state.

“A passion for reading turned into a passion for writing while I was in high school,” says Ritt. “Since then, I’ve been writing everything: poems, short stories, essays, shopping lists, you name it.” In 2018, his short story, Father Pedro’s Prayer, won the Peacemaker Finalist award for best Western short fiction from Western Fictioneers. He followed that up in 2019 with another Peacemaker Finalist award for his story, Aces and Eights. In 2021, his novel, The Sons of Philo Gaines, won two Peacemaker Finalist awards, one for Best Western and the other for Best First Western. It also received the first-place Gold Medallion in the Will Rogers Medallion Awards. His short story, The Would-be Bounty Hunters, won the Peacemaker Award for Best Western Short Fiction of 2023.

Besides writing, Ritt enjoys hiking and bird-watching with his redheaded sweetheart, and he also likes reading about history, theology, and natural science. He has served on the boards of two nonprofit organizations and was elected to the Sauk County (Wisconsin) Board of Supervisors in 1998. He serves as a deacon in his church and is a member of the Western Writers of America and Western Fictioneers. ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Michael R. Ritt questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Michael R. Ritt’s books

Average rating: 4.57 · 54 ratings · 27 reviews · 7 distinct works

	The Sons of Philo Gaines 4.96 avg rating — 23 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 Trading Post and Other Frontier Stories: A Five Star Anthology (A Five Star Anthology edited by Hazel Rumney Book 0) by Michael Zimmer (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Johnny D. Boggs, John D. Nesbitt (Goodreads Author) 4.19 avg rating — 26 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
	Rough Country by Brett Cogburn (Goodreads Author), Brett Cogburn (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Michael R. Ritt (Goodreads Author) 4.46 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2013 — 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
	Contention and Other Frontier Stories: A Five Star Anthology edited by Hazel Rumney by Loren D. Estleman, Johnny D. Boggs, Michael R. Ritt 4.44 avg rating — 9 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 Untamed West by Western Fictioneers, Michael R. Ritt (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.25 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
	Showdown by Johnny D. Boggs, Johnny D. Boggs, John Neely Davis it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2016 — 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
	Six Gun Justice: Western Stories by Richard Prosch (Goodreads Author), Steve Hockensmith (Goodreads Author), Easy Jackson (Goodreads Author) 3.75 avg rating — 4 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

More books by Michael R. Ritt…

0 posts
Michael R. Ritt's Blog

Michael R. Ritt hasn't written any blog posts yet.

Michael is Currently Reading

Michael is currently reading

LINCOLN – Complete 7 Volume Edition: Biographies, Speeches and Debates, Civil War Telegrams, Letters, Presidential Orders & Proclamations: Leader & Reformer

by Abraham Lincoln

bookshelves: currently-reading

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 14, 2022 06:27PM

Michael is currently reading

Six Gun Justice: Western Stories

by Richard Prosch (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Sep 06, 2021 09:17PM

Michael is currently reading

Wonderful Words of Life: Hymns in American Protestant History and Theology (The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies (CICW))

by Richard J. Mouw

bookshelves: currently-reading

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 18, 2021 10:15AM

rss
Michael’s Recent Updates

Michael liked Dean King's review of Trouble On The Brazos: A Western Adventure (The Gaines Family Saga Book 2): "I’ll admit it: as someone who writes horror and thrillers, I don’t spend much time reading Westerns. I picked up Trouble on the Brazos because I knew Michael R. Ritt has a knack for building the kind of suspense and tension I enjoy in any story, rega" Read more of this review »
Jul 21, 2026 04:17AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Trouble On The Brazos by Michael R. Ritt. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Trouble On The Brazos by Michael R. Ritt <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael made a comment on Mia’s review of The Sons of Philo Gaines " Thank you so much, Mia! You wrote a fantastic review, and I'm so happy that you enjoyed the book. I hope you'll go on to read the next book in the Gai ...more "
Jul 04, 2026 03:25PM · see review
Michael liked Mia's review of The Sons of Philo Gaines: "The Sons of Philo Gaines was an incredible read from beginning to end. It is one of those Western novels that immediately pulls you into its world and never lets go. Michael R. Ritt created a story that is full of tension, action, emotion, and unforg" Read more of this review »
Jul 04, 2026 03:23PM · see review
Michael liked Jeff Benham's review of Trouble On The Brazos: A Western Adventure (The Gaines Family Saga Book 2): "Just an excellent story! Sad start because we already knew that Mike was going to be murdered. Luke gathered a posse to go after the bank robber and quickly found out his name was Flynn Kelly. It didn't take long for Flynn to find a partner and for t" Read more of this review »
May 20, 2026 06:19PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Trouble On The Brazos by Michael R. Ritt. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Trouble On The Brazos by Michael R. Ritt <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael rated a book it was amazing The Women of Bandit Bend by C.C. Harrison (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
The Women of Bandit Bend by C.C. Harrison is a gripping Western story that skillfully blends adventure, mystery, and resilience. Set on the rugged Colorado frontier, the novel follows sisters Tally and Ivy Tisdale as they turn their father’s rundown ...more
Feb 15, 2026 01:30AM · like · see review
Michael is now following C.C. Harrison Author of Death by G-String: A Coyote Canyon Ladies Ukule...
Feb 15, 2026 01:29AM · like

More of Michael's books…

Michael’s Quotes

“I have read my books by many lights, hoarding their beauty, their wit or wisdom against the dark days when I would have no book, nor a place to read. I have known hunger of the belly kind many times over, but I have known a worse hunger: the need to know and to learn.”
― Louis L'Amour, Education of a Wandering Man: A Memoir

85 likes

“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”
― Albert Einstein

9084 likes

“Chance is perhaps the pseudonym of God when he does not want to sign.”
― Théophile Gautier

tags: misattributed-to-einstein

8871 likes

“I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the world roll on as it liked, than to occupy the most splendid post, which any human power can give.”
― Thomas Jefferson, Letters of Thomas Jefferson

tags: contenment, life

424 likes