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ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: Survive This Safari
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WEBSITE: http://www.nataliedrichards.com/
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LAST VOLUME: CA 390
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PERSONAL
Married; children: three.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Formerly worked in cubicles and professionally composed business documents; communications and administrative assistant with the mayor of a small city near Columbus, OH.
AVOCATIONS:Pottery, hiking, traveling, baking chocolate-chip cookies.
AWARDS:Edgar Allan Poe Award for best young adult book, Mystery Writers of America, 2025, for 49 Miles Alone.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
[open new]Proving her merits as an indie author, Richards has written a dozen well-received young-adult and middle-grade novels, one of which won the Edgar Allan Poe Award. Raised as an only child in the environs of Columbus, Ohio, she often immersed herself in elaborate made-up stories—such as that a hole left behind after shrub removal was the entrance to an underground cave system. A fan of Dr. Seuss, then Shel Silverstein, she won a story-writing contest and was nominated for a conference in the second grade and dreamed of becoming an author. Her parents divorced during her childhood. Her father often took her hiking; by age eleven she was sneaking into her mother’s room to read Dean Koontz novels, which thrilled her—and distracted her from life’s problems. The idea of becoming a writer was bolstered by a high-school literature class introducing her to Ernest Hemingway and Walt Whitman yet long seemed too impractical to bother pursuing. But when Richards was just twenty-seven, her mother died, at age fifty-one, without much warning. Able to see the unfulfilled goals her mother had left behind, Richards determined to finally try to make her childhood dream a reality. Several years and novice manuscripts later, she made her debut with Six Months Later, a nominee for the YALSA Teens Top 10.
Inspired by a dream Richards had, Six Months Later finds Chloe waking up at her desk in study hall to find six months lapsed and her life completely changed: her middling grades have soared to valedictorian level, she has reeled in mega-crush Blake, and former best friend Maggie is giving her the silent treatment. The therapist she started seeing over panic attacks is confused, Blake turns out to be fearsome, and only mysteriously attractive delinquent Adam seems able to stir memories—which lead toward major questions about who Chloe wants to be and what she has been willing to do to make it happen.
Richards’s debut prompted Blake Norby to remark in Voice of Youth Advocates that “readers will be drawn in to the mystery of what happened to Chloe and will never guess the ending.” A Kirkus Reviews writer hailed the use of present-tense narration as “enormously effective here,” Six Months Later being a rare narrative in which “suspense actively relies on readers’ immersion in the now.” The reviewer praised the characters as “sharply observed” and the novel as a “smart, edgy thriller.”
Yearbook photographer Piper Woods’s senior year takes an unexpected turn in Gone Too Far when she trips on a notebook that contains gossipy, damning revelations about fellow students. After one student, Stella DuBois, is fatally undone by a compromising situation, an anonymous peer starts texting Piper inviting her to identify those who deserve to be punished for their role in Stella’s death. The series of incidents that follow help take down the popular clique and reap Piper a football-playing boyfriend, but as the innocent become targets, Piper may need to reveal all—at her own serious risk. A Publishers Weekly reviewer found Gone Too Far “gripping,” as Richards keeps up a “quick pace and creates enough red herrings to keep readers guessing.” The reviewer added that the theme that “change is inevitable … is poignant.”
Unfolding in a sultry South Carolina, My Secret to Tell is set in motion as Emmie’s best friend Chelsea’s father is assaulted in his home—apparently by his deviant son Deacon. Emmie has had a crush on Deacon, suppressed because, after her brother ran away from home, she has been busy being the perfect daughter. In seeking to prove Deacon’s innocence, Emmie uncovers some unexpected secrets—including about the culpability of the reputed victim. Bethany Martin remarked in Voice of Youth Advocates that Richards “has crafted an intriguing thriller,” and “readers who enjoy heavy doses of psychological and romantic tension will not be disappointed.”
A senior-year hiking trip through the backwoods of West Virginia goes awry in One Was Lost. Preoccupied with the presence of the boy she is reluctantly crushing on, Sera is caught off guard when, stranded by a flash flood, everyone wakes up from being drugged with their tents invaded and words written on their arms in permanent marker. With Sera “Darling,” Lucas “Dangerous,” Emily “Damaged,” and Jude “Deceptive,” the guessing game grows crucial as a ghost story inspires gruesome attacks. In Voice of Youth Advocates, Sean Rapacki affirmed that One Was Lost is “a gripping read, filled with plenty of action,” and might be Richards’s “sharpest effort yet.”
The lives of Paige and Theo are paranormally intertwined in We All Fall Down. Their experiences with anxiety and ADHD, respectively, have helped them bond, but mutual romantic interest only becomes apparent when flirtation at a party leads to a devastating blow to their friendship. As Paige enrolls in a summer college program while Theo works in construction across a river, the bridge between them is the locus of their haunting. In School Library Journal, Meghan Oppelt called We All Fall Down a “chilling story … full of twists, eerie theories, and a satisfying conclusion.”
Sharing narration in alternating chapters in What You Hide are Spencer, doing community service in the library for breaking a window, and Mallory, who has become homeless to escape her stepfather, even while worrying about her pregnant mother. As the library becomes host to inexplicable occurrences, the sympathetic protagonists help make the novel a “taut, compelling mystery and a compassionate realistic fiction novel all in one,” according to a Kirkus Reviews writer.
Richards won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best young-adult novel with 49 Miles Alone, which was inspired by a healing trip she took through the Moab Desert after the death of her father. Moreover, in writing the character who is a sexual assault survivor, she drew on painful personal experience. Addressing the difficulty of bringing the novel to fruition, she told the Moab Sun News: “I was a little afraid to write it, in many ways. Sometimes it’s really scary to touch those really frightening, painful things in your past. But it also is resonating. I’ve had many readers reaching out, talking to me about their own experiences.”
The opening scene in 49 Miles Alone finds nineteen-year-old Aster leaving her eighteen-year-old cousin Katie behind at a college party—only to learn the next morning that Katie was raped. A year later, the pair aim to use a trek through the desert in Utah to finally recover, but obstacles come in the form of everything from scorpions to stormy weather to fellow hikers who represent serious danger. Tension rises as narration shifts between Aster, Katie, and an unidentified third voice. A Publishers Weekly reviewer affirmed that the “intrepid heroines inspire hope that this foreboding thriller—boasting unrelenting suspense and unremitting pressures—will end in survival.” Observing that the novel’s “real strength lies in the thoughts and conversations … around being a survivor of trauma,” a Kirkus Reviews writer hailed 49 Miles Alone as a “gripping story of strength in the face of unrelenting challenges.”
Richards first turned to middle-grade readers with 15 Secrets to Survival. Twelve-year-old gamer Baxter has long been immersed in the “Getalong Gang,” the playgroup comprising his mother’s and her best friends’ children. But perfectionist Emerson, gentle giant Turner, and gymnast Abigail get on each other’s nerves so badly during a trivia contest that they get disqualified. Consequently they are obliged to visit Baxter’s survivalist great-uncle Hornsby in Montana, with Baxter’s 18-month-old sister Vivi in tow, to rely on Hornsby’s self-written guide to get through a scavenger-hunt series of wintertime puzzles. The hunt grows serious when Hornsby disappears. A Publishers Weekly reviewer declared that Richards “keeps the emotional resonance high in this fast-paced adventure” replete with “a charging moose, potential hypothermia, and plenty of friendship drama.” A Kirkus Reviews writer praised 15 Secrets to Survival as “both exciting and revelatory,” as it “presents believable moments of danger infused with the … realization of individual strengths, weaknesses, and friendship.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2013, review of Six Months Later; July 15, 2017, review of We All Fall Down; October 15, 2018, review of What You Hide; August 1, 2020, review of Five Total Strangers; October 1, 2021, review of Seven Dirty Secrets; March 15, 2023, review of Four Found Dead; October 15, 2023, review of 15 Secrets to Survival; May 1, 2024, review of 49 Miles Alone; February 1, 2025, review of Survive This Safari.
Publishers Weekly, November 24, 2014, review of Gone Too Far, p. 77; March 27, 2023, review of Four Found Dead, p. 90; September 25, 2023, review of 15 Secrets to Survival, p. 67; May 6, 2024, review of 49 Miles Alone, p. 54; January 27, 2025, review of Survive This Safari, p. 83.
School Library Journal, January, 2015, Jesten Ray, review of Gone Too Far, p. 114; October, 2015, Leighanne Law, review of My Secret to Tell, p. 116; September, 2016, Jessica Bushore, review of One Was Lost, p. 162; August, 2017, Meghan Oppelt, review of We All Fall Down, p. 106; August, 2020, Elaine Baran Black, review of Five Total Strangers, p. 87; December, 2021, Leah Krippner, review of Seven Dirty Secrets, p. 93.
Story Monsters Ink, May, 2025, “Natalie D. Richards Invites Readers on a Wild Ride,” p. 26.
Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 2013, Blake Norby, review of Six Months Later, p. 71; October, 2015, Bethany Martin, review of My Secret to Tell, p. 60; October, 2016, Sean Rapacki, review of One Was Lost, p. 67; February, 2019, Cheryl French, review of What You Hide, p. 63.
ONLINE
Buried under Books, https://cncbooksblog.wordpress.com/ (January 2, 2015), author interview.
Dream within a Dream, https://adreamwithindream.blogspot.com/ (October 25, 2013), “Six Months Later Blog Tour: Author Interview + Review.”
Literary Rambles, http://www.literaryrambles.com/ (November 20, 2023), Natalie Aguirre, “Author Interview: Natalie Richards and 15 Secrets to Survival.”
Moab Sun News, https://moabsunnews.com/ (July 4, 2024), “Q&A with Author Natalie D. Richards.”
Natalie D. Richards website, https://www.nataliedrichards.com (August 4, 2025).
Pitch, https://www.thepitchkc.com/ (December 16, 2021), Nick Spacek, “Author Natalie D. Richards on the Winter Appeal of Five Total Strangers.”
Pop Horror, https://pophorror.com/ (May 2, 2023), Tiffany Blem, “Interview with Natalie D. Richards, Author of ‘Four Found Dead.’”
YA Outside the Lines, https://yaoutsidethelines.blogspot.com/ (November 10, 2014), author interview.
Very Short Bio
Natalie D. Richards is a New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award Winning author of page turning thrillers and middle-grade adventure novels. She lives in Ohio with her three children and very large dog, Wookiee.
Natalie Answers Frequently Asked Questions
Do you do school visits or library visits?
I do all kinds of visits and love to talk with readers and writers of all ages! Please see the Events & Speaking page for more details. If you are interested in having me speak at your school or library, send an email to my publicist, Leann Schneider Webb, at leann@leannschneiderwebb.com.
Are you planning a sequel for any of your books?
I love each of my stories and hate to see them come to an end. That said, so far, all of my books feel complete for now, so I have no planned sequels.
Will you ever make a movie out of one of your books?
I’d love to see my characters brought to life on the big screen! I often have pending queries about film rights but at this point there are no film deals in the works. Rest assured, the minute that happens, I’ll be talking about it like CRAZY.
I have a really good idea for a book. Do you want to write it/help me write it/co-write it with me?
The only thing that’s even more fun than hearing from readers is hearing from readers who are interested in becoming writers! What an awesome thing. I’m a big believer in telling your story, though, so if you have an idea that you’re passionate about, trust yourself to write it. First off, I’m already busy writing my own stories, and second, I don’t have the passion you do and I won’t write the story the way you would. That’s a good thing! So, trust your voice and get started!
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
I could spend DAYS writing out lists of advice for writers, but I believe it boils down to a few basic things. Read a lot. Write a lot. Let yourself make mistakes. Allow messy first drafts. Discipline yourself to edit objectively and to receive criticism with an open mind. Share your writing. Trust your gut. And above all of these things, if you want to be a writer, don’t let go. Dust yourself off and try again. Publication takes time, so don’t give up!
Check out this video featuring my top three tips for aspiring writers.
Do you really have a dog named Wookie?
Yes! And he is ridiculous.
Short Bio
Natalie D. Richards writes page-turning Young Adult thrillers and Middle Grade adventure novels. She is the author of two New York Times Bestsellers, Five Total Strangers (2020) and Seven Dirty Secrets (2021), as well as 49 Miles Alone, a Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award Winner and nine additional novels.
49 Miles Alone (2024), about two cousins hiking in the remote Utah wilderness, is won the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult, is nominated for an International Thriller Writers Award and earned enthusiastic praise from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist.
Natalie’s debut middle grade adventure, 15 Secrets to Survival (2023), was hailed as, “a teamwork oriented update of ‘Hatchet,’” by School Library Journal, “exciting and revelatory,” by Kirkus Reviews. SURVIVE THIS SAFARI (April 2025), was called “An entertaining, puzzle-filled adventure for animal lovers," by Kirkus Reviews.
When she isn’t shopping a manuscript or writing, she can most likely be found wading through the huge stacks of dog-eared paperback books that have taken over her bedroom. Natalie currently lives in Ohio with her three children and (very) large dog, Wookie.
Long Bio
Natalie D. Richards writes page-turning Young Adult thrillers and Middle Grade adventure novels. She is the author of two New York Times Bestsellers, Five Total Strangers (2020) and Seven Dirty Secrets (2021), as well as 49 Miles Alone (2024), a Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award Winner and nine additional novels.
49 Miles Alone (2024), about two cousins hiking in the remote Utah wilderness, is won the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult, is nominated for an International Thriller Writers Award and earned enthusiastic praise from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist.
Natalie’s debut middle grade adventure, 15 Secrets to Survival (2023), was hailed as, “a teamwork oriented update of ‘Hatchet,’” by School Library Journal, “exciting and revelatory,” by Kirkus Reviews, and “a fun and fast paced read” by Publisher’s Weekly.
Kirkus Reviews called SURVIVE THIS SAFARI, Natalie’s second middle grade title, “An entertaining, puzzle-filled adventure for animal lovers.”
Natalie won her very first writing contest when she was in the second grade with a short story about Barbara Frances Bizzlefishes (who would not dare do the dishes). These days she writes about some awesome girls, broody boys, and all things that are creepy and dark. She spent many years applying her writing abilities to amazingly boring business documents. Fortunately, she realized that she is much better at making things up, and has written for teens ever since.
When she isn’t shopping a manuscript or writing, she can most likely be found wading through the huge stacks of dog-eared paperback books that have taken over her bedroom.
As a writer, she tends to write by the seat of her pants without much of a clue as to where she is going with each scene, often with the entire book as a whole. Natalie finds this helps her maintain an authentic edge of suspense in all her work because she honestly has no idea just how or even if her characters will get out of whichever mess she has wrote them into.
Natalie currently lives in Ohio with her three children and (very) large dog, Wookie.
Natalie D Richards
Natalie D. Richards won her first writing competition in the second grade with her short story about Barbara Frances Bizzlefishes (who wouldn't dare do the dishes.) Now she writes about awesome girls, broody boys, and all things dark and creepy. When she's not writing or shopping her manuscripts, you can probably find her wading through the towers of dog-eared paperbacks that have taken over her bedroom. Natalie lives in Ohio (Go Bucks!) with her techno-wiz husband, three amazing kids, and a seventy pound dust-mop who swears he's the family dog.
Awards: Edgar (2025) see all
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Children's Fiction
New and upcoming books
April 2025
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Survive This Safari
March 2026
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Two Perfect Lies
Novels
Six Months Later (2013)
Gone Too Far (2015)
My Secret to Tell (2015)
One Was Lost (2016)
We All Fall Down (2017)
What You Hide (2018)
Five Total Strangers (2020)
Seven Dirty Secrets (2021)
Four Found Dead (2023)
15 Secrets to Survival (2023)
49 Miles Alone (2024)
Survive This Safari (2025)
Two Perfect Lies (2026)
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Awards
2025 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel : 49 Miles Alone
Q&A with Author Natalie D. Richards
Moab Sun News12 months ago14 mins
When thriller writer Natalie D. Richards’ father died around eight years ago, she experienced grief in a way she never had before. Her life felt like it had splintered apart; her dad had instilled into her a love of reading and writing, and without him, she felt lost. On a whim, the Ohian author decided to take a trip to Southeast Utah. While driving along a desert road, she felt herself wake up from the haze that had engulfed her since his death.
“In many ways, Moab and all of the surrounding areas healed me,” she said. “It really connected with me in a way that’s a little difficult to articulate. The desert is so brutal and beautiful at the same time, that it reminds you of all of the best and worst parts of life. And somehow that really worked.”
Richards knew she wanted to write a story about surviving the unthinkable in the deserts around Moab. Years later, she finished her 11th book, the thriller “49 Miles Alone,” which will be published in July. The book follows two cousins, Katie and Aster. Desperate to heal from a traumatic event and repair their once-easy relationship, the pair tackle a four-day hiking trip in the Utah backcountry. Problems quickly arise along their journey, including illness, injury and a freak storm. But after witnessing a woman they’d met on the trail flee into the night from her boyfriend, their story of survival quickly turns into a rescue mission.
The Moab Sun News chatted more with Richards about her writing process and novel. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How did you become a writer?
I wanted to be a writer when I was really young. My earliest love was Dr. Seuss and then Shel Silverstein. So obviously, I veered pretty far from all of that. But I think, like many writers, what happens is you want this as a child, and then when you start to grow up, you think this is very impractical. For me, in particular, it felt like a very wealthy, privileged thing to do that was not really in my wheelhouse.
The sad part of my story is the first major death for me happened really young. My mom was 51 years old when she died pretty unexpectedly. I was 27. I realized she really had so many things that she never did. I have wanted to write my entire life, and I keep putting it away as this unrealistic dream. Then I thought, “I really have to do this, because if I don’t try, I’m going to wonder forever.” That was when I got very serious about writing. And it still took several years and several incredibly terrible books before I was ready to actually be published.
What was your writing process for this book like?
I started writing this book badly and incorrectly, probably back in 2019. And it was wrong. It wasn’t good enough. It was written from a very romantic [perspective]. I needed to go a few more times. I needed to have a few really, truly miserable hikes. Like, the one where you’re out there, and you’re like two hours into a hike and then it starts pouring down rain, and everything you’re going to eat gets soaked. And you’re soaked and you’re miserable. I needed a couple of those really miserable days so that I could have some perspective. I gotta tell you, it did not make me love it any less. I think that, honestly, it being a little more realistic and a little less fairytale-like kind of made it all the better. I think I started writing this book in earnest in 2022.
The first thing you need to learn to be a writer is that you’re going to have to kind of figure out your own way to be a writer. Some people are really detailed plotters. I am a pantser. [Meaning writing “by the seat of one’s pants”. -ed.] That’s why this was such a departure for me. This book, I really dug so deep into like the background, the history, the landscape, the maps. Like, you can’t even imagine what the table looked like when I was writing. That’s not typically like me. I usually just dive in. But it was really important that I understood these things a little deeper than I normally would.
But really being a good writer is listening to everyone. So you listen to people at the grocery store. You ask a lot of questions. And you get answers. You ask things from your Airbnb folks. You ask things from people that you see on the streets, people you see in the grocery store, gas stations, you name it. I really worked towards…talking to more people who actually lived and worked in Moab to learn the things that were frustrating. And the things that were kind of wonderful.
What challenges did you face as you were writing?
I think that I am very afraid to do this incorrectly and to create any harm on a town and a landscape that means so much to me. My fear would be disrespecting it. It really almost made me not write the book. It’s not just the beauty of the desert, which is remarkable. But it’s also the town itself and the people that helped me. I went to Back of Beyond Books probably five times the last time I was there. So that was, I think, a real challenge for me, trying to thread that needle between, I want to pay honor to this beautiful area and this wonderful town. And I also don’t want to exploit it.
One of the main characters in your book is in the desert, healing from a traumatic event that happened to her. Did the novel draw from your own experiences?
There is a saying that in order to write a book really well, even fiction—maybe particularly fiction—you have to go to the “hot stove”: to the darkest, scariest place. I don’t want to really return to that pain, but I will. You have to touch the hot stove to make fiction honest. You have to touch the scariest things in yourself. So yes, I certainly knew that a part of the reason that Utah was very important to me was because I did a lot of healing there. I did definitely reconnect with myself in that place. But it also isn’t a mystical unicorn place, and I didn’t want to do that. So the book is definitely not about the mystical desert that fixes everything, because it doesn’t. It really gives you the space and the quiet and the perspective to look at yourself more honestly.
It definitely pulled on some of my pain from losing my father. But also, she [the character in the book] is a sexual assault survivor. And that pulled from some things as well in my past. So it is more honest maybe than I wanted to be. I was a little afraid to write it, in many ways. Sometimes it’s really scary to touch those really frightening, painful things in your past. But it also is resonating. I’ve had many readers reaching out, talking to me about their own experiences.
What do you want readers to take away from this book?
I think probably the most important thing to take away from it is that survival is really up to us. And it’s also really personal. What does it mean to survive? What does it mean to thrive in the face of adversity? And what does it mean to heal? What does it mean to get past something? Because I think the really difficult things in our lives are not things we get past. They are things we learn to live with. And what does that mean? What does that look like? I think it’s different for everyone. That’s what I want people to take away from it. First of all, you can survive it. And the “how” doesn’t have to look a certain way. The “how” can look the way you need it to look. That’s probably the thing I want people to see the most.
Author Interview: Natalie Richards and 15 Secrets to Survival Giveaway
Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have author Natalie Richards here to share about her MG thriller 15 Secrets to Survival. Natalie is a NY Times Bestselling Author and writes YA thrillers as well. I’m excited to read her first MG thriller and to try one of her YA books.
Here’s a blurb about 15 Secrets to Survival from Goodreads:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Five Total Strangers comes a thriller about a group of four classmates forced to navigate the wilderness for a school project with nothing but the pages of a survival handbook--and each other--before the sun goes down..
When classmates Baxter, Abigail, Turner and Emerson are forced to go to the middle of nowhere for a school project, they think things can't get much worse. Why on earth do they need to learn how to survive in the wilderness by an eccentric instructor?
But what starts off as a weekend of team building turns dangerous when their instructor goes missing and they are left with nothing but the pages of a survival handbook to complete a series of challenges.
They will soon discover the woods around them have unexpected surprises that might go beyond the obstacles their teacher set out for them...but will they find they can work together to find their teacher?
A recommended choice for classroom discussions and educators looking for survival books for kids.
Hi Natalie! Thanks so much for joining us.
Thank you for having me!
1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.
As an only (and often lonely!) child, I’d make up elaborate stories while playing on my own. These stories could feel so real and true that it was hard not to get swept away. Want a silly example? There was a small hole in my tiny front yard, a remnant from a shrub removal operation. I was utterly convinced that this hole was actually the entrance to a sprawling cave system beneath my neighborhood. I spent hours on my knees with my arm shoved in as far as I could reach, trying to find the larger cave that was surely down there. It’s a miracle nothing I didn’t find something in that hole that decided to chomp off a finger or two. But as silly as it is, that might be the very first hint that I’d spend my whole life dreaming up stories. And once I discovered books and the endless stories they contained? Well, the rest is history.
2. I was lonely too and made up stories in my head. Where did you get the idea for 15 Secrets to Survival?
My parents were divorced when I was very young and my dad would often take me hiking when I was staying with him. True to my front yard cave system story above, I would often wander along those hikes dreaming up scenarios where my dad had to rush off for one reason or another and I’d be forced to find my way alone in the wilderness. Between my imagination running wild and my love for books like Call of the Wild, I knew I’d love to write an adventure story one day. But often adventure stories follow the adventures of one person, and I wanted to see the dynamic of a group of kids trying to figure it out together.
Your Writing Process
3. This is your first middle grade thriller. What made you decide to write a middle grade story and how was it different than writing a YA thriller?
My YA thrillers are often dark and frightening, and while you can usually spot a funny character somewhere in anything I write, it’s difficult to explore the sillier side of life in YA thrillers. Now, anyone who knows me will tell you, I definitely lean toward silly and ridiculous as a person, so I’ve dreamed for a long time of writing something that was both a little bit scary and a lot of fun too. And since I love reading and talking about MG books, it felt like a really natural fit. And guess what? It was! I’ve never had more fun writing a book.
4. What is your plotting process like? Has it changed since you published your first book, Six Months Later in 2013?
Er….no? Ha! I wish I was good at plotting, but I have a secret. Lean in close. (*whisper voice* If I do too much planning, I grow bored and disinterested in writing it *end whisper voice*). Truly, one of the great joys of writing for me is figuring out how on earth everything will turn out. So most of my plotting happens after the story is written when I’m trying to edit my often unwieldy and misshapen first draft into a really good book.
5. It’s reassuring to know that we don’t have to totally plot out a thriller. Share about how you created the main characters in this story—Baxter, Abigail, Turner, and Emerson. What tips do you have on how to make each character unique?
A few tips on characters for fellow writers or folks who might like to write one day! Making characters unique can be tricky because as a writer you have a distinctive voice that bleeds onto every character. And the story itself will also impact character choices and conversations. The trick is to get to know each character independently. Think about the way they talk, what they like, what annoys them, and what makes them sad. Often those things reveal themselves as you write the book, and by the end you’ll have a good idea of who each person is. The trick that helps me best is to write down what I’ve learned about each character after the first draft is done. And then when I go through edits, I can adjust dialogue and scenes to better reflect who each character is.
6. Those are great tips. You’ve published approximately 11 books since 2013. How long does it take you to write and revise a manuscript before submitting it to an editor? What tips do you have on how writers who write slowly (like me) can learn to complete a manuscript quicker?
It varies a bit. I can draft a book quickly (Fun fact! 15 Secrets to Survival was a NaNoWriMo book and I wrote the first draft in 30 days). BUT, and here is the important part, if I draft things quickly, I often have to take longer with edits. Books that take 6-8 months to write might require less edits, but 15 Secrets to Survival took multiple full rewrites. My short advice on this? Trust your own process. There’s nothing wrong with writing slow or fast, but it is important to make the process work for you. If you’re a fast writer, you may need to dedicate big chunks of time for a shorter period of time to get it done. If you’re slower, it might be important to carve out a bit of time each day so you continue with steady progress. In the end, every book gets written the same way—one word at a time.
Your Road to Publication
7. What was your road to the publication of your debut book like? Share a bit about how you obtained your other book deals.
My first middle grade was the fifth full-length novel I wrote. I had submitted earlier books in contests, which were a big thing then, and one of those early books resulted in me signing with an agent. From there, I sold my next book, Six Months Later, and have been lucky enough to be in contract and consistently writing since the beginning.
On Marketing Your Book
8. How do you market your books and how have your marketing plans changed as you became a more experienced author? What advice do you have for newer writers about marketing their books?
I’m NOT great at marketing, so I will leave this question to other writers who have figured this out. For my best advice on marketing, see below…
9. You have a publicist. What made you decide to hire one and how has having a publicist helped you with promotion of your books helped you?
Hiring my publicist was a business decision based on objectively viewing my weaknesses. I know that doesn’t sound too exciting, but I think it’s critical as a professional writer to know and to address your personal weaknesses. I have a very hard time with marketing and sales as I’m very wrapped up in the business of writing the books. As I’ve grown busier, I’ve realized I need some support so I hired a publicist who helps tremendously, arranging events for me, creating creative content, and helping to secure speaking engagements. And so so much more!
10. It’s good to know that a publicist can help those of us who don’t want to market. What are you working on now?
I just wrapped up edits on my next YA Thriller, 49 Miles Alone, which is a very different kind of survival story set in the blistering heat of the Utah back country. That book is due out in July of 2023. And I am over the moon to share that I’m working on a very exciting book that follows a group of kids trying to work through an escape room set in a safari park. This book is extra fun (and challenging) to write because in addition to the story, the book also includes puzzles that readers can solve alongside the characters!
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Natalie. You can find Natalie at @natdrichards or www.nataliedrichards.com.
Interview With Natalie D. Richards, Author Of ‘Four Found Dead’
Tiffany Blem May 2, 2023 Interviews Comments Offon Interview With Natalie D. Richards, Author Of ‘Four Found Dead’
Last year, while searching the library app for a new book to read, I came across Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards and checked it out. Going in blind, I was mesmerized by the story about five strangers on a road trip through the snow, I finished it in less than two days. I was hooked. I immediately sought out every book by this author and after I read the last one I could find, I was disappointed that there were no more left. Well, the time for a new book has come, and Natalie’s Four Found Dead is fantastic. I’m a sucker for “locked room thrillers” and the abandoned mall setting with a killer on the loose is everything I wanted and more. To celebrate the release of the book, I chatted with Natalie via phone about her inspiration for Four Found Dead, turning her books into movies (someday!), what’s up next, and more!
PopHorror: I devoured Four Found Dead in probably a day and a half. I’m a huge fan. I randomly found one of your books in an advertisement, read it, and then searched out all of your books and read them all.
Natalie D. Richards: Oh, thank you!
PopHorror: So this is really a treat for me, thank you.
Natalie D. Richards: Thank you so much! I feel so lucky. I hear that more than a lot of my writing friends. They’re always like, “You’re so lucky,” because I have a lot of repeat readers. I have a lot of people that say, “Oh my gosh! I bought every single book you have!” And I’m like, “Oh, I love you!” It is kind of a gift. It’s such a wonderful thing to hear.
PopHorror: I was really disappointed when I finished the last one. I thought, well what do I do now?
Natalie D. Richards: Well, hang tight. I just wrote one so there’s another one on its way.
PopHorror: Sweet! That’s exciting!
Natalie D. Richards: I just turned in one that’s maybe my favorite. And I don’t normally say that. It’s just a very girl-power book. It’s about best friends that’s set in southeastern Utah. It’s set in Moab and it’s two girls that are on a trip and end up having to rescue a third girl or so you think that’s what’s going on. It’s very much survival in the desert with a side of horror.
PopHorror: I am so excited for that already and I know nothing about it.
Natalie D. Richards: Now you know a little.
PopHorror: So for Four Found Dead, how did you come up with the concept for that?
Natalie D. Richards: This is really interesting because there are several malls in Columbus that have closed down over the last 10-15 years. One of them, when I was very, very little, I remember teenagers would go to Eastland mall near me, and it was a really popular place to go. I remember feeling sad. When I was very little I would go there to see Santa Claus and I remember being able to go there and play in the fountain and throw pennies in. It was just this really cool experience. Slowly over time, that mall started to die. You started to see the chain stores would move out, and discount stores would move in. Then chunks of the mall would close down. There’s something so eerie about these, especially with the one that inspired me because I drove past it so often and saw it decline. But there was something about that setting that really called to me. So I thought, oh I have this thing. For me, you can have a plot, or you can have a setting, and it’s not really a book. It’s like a piece of a book. So I was waiting for the other piece of the book for several years, honestly. Finally, Jo came to me, meaning I kind of saw that character in my mind’s eye, if you will. I started hearing a character talking, bits of conversations. I’m a little odd as a writer. That’s kind of how it comes together for me. It’s like I see snippets of scenes in my head. And I was like, well, she’s in a theater and then it hit me. Oh my gosh, she could be at a theater attached to a mall that’s closing. And then I thought, I think I have a book coming together. The one piece of it that was really especially interesting for me to write – and that I really enjoyed and was also incredibly hard – is that you know who the killer is immediately in this book. There is no secret. So all of my books before this have dealt with, “Who is doing this?” And that’s not what you’re really trying to figure out. You’re trying to figure out who is going to live, and also why on Earth is any of this happening? Those were different questions for me to ask, and I loved that. I also loved being able to build a lot of suspense and fear without the fear of who’s doing it. I really loved that aspect of it.
PopHorror: You are right. All of your books make you question who is doing it, and reading this, I thought it was too obvious so I kept trying to figure out who was actually doing it. And I was wrong!
Natalie D. Richards: Right!
PopHorror: You really threw me for a loop there because I wasn’t expecting it to actually be this person.
Natalie D. Richards: Oh good!
PopHorror: And I loved the setting. I’m fascinated by abandoned malls because they’re so empty when they used to be so full of life.
Natalie D. Richards: Oh me too! Maybe in particular now, and I don’t know if it impacts you this way, but when I am writing this setting and thinking about this setting, it really brought me back to the pandemic. When the pandemic began, you would go onto the streets, and it was desolation. It was so strange to see a grocery store utterly empty of food. In Ohio we had several grocery stores that literally were entirely cleaned out for several days, where there was nothing in them, or really random things, like “Hey you can find cocktail corn on the cobs in a jar!” Like very, very strange. We had that going on and I think it did bring back that strange feeling that something is terribly wrong. And obviously during the pandemic it was, but I think you have that same feeling in an abandoned mall. Like, this is not how it’s supposed to be, something is so wrong here. We took photos of me in front of Eastland Mall and it’s so disturbing.
PopHorror: Was there anything that you were adamant about keeping in the book or anything that you had to edit out?
Natalie D. Richards: My editors, I have an incredible editing team at Sourcebooks, and I don’t believe that I’ve ever been asked to take anything out of a book ever.
PopHorror: Oh, awesome.
Natalie D. Richards: They’re great. They’re very, very supportive. Generally speaking, I’m a real stickler for editing myself and knowing when something is in a book because I like it, or I’m interested in it, and when a book has an element because it’s serving a story. Everything in a book needs to serve the story, obviously. So there’s really nothing that they ask me to take out. I will say it was really important that I did not turn any of the characters into caricatures. Sometimes when you have an ensemble it can be easy like, okay this is the spoiled rich girl, and this is the whoever. And that was really important to me, so I went back through that myself several times, just to say, “Alright. I do not want anybody to be the stereotypical anything,” because no one is. We all have dimensions and layers so if there was anything, it would be that, just really making sure my characters were who they were and that’s really editing myself, making sure that I’m not getting lazy.
Photo from Cover to Cover independent bookstore in Columbus, OH.
PopHorror: I appreciate that because that makes it more realistic, and more relatable, when they feel like real people.
Natalie D. Richards: Right!
PopHorror: If Four Found Dead was made into a movie, who would you want to play your characters?
Natalie D. Richards: This is always such a hard question for me. It’s funny. I work a full-time job, I have three kids, and I write both middle grade and young adult, so I have less than zero time at all. I know no actors’ names because I almost never watch TV of any sort. I really don’t. I read a lot, but I really don’t have a lot of time to watch TV. I do make time for things like Stranger Things. But really, when I look at screenplays, I’m always really interested in any time you adapt a book to film, there is an immediate change. Just a little bit, whatever they’re going to change. I’d love to see this adapted because I think it would be such an inherently creepy and cheap setting to film in, so I think that would be awesome. I would really prefer to see what their vision is for it before I could say that. I had this amazing thing happen when Five Total Strangers came out. Lana Condor, she was in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and she is amazing. And she really loved Five Total Strangers and said she would have loved to be in that movie if there was a movie. That would be so amazing so I would love to have her involved in some way.
PopHorror: I think if they were to make Four Found Dead into a movie, there are so many abandoned malls out there that it could actually be made in one.That would be amazing.
Inside Eastland Mall in Columbus, OH. Photo credit unknown.
Natalie D. Richards: It would be such a crazy movie! It’s funny because Five Total Strangers was my first New York Times bestseller. If you’ve read it, it’s really a great one. It’s a lot of fun. It’s like a road trip from hell. You’re going through the snowy mountains and there’s a bad person in the car, so you have this whole terrible thing happening. A lot of people were interested in it but we kept hearing the same thing, “We’re just struggling on exactly how to film it, because it’s all in a car.” And I’m like, ah! How do I do this to myself? This one, I did not make that mistake this time.
PopHorror: Five Total Strangers is the first one of yours that I read, and not only is it all in a car, but there’s all that snow and the accident. I can imagine that it would be very hard.
Natalie D. Richards: Yeah, it would be very hard to film, and it was very hard to write, let me tell you. There were just times when you’re like, “You’re still in the car. What can I possibly do in this car?” It was really, really difficult but a lot of fun.
PopHorror: What are you currently reading? I’m sure you get asked that all the time.
Natalie D. Richards: I do, and you know what happens? It goes immediately out of your brain. You’re like, “What? Books? What are those? Do I ever read those?” I just started The Appeal. I know absolutely nothing about that. I just finished If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery. It is a series of interconnected short stories about a Jamaican family who moves to the United States. Really interesting book. There was a thriller that I read recently that was really great. One that I read really recently was Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver which was phenomenal. Not a thriller but phenomenally good.
PopHorror: I’ll have to look that one up.
Natalie D. Richards: I liked The Club. That’s one that I read pretty recently. By Ellery Lloyd. That one was kind of fun. I enjoyed that. And The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley. Those are two pretty good thrillers that I read recently. Thrillers in particular are very difficult for me because I write them, I’m incredibly critical of them and I don’t mean that in a mean way. I think anybody can love any book they want. I have no judgment about different authors or books. Personally, because I write them, I’m immersed in them a lot.
PopHorror: I think I would be too. You said that you had just finished a book, but what is up next for you?
Natalie D. Richards: I just finished 49 Miles. That will be my next release. I think we’re going to retitle it but that is about two girls that go on a backpacking trip every summer. There’s a tragedy with one of the girls so they lose one summer and kind of go back to commit to this big trip, 49 miles. If you have ever done any hiking near Phoenix-
PopHorror: No.
Natalie D. Richards: Oh you’re not a hiker?
PopHorror: No. I watch too many horror movies and read too many books that I don’t like hiking, and I will never go spelunking.
Natalie D. Richards: Oh my gosh. Absolutely not.
PopHorror: Or mountain climbing.
Natalie D. Richards: Or rest stops? Can we talk about rest stops? If I’m going to stop at a rest stop, it’s got to be that my bladder will burst if I don’t stop there. If you are in the canyon in Utah or Arizona, you really don’t have cell service. Not just for like a couple of miles, but for like a hundred miles. I went on a hike in Utah last year when I was out there researching the book, and I was out of service for eight hours. We are so connected to our phones at this point, being without service for eight hours feels like you’ve literally landed on the moon. Anything could be happening, and you wouldn’t know. The isolation of the desert compounded with the technological isolation, and they see something happening to a girl and realize that they’re so far away from help that their only option is to help her themselves. That’s what the book is, is these friends trying to grapple with their broken friendship coming back together and then also having to choose to help a stranger in danger.
PopHorror: When is that expected to come out?
Natalie D. Richards: They have switched my release dates to spring. Four Found Dead comes out May 2, so I’m sure if they’re planning on releasing this one in May of the following year or if they’re going to do me every 18 months and switch it to fall. They have not released a firm date yet.
PopHorror: Oh no! That’s so far away!
Natalie D. Richards: I’m very excited about this book. So that is what’s next for me. And then I do have a middle grade, 15 Secrets to Survival, which is a much more lighthearted fun adventure with a smart alec kid who I adore, who is stuck on the Montana mountains in the snow, and he’s forced to follow a scavenger hunt in the snow. Very fun. And that one comes out this fall.
PopHorror: I have just one last question for you today. What is your favorite scary movie?
Natalie D. Richards: Can I pick a show?
PopHorror: Absolutely!
Natalie D. Richards: The Haunting of Hill House. It was so good and so creepy. I really, really enjoyed it.
Thank you so much to Natalie for taking the time to speak with us. Four Found Dead is out now!
Author Natalie D. Richards on the winter appeal of Five Total Strangers
December 16, 2021 Nick Spacek
Natalie D Richards 819x1024
Natalie D. Richards. // Courtesy Richards
Author Natalie D. Richards’ book Five Total Strangers is the gift that keeps on giving.
It hit the New York Times bestseller list last year, and was picked for this year’s Big Library Read from Libby. The story of five strangers trapped together during a snowstorm over the holiday season is only too appropriate for reading during the month of December, especially as so many folks are traveling for the first time in ages.
While one might be able to consider it a Christmas book along the same lines of Die Hard being a Christmas movie, this is definitely not a Hallmark film by any stretch of the imagination.
“Definitely, there is some element of stress that happens to a lot of us when we’re traveling over the holiday or we’re trying to connect with people during the holiday,” Richards says. “It’s busier, there’s more traffic, so I think having it over the holiday did add an element to it. Now, also—some of the reminiscing, some of the things she’s going through with grief—they really do resurface.”
Richards herself has lost both parents, and admits that moments of grief resurface during the holidays when you remember traditions that you can’t have any longer.
In her author’s letter for the Big Library Read, Richards notes that she was inspired by her own “terrible experiences with bad winter weather. From the snowstorm that stranded me on the side of a rural highway, to the multi-car pile-up that I feel lucky to have survived, to the ice storm that took out power for a week the night my mother died, winter storms have set the stage for many of my own most frightening nights.”
Though Richards’ writing process for Five Total Strangers is a bit complicated, she works to ensure that every piece she writes hits on common experiences.
Five Total Strangers“It’s really interesting,” she says. “Five Total Strangers is my seventh book. I’ve written a mess of them now, and you’d think you’d start running out of ‘writing what you know,’ right? That’s the old advice. I believe in exploring all kinds of things when you write, but the truth is, when we’re reading a great book—especially a great fiction book, we’re connecting to something that feels real to us—common shared experiences or emotion.”
There are circumstances in all of Richards’ books that relate to something personal she’s been through or something she’s been very close to. This book was particularly personal for her because there was a major snowstorm happening when both of Richards’ parents died.
“Which is really unusual,” says the author. “They died many years apart, but it did happen. That definitely found its way into the book and so did a lot of the moments of grief that I’ve experienced, but each of my books has something that I could say, ‘Hey, this was a real thing that happened to me,’ or at least, it was very connected to a real thing that happened to me.”
Richards thinks that’s what a lot of writers end up doing. When they say, “write what you know,” it doesn’t necessarily mean writing about being a mayor’s assistant in a small Ohio city.
“It means write about a feeling that’s real to you and your experience,” Richards explains.
Hearing that Richards writes about personal experiences and worked them into her books may give some readers pause, given that Richards writes horror and thriller novels.
Richards laughs and confirms that it’s not quite that far: “I do not have a string of bodies in the trunk of my car. That is a very different kind of writing what I know.”
But storms? Yes. Weather is underrated as a driver of plot, in that one big storm can justify a lot of strange encounters.
“I think if you have encountered a really significant hurricane or a very significant ice storm—the ice storm that happened when my mother died took out power for a week,” Richards says. “We had to delay her funeral. It was so traumatic. It almost felt like the storm itself became a character and I think that was why it was something I always wanted to write.”
Richards wanted to write a book set in a snowstorm because she knew how powerful that atmosphere could be, and how much it could contribute to an already difficult situation. It changes your perspective, she explains. The same goes for traveling in general, she continues.
“I have absolutely met people in airport lounges on my flights, when you’re the only folks in the restaurant, eating alone,” Richards says. “You’re often sitting at the bar and strike up conversations. It’s really interesting, the people that you meet and the perspectives that they share, ’cause they’re all over the planet. I really enjoyed that about traveling and it’s something I desperately missed over coronavirus and I’m so happy the world is beginning to open back up.”
While Five Total Strangers is a book about travelers, it is at heart a thriller, as are the rest of Richards’ books (including her recently-released latest, Seven Dirty Secrets). So, what is the appeal to Richard of writing this kind of fiction?
“For me, writing thrillers is not because I’m a devious soul,” Richards says. “I have no hidden list of crimes or aspirations of nefarious glory. It really, for me, is more about when I was younger and I really needed books. I didn’t have the greatest childhood. I really needed my books to be able to let me walk away from everything.”
For a lot of people, that might mean fairytales or romance, but those really didn’t grab Richards in the same way that a suspense novel did.
“When I was 11, far too young, I read a lot of Dean Koontz books out of my mom’s room,” Richards says with an embarrassed laugh. “Took them into my closet and read them. He is so brilliant. He had this ability to just snag me right out of whatever horrible thing I was going through or feeling and I would be totally immersed in a story because it was scary and suspenseful. I couldn’t think about anything else.”
It was a gift, continues Richards, not because Koontz’s writings frightened her, but because those books let Richards completely walk away from her problems and look at someone else’s.
“I think having that saved my life in many ways and I think that really is the driving force of why I write to this day,” Richards says. “ I want people to see themselves in some places in my books and feel seen and heard. I want people to be able to put everything down for a little bit. Especially now, I don’t think we’ve ever needed that more–the ability to say, ‘I need to walk away from what’s happening in my life, in the world. I need to just put it away for a minute.’ And that’s what I wanted.”
An Interview with Natalie D. Richards
January 2, 2015 by Lelia T
1
Natalie D. RichardsOhioan and Double RWA Golden Heart Finalist NATALIE D. RICHARDS won her first writing competition in the second grade with her short story about Barbara Frances Bizzlefishes (who wouldn’t dare do the dishes). After getting lost in maze of cubicles, Natalie found her way back to storytelling, following the genre of her heart, teen fiction. Natalie lives in Ohio with her amazing husband, their three children, and a giant dust-mop who swears he’s the family dog.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m delighted to welcome Natalie D. Richards
today to share a few thoughts with us.
cncbooks: How much of you is in your character, Piper?
Ms. Richards: Piper is kind of earthy and artsy in a way I’m truly envious of. She’s embracing her creative side with full confidence at a much earlier age than I did. Don’t get me wrong, she makes some truly bad decisions along the way, but she’s got an inner calm and a quiet confidence that is totally foreign to me.
cncbooks: You just woke up as a castaway on a remote, uncharted island and you have one book to keep you entertained but it’s the very last book you’d want. What is it?
Ms. Richards: Haha, I love this question! Okay, for me the last book I’d want would be an obsolete non-fiction title. I’m thinking something like Programming in Turbo Pascal. 😉
cncbooks: What five things must you have with you on a deserted island besides that one book?
Ms. Richards: Assuming there is food and fresh water, I’m going to go with:
1. A super durable high-end laptop with satellite internet access. (Hey, you didn’t say there were limits on what I could ask for!)
2. One of those super cool, stretchy hammocks so I could not sleep on the sand.
3. A good knife. (I’ve watched enough survival crap to know I really would need this.)
4. Burt’s Bees lip balm.
5. A very large toiletries set. Because isolated or not, hygiene is a good thing.
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cncbooks: Same question for Piper?
Ms. Richards: Oooh! Love! Piper is less fussy than me about girly stuff. I think she’d probably request:
1. Her camera with a ridiculously large memory card.
2. A way to charge her camera battery.
3. A good knife. (Hey, she’s a sensible girl. I think she’s seen some of the same shows.)
4. A fire-starting kit (because she pays better attention to said shows).
5. A first-aid kit (untreated injuries are probably a bigger threat than stanky morning breath).
cncbooks: What has been the toughest criticism you’ve been given as an author?
Ms. Richards: Reviews can be really hard. As a reader I totally respect that different books work for different readers, so usually I can appreciate less-than-complimentary reviews for their differing perspective. I also appreciate the time they took to read and put together thoughts. That said, when reviews or reviewers cross into angry or mean-spirited ranting, that’s very hard. I’ve been fortunate not to encounter too many, but they are zero fun.
cncbooks: What has been the best compliment?
Ms. Richards: I’ve been incredibly blessed by readers who reach out to tell me my book kept them up all night. That’s personally my favorite thing to hear—I couldn’t stop reading. I lost sleep. I was trying to read at the red lights—anything like that really makes me grin. It’s lovely for readers to reach out. Keeps me going on the days it’s not so fun.
cncbooks: If you had it to do over again, what would you do differently in your writing career?
Ms. Richards: I would have gotten serious about it earlier. I spent far too long fearing the pursuit of what felt like a high-failure-rate dream.
cncbooks: What do you like best about being a writer? What do you like the least?
Ms. Richards: The readers are the best. The fear is the worst. Simple as that. 😉
cncbooks: How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for writing young adult psychological thrillers?
Ms. Richards: I think I write thrillers because I’m perpetually paranoid! In parking lots, I’m always looking around, trying to decide who’s most likely to try to stab me or throw me in the back of a rusty cargo van. My mom watched a lot of horror movies. I was forbidden to watch them, but we lived in a tiny apartment, so I picked up enough pieces to fill my imagination with horrifying things. 😉
cncbooks: What is your favorite scene in GONE TOO FAR and why?
Ms. Richards: The scene at the basketball game. I couldn’t wait to get to it. When I finally wrote it, I was leaned forward about to launch off the couch. I was practically pounding the keys. Crazy intense and fun. I also really loved the hot cocoa scene, and not just for the kissing.
cncbooks: What’s next for you?
Ms. Richards: My next book, tentatively titled MY SECRET TO TELL, is in edits right now. This one’s set in my favorite town in North Carolina (Beaufort) and it’s all about the lies we tell ourselves and the ones we love.
Thank you so much for being here today and
sharing a little bit of yourself 😉
Thank you so much for having me! I thought these
interview questions were great! Thanks so much!!
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author interview
Natalie Richards
Sydney Salter
Posted by Sydney Salter November 10, 2014
An Interview With Natalie Richards by Sydney Salter
Natalie Richards, author of Six Months Later and Gone Too Far, answers questions about her teenage self!
If someone were to write a YA novel about teenage you, what would it be called?
Doc Martens, Red Lipstick, and Whitman’s Leaves of Grass ;-)
What Song Brings You Right Back To Your Teenage Years?
Any song off of Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate Machine, but especially The Only Time, Head Like a Hole, or Sin
What Was Your Favorite Class in High School?
By far, my favorite was a literature class where I was first introduced to Hemingway and Walt Whitman and others for the first time.
Would Your Friends and Family Have Predicted You’d Become a Writer?
Definitely. I heard “You know you should really be a writer” a lot during that time.
What fashion trend did you embrace that you regret now?
Eh, screw regrets. ;) I basically looked like a thrift store version of a Hot Topic ad for a few years, but I’m cool with that. The mall hair of my tween years, however, may have passed the boundaries of good taste. I had my hair dryer and my Aquanet and oh, the waterfall of bangs was something to behold.
Which social media app would your teenage self have loved—or hated?
I would have LOATHED Instagram and Facebook tagging. I felt so self-conscious about pictures then. The idea of random snapshots floating all over the universe when I was seventeen makes me shudder. I feel awful for teens that have to deal with that constant barrage of bad hair day pictures and the like. It’s fun for some, but I suspect there are a few out there cringing behind every smile.
What are you most proud about your teenage self?
I like that I didn’t play games. My friends were my friends. I liked who I liked. I didn’t really care for the frenemy business.
Is there anything you wish you’d done differently in high school?
No. There are things I did that were stupid. Wrong. Even dangerous. There are lots of things I would very strongly advise against, but I like where my life is today, so I wouldn’t want to go messing with the past. Paradox, yo! Read some sci fi!! ;-)
Have you ever secretly snuck real people from your past into your fiction?
Weirdly, no. Bits and pieces find their way in, but I’ve never really created a character inspired by people from my teen years.
Would your teenage self have been friends with any of your fictional characters?
Absolutely. Especially Maggie from Six Months Later and Piper from Gone Too Far. And Tate. Holy crap, my teenage self would have been all about fixing Tate. In fact, maybe *that* would be the name of the book about teenage me—Fixing Tate. Well except Tate is fictional. LOL!
If you could give your teenage self advice, what would it be?
Read More. Write More. Submit work sooner. ;-)
What do you wish you could tell all of your teenage readers?
I don’t care what the media or the doom-and-gloom types say about America’s youth. I’ve met lots of teens from lots of different walks of life and I think you’re vibrant and smart and warm. I’m so excited about the future you’re all going to create. You’re kind of awesome, you know that? No, really. <3
October 25, 2013
Six Months Later Blog Tour: Author Interview + Review
Welcome to my stop on the Six Months Later blog tour hosted by Sourcebooks Fire! Today I have my review of the book and a great interview with the author, Natalie Richards, to share with you!
Six Months Later
Author: Natalie Richards
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Description:
Chloe didn't think about it much when she nodded off in study hall on that sleepy summer day. But when she wakes up, snow is on the ground and she can't remember the last six months of her life. Before, she'd been a mediocre student. Now, she's on track for valedictorian and being recruited by Ivy League schools. Before, she never had a chance with super jock Blake. Now he's her boyfriend. Before, she and Maggie were inseparable. Now her best friend won't speak to her.
What happened to her?
And why can't she remember?
1. What was your inspiration for writing Six Months Later?
After a creepy dream about nodding off at work and waking up to an entirely different season, I couldn’t get the chill-factor of a memory loss like that out of my head. Losing time is such a scary concept to me. It made me ask question after question and I just couldn’t let it go!
2. Do you have to do any special research for the book?
I did need to do a good bit of research on psychology, the science of memories, and a few other things that I can’t talk much about without giving some important things away. J But, I enjoy research. It’s always exciting to stretch the old brain out and figure out how to play with new freaky facts.
3. Are any of the other characters based off of people you know?
There are always shades of people I know in the way a character dresses, or maybe how they say certain things, but it’s usually very limited. For example, I have a friend with a daughter named Maggie, and the name really felt right for Chloe’s best friend, but that’s absolutely where the similarities end.
4. How did you become a writer? Was there a person or situation that prompted you to start writing?
As a child, I always wrote—poems and letters and random descriptions. I didn’t realize it at the time, but some part of me was already a storyteller, but it was in the 2nd grade when I was nominated for a special young author conference that I thought, “This is who I want to be.” Mind you, I probably also had similar feelings about being a zoologist or a cake decorator or what not, but the writer thing has been a lingering dream for most of my life. J
5. What tips do you have for aspiring writers?
1. Write as often as possible.
2. Read. A lot. A whole, whole, whole lot. (I believe reading is critical to writing success)
3. Starting books is great, but force yourself to finish at least some of them. You learn things about story and structure you just can’t learn without the ending.
4. Find support. Send out a few Google searches or ask a friendly author you know for writing groups and websites they’d recommend. SCBWI is a great organization for writers of
children’s books and young adult books, but there are organizations for almost every genre and geographical location out there! J
5. Brace yourself for rejection. Writers get rejected. A lot. They just keep trying. If you intend to write, then you will almost certainly be rejected to, so be ready. And be aware that rejection isn’t the end. “No” today does not mean “No” forever. (If you saw all my No’s you’d feel lots better, I promise!)
6. What's next for you?
My next book is another YA Thriller called One Name a Week. It’s about a girl who discovers some pretty unthinkable things going on in her high school. When she gets the opportunity to right the wrongs, it will end up costing her more than she ever dreamed. I’m super super excited about this book. These characters really leapt off the page for me and the whole situation was a tangled mess of moral ambiguity. Really challenging and powerful stuff to write.
Thank you so much for having me here today! I’m super happy to be stopping by the blog and really appreciate you being part of my tour! :)
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog to chat with us Natalie!
Six Months Later is a phenomenal young adult mystery/thriller novel that tells the story of Chloe - at least the parts that she remembers. Chloe remembers closing her eyes for a quick nap in study hall one day in spring of her junior year. When she opens her eyes, she's horrified to find that six months have passed and she can't remember any of it. She wasn't in an accident and hasn't been in a coma - so where have the last six months of her life gone? Chloe decides that she needs to remember what or who did this to her so she can get her life back. Although, the new Chloe seems to have the perfect life. She's dating Blake, the hottest guy in school who she's been crushing on for the past three years, she has tons of popular friends, amazing grades and she rocked the SATs. So why does all of it seem like such a lie? Why can't she remember any of it and why does the thought of it make her so panicked? Determined to remember what happened, Chloe sets out on a mission to recover her past - although remembering just might get her killed.
I absolutely love thriller novels and this one definitely did not leave me disappointed. I was immediately intrigued by the description of the book - how exactly does one lose six months of memories while being seemingly alive and well? The plot was a unique idea and a fresh breath of air into the YA mystery/thriller scene. I loved trying to piece together the clues that Chloe remembered and what she could dig up, so I could try to figure it all out before she did. I only got so far before the author threw in some great twists and turns, which left me clueless. I know the author has great writing ability if they're able to pull one over on me - especially in a mystery ordeal like this one. The characters were realistic and easy to identify with, especially our main character Chloe. I would've been in the exact same spot she found herself in after realizing she lost six months of her memories and her life. She's resourceful, smart, determined, strong, and dedicated to finding out the truth. The other minor characters in the book were well written too with distinct personalities and flaws that made them unique. The writing was fast paced and kept me on my toes with all the various twists and turns thrown in - I ended up getting sucked into the book from the first page and reading it through in one sitting. I couldn't stop until I figured out what had happened and how it would all play out in the end. This is definitely an author to watch and I'll be eagerly awaiting her next release. Highly recommended for fans of YA mysteries, suspense, and thrillers.
Posted by Steph at 4:24 AM
Richards, Natalie SIX MONTHS LATER Sourcebooks (Children's Fiction) $9.99 10, 1 ISBN: 978-1-4022-8551-6
Chloe calls herself "the last slacker standing" but figures she'll have all senior year to repair her tattered GPA. Instead, she wakes up to find six months have passed in which her world has changed beyond recognition--including herself. She's ratcheted up her GPA and achieved stratospheric SAT scores, thanks to the study group she can't remember participating in. She's shaken by the charged attraction she feels toward bad boy Adam, who shows up moments after she awakens in response to a call she doesn't remember making. Meanwhile, her feelings for Blake Tanner--gorgeous, sought-after and evidently now her boyfriend--have morphed from infatuation to fear. For the first time ever, Chloe's popular--but her best friend, Maggie, won't speak to her. Like Chloe's parents, the therapist she's been seeing for her panic attacks seems confused by Chloe's lack of enthusiasm for Blake and indifference to her stellar grades. The flashes of memory Chloe experiences with Adam are more troubling than confusing, but his warm presence is all she's got. Richards' use of the present tense is enormously effective here, one of the few novels in which suspense actively relies on readers' immersion in the now. As tension rises among these sharply observed characters, this smart, edgy thriller taps into the college-angst zeitgeist, where the price of high achievement might just be your soul. (Suspense. 13 & up)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Richards, Natalie: SIX MONTHS LATER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2013. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A341243472/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8ba19758. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. Six Months Later. Sourcebooks, 2013. 336p. $9.99 Trade pb. 978-1-4022-8551-6.
Chloe is an average high school student: mediocre grades, a best friend, and a crush on the school jock, heartthrob Blake. Then she falls asleep in study hall and wakes up six months later. All of a sudden, she is valedictorian and dating Blake, and her best friend hates her. Chloe has no memory of what happened during those six months, and the only person who seems interested in helping her is Adam, the juvenile delinquent to whom she is inexplicably drawn. Chloe has everything she ever wanted, but she figures out that dating Blake is not what she had hoped and she misses her best friend. As she struggles to remember the past six months and figure out why she lost her memory, she is forced to decide what kind of person she really wants to be.
Richards has created an intriguing story line that will keep the reader guessing until the end, but there are also a lot of holes in the plot. There are some irregularities in Chloe's care about the situation she is in; one minute she is freaking out about not remembering and the next, she just accepts it and lives in the moment. It is also extremely obvious that she should be asking certain characters more about her situation, but she does not follow through in conversations where it would make sense. Even with the inconsistencies in the story, readers will be drawn in to the mystery of what happened to Chloe and will never guess the ending.--Blake Norby.
Norby, Blake
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
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Norby, Blake. "Richards, Natalie D.: Six Months Later." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 36, no. 4, Oct. 2013, p. 71. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A347403645/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1413973d. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Gone Too Far
Natalie D. Richards. Sourcebooks Fire, $9.99 trade paper (304p) ISBN 978-1-4022-8554-7
Richards (Six Months Later) delivers a gripping whodunit with a challenging ethical dilemma at its center. High school senior Piper Woods finds a journal filled with incriminating revelations about her classmates. Soon after, Piper begins to receive text messages from an unknown source who is determined to right the wrongs that led to the death of Stella DuBois, a classmate caught in a compromising act. Piper, an outsider and the yearbook photographer, picks each target, and her mystery accomplice fits the punishment to the crime. The plan works a little too well, and as Piper gains a boyfriend and chronicles the demise of the popular-clique through her lens, she finds that her family and friends are targets themselves. Faced with the decision to reveal herself, Piper must also uncover her accomplice, a situation that leads to violence. Richards maintains a quick pace and creates enough red herrings to keep readers guessing. The subtext of the novel, that change is inevitable, is poignant and clearly established through the characterization of Piper and her friends. Ages 14up. Agent: Cori Deyoe, 3 Seas Literary Agency. (Jan.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 PWxyz, LLC
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"Gone Too Far." Publishers Weekly, vol. 261, no. 48, 24 Nov. 2014, p. 77. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A393098351/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e4f0171f. Accessed 18 June 2025.
RICHARDS, Natalie D. Gone Too Far. 304p. Sourcebooks Fire. Jan. 2015. pap. $9.99. ISBN 9781402285547; ebk. $9.99. ISBN 9781402285554.
Gr 7 Up--Piper Woods is a senior who trips on a notebook that will change her life forever. Before she can turn it in, she makes the mistake of looking inside and discovers that omeone has been keeping tabs on the entire student body. Included are photos with students's eyes gorged out. Could the terrible things written inside be true? One of the secrets could get Piper's best friend, Manny, into serious trouble. Figuring out who the author of the notebook is takes center stage. After the death of a fellow student, Piper gets in over her head, and some readers may struggle with Piper's decision to not turn in the notebook to the authorities. In the midst of figuring it out, someone starts texting Piper and asks her to send a name and "make them pay" for the death of the student. Piper gives a name and what was meant for justice turns into innocent people getting hurt. During all of this, romance springs up between Piper and one of the guys on the football team, Nick. Themes include bullying, suicide, and relationships. An additional purchase where mysteries with hints of romance are popular.--Jesten Ray, Seattle Public Library, WA
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Ray, Jesten. "Richards, Natalie D.: Gone Too Far." School Library Journal, vol. 61, no. 1, Jan. 2015, p. 114. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A443055466/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8fe9efca. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. My Secret to Tell. Sourcebooks Fire, 2015. 320p. $9.99 Trade pb. 978-1-4926-1571-2.
Emerson May works hard to be the daughter her parents expect her to be. Ever since her brother ran off, Emmie does whatever it takes to keep her mother, in particular, happy--even if it means changing her career plans from marine biologist to lawyer and downplaying her feelings for her best friend, Chelsea's, troubled brother, Deacon. But when Deacon is suspected of assaulting his father, Emmie ignores the warnings of her parents, the sheriff, and just about everyone else in town to help prove Deacons innocence. As she investigates, she uncovers secrets, learns that not everyone is who they seem to be, and realizes that some people should not be trusted.
Richards has crafted an intriguing thriller with plenty of (tame) romance. As a character, Emmie is a bit unevenly drawn. Her sometimes willful blindness toward the whole truth in particular situations, such as why her brother left or Chelsea and Deacons father's drug abuse, rings true, as do her reactions when the full truth is revealed. Richards spends a great deal of time developing Emmie as a character with compulsions regarding cleaning and organizing, hinting that she may have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; however, this is never fully developed and Emmie's constant desire to create order is treated as a quirk that she could simply stop doing and that occasionally annoys other characters. Still, readers who enjoy heavy doses of psychological and romantic tension will not be disappointed. --Bethany Martin.
Martin, Bethany
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
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Martin, Bethany. "Richards, Natalie D.: My Secret to Tell." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 38, no. 4, Oct. 2015, p. 60. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A432172961/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=da8864b1. Accessed 18 June 2025.
RICHARDS, Natalie D. My Secret to Tell. 320p. Sourcebooks Fire. Oct. 2015. pap. $9.99. ISBN 9781492615712.
Gr 7 Up-Set during a lurid South Carolina summer, this mystery opens as picture-perfect Emmie receives a frantic call from her best friend, Chelsea. Chel's father has been brutally assaulted in their home, and it appears that her brother, along with resident bad boy Deacon, is the culprit. While everyone in town is busy pointing fingers at Deacon, Emmie must decide for herself whether she should trust and defend the boy she's loved from afar or if she should do what everyone expects of a good girl and give him up to the authorities. This romantic whodunit might be best for early teen and reluctant readers with its swift pace, accessible plotlines, and somewhat predictable twists. In addition, reluctant readers will enjoy piecing the clues together to solve the mystery. For the sensitive reader, it is worth mentioning that there are references to death and drug addiction throughout. Richards does a beautiful job painting scenes of Southern life in a boating town and incorporating some diverse characters. However, she also makes some confusing leaps in the plot, leaving out critical details. For instance, in the first part of the novel, there is no mention of any character asking die beaten man to identify his assailant; rather, the townsfolk make their own assumptions and go on a witch hunt from there. The result is that the premise feels a bit flimsy and the characters' decisions are overly dramatic and premature. VERDICT Despite some flaws, this is a good choice for younger teens who want a bit of PG romance and a modern Nancy Drew-esque mystery.--Leighanne Law, Scriber Lake High School,
Law, Leighanne
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Law, Leighanne. "Richards, Natalie D.: My Secret to Tell." School Library Journal, vol. 61, no. 10, Oct. 2015, pp. 116+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A431724948/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ef9632d4. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. One Was Lost. Sourcebooks Fire, 2016. 320p. $10.99 Trade pb. 978-1-4926-1574-3.
Sera is a reluctant attendee on a mandatory senior field trip with a back-to-nature theme, a prospect made even more daunting by the fact that one of the other seniors attending is Lucas, a boy with whom she has a complicated past. Soon, none of that will seem important because she and the other students wake after their first night to find that they have been drugged and somebody has been in their tents. Each one of them has a word written on their arm in permanent marker, and their teacher is drugged and still unconscious. What follows is a high-tension game of cat and mouse, filled with fear, suspicion, and danger.
Richards specializes in thrillers for teens, and her latest might be her sharpest effort yet. Readers will be faced with mysteries, having to discern genuine clues from red herrings to see if they can figure out who is behind the peril. This book is a gripping read, filled with plenty of action, and sure to appeal to reluctant readers.--Sean Rapacki.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
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Rapacki, Sean. "Richards, Natalie D.: One Was Lost." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 39, no. 4, Oct. 2016, p. 67. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A467831120/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fe6ec3d7. Accessed 18 June 2025.
RICHARDS, Natalie D. One Was Lost. 320p. ebook available. Sourcebooks/Fire. Oct. 2016. pap. $10.99. ISBN 9781492615743.
Gr 9 Up--A school hiking trip turns deadly in Richards's dark, contemporary stand-alone thriller. Participation in a hike through the West Virginia woods is mandatory for graduating high school seniors. Sera's misery is compounded by Lucas, the crush sire's avoided. A flash flood strands the campers and their teachers Mr. Walker and Ms. Brighton on either side of a river. The next day, Sera wakes up from a drugged sleep, discovering evidence that the campers were attacked. Mr. Walker is found unconscious, and the campers are marked on their wrists; Jude, Deceptive; Emily, Damaged; Lucas, Dangerous; and Sera, Darling. Someone is targeting them for crimes, imagined or real and they must work together to survive Are hunt. Richards delivers a solid page-turner for readers who want to keep the lights on all night. With its predatory atmosphere, this book feels like The Breakfast Club folded into a Christopher Pike novel's fight for survival. The characters' ethnicities are refreshingly inclusive. However, the plot suffers from-a weakness that holds it back from rising above average. The backstory behind the attack is based on a ghostly tale that readers are never sufficiently privy to, weakening the tension and at times causing actual confusion. The attacks are quite graphic and may be unsuitable for sensitive readers. VERDICT An enticing thriller that, despite some defects, remains a general purchase recommendation.--Jessica Bushore, formerly at Shelf Awareness, Xenia, OH
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Bushore, Jessica. "Richards, Natalie D.: One Was Lost." School Library Journal, vol. 62, no. 9, Sept. 2016, pp. 162+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A462899811/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=38dc02ff. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. WE ALL FALL DOWN Sourcebooks Fire (Children's Fiction) $10.99 10, 1 ISBN: 978-1-4926-5438-4
Two teens brought together by shared history and mental health issues try to break the spell cast by a haunted pedestrian bridge. Paige suffers from anxiety and Theo from ADHD, and while their longtime friendship means they understand how to support each other at crucial times, it's their long-simmering romance that brings the haunting into focus. Neither has admitted to the other their mutual interest, but when another boy flirts with Paige at a party, Theo gets into a fight in which he inadvertently hits Paige so hard she loses teeth. The result is Paige is banned from seeing Theo. The bridge has other ideas. On one side of the Muskingum River the bridge spans is a college campus where Paige is in a special program for the summer, and on the other is a small town where Theo works for his uncle in a shaky construction firm. Readers may find themselves hard-pressed to make sense of the nature of this haunted bridge, as vague voices gradually change into more threatening and powerful shadows. Side effects from the medications these two evidently white, middle-class teens are taking also play into the suspense, or at least they seem meant to, but how this plays into the paranormal plot never quite comes clear. Readers desperate for a romantic paranormal adventure may be satisfied, but they'll have to abandon logic to get there. (Paranormal suspense. 12-16)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Richards, Natalie D.: WE ALL FALL DOWN." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A498345113/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b4611862. Accessed 18 June 2025.
RICHARDS, Natalie D. We All Fall Down. 320p. Sourcebooks. Oct. 2017. pap. $10.99. ISBN 9781492654384.
Gr 9 Up--Theo is the boy a mother would rather her daughter never set sights on. But Paige has always ignored the label others have given him--a screwup--only seeing the Theo she loves, the one who always keeps her anxiety at bay and makes her feel safe. At a party where everything about their relationship feels on the cusp of changing for the better, Theo does something he can never take back. Even if Paige wasn't the intended victim, she's the one who suffers the consequences. Four months later, they are both drawn repeatedly to the bridge that broke them for good, each experiencing the tragedy of the night over and over again, until they realize coming together to figure out who or what is haunting them may be the only way to finally put the night to rest. A chilling story about a boy and a girl haunted by one night and one bridge. Full of twists, eerie theories, and a satisfying conclusion, this will be thoroughly enjoyed by YA fans of April Henry and Demitria Lunetta. VERDICT A must-purchase where YA mysteries and thrillers are highly anticipated.--Meghan Oppelt, Whitehall School District, WI
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Oppelt, Meghan. "Richards, Natalie D.: We All Fall Down." School Library Journal, vol. 63, no. 8, Aug. 2017, p. 106. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A499597917/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c5380b75. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. WHAT YOU HIDE Sourcebooks Fire (Young Adult Fiction) $10.99 12, 4 ISBN: 978-1-4926-5718-7
Two teens with different life circumstances are drawn together in this thriller featuring a mystery set in their Ohio town's public library.
When privileged, funny, and kind Spencer gets busted for breaking a library window while climbing the outside of the building, he winds up doing community service there to make amends. It doesn't take him long to notice smart, self-possessed Mallory, who spends long hours in the library since leaving home due to the unsettling behavior of her domineering stepfather. In short chapters that alternate between the two in first-person narration, their story unfolds, blending with an eerie subplot about strange and frightening occurrences that happen largely after hours within the library. Though there's never much doubt that they will become romantically involved, care is taken to develop both characters, including their places within their families--Spencer, adopted by loving and extremely wealthy parents, acutely feels the weight of their expectations, while Mallory's heart-rending experience of being homeless and worrying about her mom, who's pregnant, is poignantly told. Spencer is described as having bronze skin, which differs from his adoptive family's pale blondness. Mallory is implied white. There is some ethnic diversity among secondary characters, including Mallory's best friend, Lana, whose Venezuelan family is struggling following her dad's and brother's deportations.
A taut, compelling mystery and a compassionate realistic fiction novel all in one. (Thriller. 14-18)
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"Richards, Natalie D.: WHAT YOU HIDE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A557887219/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ebf1bf28. Accessed 18 June 2025.
3Q * 4P * M * J * S Richards, Natalie D. What You Hide. Sourcebooks, December 2018. 384p. $10.99. 978-1492657187.
Through alternating first-person narratives, What You Hide introduces Mallory and Spencer, two teenagers from different worlds whose lives intersect in a public library. Mallory runs away from her manipulative, controlling stepfather and seeks shelter at the library in a nearby wealthy community. Spencer, who is adopted, has grown up loved and surrounded by privilege in that same community. Struggling with family expectations and college applications, he escapes the pressures by climbing the exterior of the library one night, breaking an expensive window on the way up. He is sentenced to community service at the library, where he finds himself drawn to Mallory and unable to pull away.
Readers are thrown into both main story lines at heightened moments. With believable characters and circumstances and mostly effective pacing, they will stay with Mallory and Spencer through the end. The urgency of Mallory's situation drives the story and keeps readers on edge. Mallory's strength and resourcefulness shine through without glamorizing teen homelessness. Readers also see a side of abuse not often portrayed in young adult literature, along with the difficult truth that people cannot always accept help or leave. While the mysterious footprints and other eerie occurrences add to the tension, that story line also strains credibility and distracts from the central drama. Readers looking for a thriller would be better served by Six Months Later (Sourcebooks Fire, 2013) or other titles by Richards, but those who want to read a realistic, character-driven coming-of-age story that grapples with social issues will not be disappointed. --Cheryl French.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
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French, Cheryl. "Richards, Natalie D.: What You Hide." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 41, no. 6, Feb. 2019, p. 63. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A580887194/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=979b0ef0. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. FIVE TOTAL STRANGERS Sourcebooks Fire (Teen None) $10.99 10, 1 ISBN: 978-1-4926-5721-7
Getting home for the holidays turns into a nightmare for five strangers.
High school student Mira Hayes has been living in San Diego with her dad while attending a prestigious art school. Now it’s Christmas Eve, and all she wants to do is get home to Pittsburgh and her mom, who, like Mira, is grieving the death of her twin sister, Mira’s aunt Phoebe. But a blizzard may thwart her plans. During a layover in Newark airport, Mira learns that every flight out has been canceled. Luckily, Mira’s seatmate Harper offers her a ride in her rental car along with three other stranded passengers: Brecken, Kayla, and Josh, but Mira is uneasy from the start. Accepting a ride with strangers usually isn’t her thing, but she’s desperate to get home. However, snarled traffic forces them to resort to risky side routes, Mira feels like she’s being watched, and the group’s belongings keep disappearing. As their situation becomes more dire they make reckless decisions, leading readers to wonder if anyone will get home alive. Richards does a serviceable job of building tension, but aside from Mira, who narrates, the other characters are thinly drawn. Letters to Mira from a menacing stranger are sprinkled throughout, but their melodramatic nature detracts from the threat, and last-minute revelations stretch credulity. Everyone seems to be White except for Harper, who is Chinese American.
This chilly road trip is woefully short on thrills. (Thriller. 14-18)
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"Richards, Natalie D.: FIVE TOTAL STRANGERS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A630892116/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d8f6526d. Accessed 18 June 2025.
RICHARDS, Natalie D. Five Total Strangers. 320p. Sourcebooks/Fire. Oct. 2020. pap. $10.99. ISBN 9781492657217.
Gr 9 Up--High school senior Mira just wants to get home for Christmas. The one-year anniversary of her beloved aunt's death is rapidly approaching, and she must get home so her fragile mother isn't alone. After a massive blizzard grounds all air traffic, Mira reluctantly accepts a ride with her seatmate Harper, a chic, fast-talking college student who nattered to Mira the entire flight. Harper, Mira, and three other students climb into the rented SUV and head west from Newark, NJ, to Pittsburgh, PA. They are five total strangers driving off into one of the worst snowstorms in recent memory. But something isn't right--Mira can feel it. As feelings of paranoia and deep dread settle over the treacherous car ride, things quickly go from bad to the very worst. Richards has crafted a page-turning thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Mira is a strong protagonist who is not a passive bystander. She is fully engaged even when she is ignoring every gut instinct to get out of the car. The resolution seems to come a bit too quickly; the action could easily continue for another 20-30 pages. VERDICT Richards's text sustains the suspenseful mood from the very start to the final pages--just the kind of fun book one needs for a hot summer day or a cold winter's night.--Elaine Baran Black, Georgia P.L. Svc., Atlanta
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Black, Elaine Baran. "RICHARDS, Natalie D.: Five Total Strangers." School Library Journal, vol. 66, no. 8, Aug. 2020, p. 87. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A632298888/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fa80af47. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. SEVEN DIRTY SECRETS Sourcebooks Fire (Teen None) $10.99 11, 2 ISBN: 978-1-72821-578-5
It's Cleo's birthday, and someone has arranged a scavenger hunt for her--but it turns out that Cleo is the one being hunted.
The first clue appears in Cleo's bathroom while she is showering, immediately ratcheting up the creepiness factor. Cleo can't guess who snuck in; her brother and her friends deny being the culprit. And all of the clues are leading Cleo to revisit key private moments she shared with her former boyfriend Declan, who drowned under shadowy circumstances during a river rafting trip on her last birthday. It is slowly revealed that there was more to their relationship and the events of that fateful day on the river. Tensions climb as the clues turn into threats against Cleo and her brother. The clock is ticking. Did someone witness what happened on the day Declan drowned? Is it possible that Declan himself is orchestrating the hunt? After all, his body was never found. Red herrings abound, and troubling memories have Cleo realistically waffling between strength and self-doubt, but secondary characters are not as well developed. Readers invested in the relationship drama will devour the chaotic, action-packed climax, while serious mystery fans may find that the culprit's motives stretch belief. Cleo and most other significant characters are White; brown-skinned, biracial Connor has a different father from Cleo.
Engrossing for fans of high school drama. (Mystery. 14-16)
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"Richards, Natalie D.: SEVEN DIRTY SECRETS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A677072753/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1a88d65c. Accessed 18 June 2025.
RICHARDS, Natalie D. Seven Dirty Secrets. 336p. Sourcebooks/Fire. Nov. 2021. pap. $10.99. ISBN 9781728215785.
Gr 7-10--Cleo has an extra eventful birthday. Her parents are away for work, and Cleo is in the shower when an unseen intruder drops off a ring box in her bathroom. The box contains the beginning of a series of clues requiring her to retrace the landmarks in her relationship with Declan, the boyfriend she believes is dead. Cleo is a crime solving fiend and forensics is her hobby, so this is either the best birthday present ever or a really sick joke. More and more of their friends are pulled into the "game" as it is revealed that they all played a part in Declan's disappearance. Along the way, readers get deeper glances into what was a terribly abusive relationship that ended in a drowning that starts to look not like an accident but instead like self-defense. Cleo is white, and her half brother Connor has a Black father. Connor wants to protect her, but given his past experiences with the police, he is reluctant to contact the authorities. Readers will need to suspend significant disbelief, but those who do will be rewarded with a fast-paced whodunit that they won't see coming. VERDICT A serious thriller for readers itching for a good mystery, and also a cautionary tale about abusive relationships and how they can escalate into violence.--Leah Krippner, Harlem H.S., Machesney Park, IL
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Krippner, Leah. "RICHARDS, Natalie D.: Seven Dirty Secrets." School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 12, Dec. 2021, p. 93. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A686052308/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d7fe0b30. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. FOUR FOUND DEAD Sourcebooks Fire (Teen None) $11.99 5, 2 ISBN: 978-1-72821-581-5
It's closing night for the Riverview Theater--and four employees will be found dead in the morning.
The eight people working that evening are finishing up their last shift before the Ohio mall is closed down and completely refurbished. Before leaving, they need to get their phones and keys from the manager's safe, but this routine does not unfold as usual. Their manager, Clayton, is as harsh and angry as ever, but Jo gets the sense that something is wrong: It turns out he has brought a gun to work, concealed in his waistband. And then the lights go out, the panicked workers discover all the exits are locked or boarded over for construction prep, and everyone is trapped inside with no way out. Despite the promising setup, the story goes on for too long, with some chapters feeling like filler instead of propelling the action. Jo's first-person narration is effectively supplemented with news clippings and emails. The book features supporting characters who are racially diverse and fairly well developed; protagonist Jo is a White girl whose personal history of trauma is slowly revealed. Given the title, it's clear from the outset that half the major characters will not make it out alive, but the central mystery of why they die may be obvious early on to astute readers.
An overly long thriller. (Thriller. 14-18)
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"Richards, Natalie D.: FOUR FOUND DEAD." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A740905173/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=cbf7e1ec. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Four Found Dead
Natalie D. Richards. Sourcebooks Fire, $11.99 paper (336p) ISBN 978-1-728215-81-5 In this drawn-out thriller by Richards (Seven Dirty Secrets), eight teenagers fight for their lives against a murderous assailant in a desolate shopping mall. Jo and her seven coworkers are busy celebrating their bittersweet last night working at Riverview Theaters, the sole remaining open business in their soon-to-be-renovated Ohio mall. But when Jo goes to retrieve her confiscated phone from their manager, she discovers a coworker's recently murdered body. Suddenly, the lights go out and the mall's doors are sealed from the outside, and with the group's phones still locked in the theater's safe, they're forced to rely on their wits to survive until someone can call for help. Each of the teens has a secret, and as they're hunted down, their secrets' connection to the murderer's motive slowly unfurls. The immediate reveal of the killer's identity saps narrative tension, and gratuitous banter frequently stymies atmosphere. Nevertheless, Jo's urgentfeeling first-person POV, interspersed with newspaper clippings and personal email exchanges, ably guides the plot, which teems with rich character interactions and propulsive action as slasher-flick ambiance takes over the nostalgic setting. Jo reads as white, and the supporting cast is racially diverse. Ages 14-up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (May)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
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"Four Found Dead." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 13, 27 Mar. 2023, p. 90. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A752228686/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6c2018d8. Accessed 18 June 2025.
15 Secrets to Survival
Natalie D. Richards. Delacorte, $ 17.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-5936-4412-6
All his life, 12-year-old Baxter Phillips has been part of what his mother coined "The Getalong Gang," a playgroup comprised of her and her best friends' children. In addition to gamer Baxter, there's perfectionist Emerson and her gentle-giant twin brother Turner Casella, and Abigail Walters, a competitive gymnast with confidence in spades. The problem is, the four middle schoolers rarely get along. When the tweens' tension comes to a head during a school-sponsored trivia contest, they're disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct. As further punishment, they're forced to complete a group extra-credit assignment, which involves the gang being sent to stay with Baxter's survivalist great-uncle Hornsby in the Montana winter wilderness, an event intended to teach them teamwork. But when Uncle Hornsby sets up an elaborate network of interconnected puzzles, Turner, Emerson, Abigail, and Baxter, along with his feisty younger sister Vivi, rush to solve the puzzles with the help of pages from Hornsby's self-written guide to survival--until something goes awry with Hornsby's zlans. Immediate first-person, present-tense prose keeps the emotional resonance high in this fast-paced adventure that features a charging moose, potential hypothermia, and plenty of friendship drama. Characters read as white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Suzie Tuwnsend, New Leaf Literary. (Nov.)
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"15 Secrets to Survival." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 39, 25 Sept. 2023, p. 67. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A768425308/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1039767e. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. 15 SECRETS TO SURVIVAL Delacorte (Children's None) $17.99 11, 7 ISBN: 9780593644126
Four 12-year-olds and an 18-month-old have an unexpected adventure in the Montana woods.
Although their parents are close friends and despite having been thrown together socially since they were babies, gymnast Abigail Walters, twins Emerson and Turner Casella, and gamer Baxter Phillips can't stand each other. The latest parental endeavor, the consequence of the kids' code of conduct violation and subsequent disqualification from a middle school team competition, involves Baxter's great-uncle Hornsby. The sixth graders are going to stay with former kids' camp owner Uncle Hornsby deep in the mountains of Montana for lessons in teamwork. Because the parents are going to Aruba for a vacation during this time, they also leave Baxter's baby sister, Vivi, who provides sparkling moments of humor. Uncle Hornsby has devised a scavenger hunt for the kids to work out together. It's winter, and the task tests the kids' abilities to integrate the survival techniques they find in notes as they pursue clues leading to the final prize--the key to a locked cabin. But things take a dangerous turn when Uncle Hornsby disappears. They must now work together to find him and stay alive themselves. The narrative presents believable moments of danger infused with the protagonists' unwillingness to cooperate and a well-crafted realization of individual strengths, weaknesses, and friendship. Most characters read white; oblique clues may indicate that Baxter and Vivi's mom is a person of color.
Both exciting and revelatory. (Adventure. 8-12)
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"Richards, Natalie D.: 15 SECRETS TO SURVIVAL." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A768633573/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=24f27493. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. 49 MILES ALONE Sourcebooks Fire (Teen None) $11.99 7, 2 ISBN: 9781728276007
The Utah wilderness offers cousins Katie and Aster an awe-inspiring setting in which to heal--and maybe even save another person's life.
Bestselling author Richards' latest is told in chapters that alternate points of view between the two main characters, as well as a mysterious, unnamed third voice. The novel opens on a night that changes everything for the two girls. Then the action jumps ahead 11 months, as Aster and Katie, who share a love of hiking, are dropped off for a 49-mile, multiday backpacking trip in Utah during which trauma, healing, and a growing, menacing mystery unfold. Wilderness thrills move the story along, although the number of challenges the girls face does begin to beggar belief: scorpions, prickly pear thorns, illness, flooding, a rattlesnake, losing the trail, running low on food and water, encountering sinister people, and experiencing a terrifying accident. The writing evokes a powerful sense of place in the descriptions of the canyons and in the information on outdoor preparedness and safety. But the novel's real strength lies in the thoughts and conversations the cousins share around being a survivor of trauma as well as the complexities of navigating a relationship with a survivor. They heal while they traverse an unforgiving environment that demands all their wits to survive as the novel comes to a heart-pounding conclusion. Most characters are coded white.
A gripping story of strength in the face of unrelenting challenges. (Thriller. 14-18)
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"Richards, Natalie D.: 49 MILES ALONE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A791876794/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d76544a5. Accessed 18 June 2025.
49 Miles Alone
Natalie D. Richards. Sourcebooks Fire, $11.99
paper (288p) ISBN 978-1-7282-7600-7
Two teens attempt to move on from the aftermath of sexual violence in this suspenseful novel by Richards (Four Found Dead). While attending a college party in Columbus, Ohio, 19-year-old Aster leaves without her 18-year-old cousin Katie. The next morning, Aster learns that Katie has been raped. Eleven months later, the two meet up in Utah to embark on a four-and-a-half-day hike through the desert. Neither girl has been the same since the party, and both hope that the trek will help repair their fractured relationship. Soon after they begin, Aster injures herself on a cactus. Further misfortunes follow, including a rain-and-hail deluge, a confrontation with scorpions and a rattlesnake, and Aster falling ill. Still, the teens trek on until a pair of hikers with disturbing auras appear, prompting Aster and Katie to flee. Just when it seems things couldn't get worse for the cousins, they do, yet Aster and Katie prove to be a capable and admirable team. These intrepid heroines inspire hope that this foreboding thriller--boasting unrelenting suspense and unremitting pressures--will end in survival. Most characters are white. Ages 14-up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (July)
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"49 Miles Alone." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 18, 6 May 2024, p. 54. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A799108271/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b17fba3d. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Survive This Safari
Natalie D. Richards. Delacorte, $17.99 (384p)
ISBN 978-0-5936-4416-4
Middle schooler Lucy Spagnola can't stop thinking about the "stupid panic attack" that prevented her successful completion of the trial to become an ambassador for Ohio's Wildlands Safari Park Rescue Sanctuary. When she's invited to participate in the Wildlands Safari Escape Challenge, she knows she can't do it, as it would mean competing against all the current ambassadors who witnessed her "complete and total meltdown." But her older sister Alex, a college student and Wildlands intern, convinces animal expert Lucy to accept the invite. Neighbor Jemma joins the event along with Harrison, who has ADHD, and aspiring horticulturist Trey. Together, the ragtag team works tosolve the competition's puzzles--and then it becomes clear that something is sabotaging their excursion. Though secondary characters are somewhat thinly developed, Lucy's feelings and personality jump off the page as she navigates wildlife challenges and interpersonal dilemmas and discovers new ways to manage her anxiety. Richards (15 Secrets to Survival) invites readers to join in on the puzzle-solving action via amusing footnotes and cleverly constructed riddles and games in this interactive, escape room-like adventure. Trey is Black; the rest of the protagonists cue as white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Apr.)
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"Survive This Safari." Publishers Weekly, vol. 272, no. 4, 27 Jan. 2025, p. 83. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A828300313/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=42471619. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. SURVIVE THIS SAFARI Delacorte (Children's None) $17.99 4, 8 ISBN: 9780593644164
When 12-year-old Lucy Q. Spagnola receives an invitation to participate in the Wildlands Safari Escape Challenge, it's a second chance to fulfill her dream of joining a group of student wildlife experts.
Lucy loves animals deeply, and she's both scared and elated when she's selected to take part in an experimental game with Ohio's Columbus Zoo that comes with a chance to join the Wildlands Ambassadors. She applied to join them before but wasn't selected due to a panic attack. Her teammates are two boys named Trey and Harrison, and Jemma, her ultra-competitive classmate. They need to solve a series of puzzles, competing against the current Wildland Ambassadors. When the walkie-talkies stop working, the gates they're supposed to be unlocking malfunction, and the team of Ambassadors don't seem to be completing their challenges, things start to feel amiss. Even more concerning, the zoo's baby elephant is in distress. The story is propelled by high stakes, fun animal facts (often presented via conversational footnotes), and challenges that are presented in a way that allows readers to try to solve them alongside the characters. The characterization of the dynamic between Lucy and the entitled Jemma is strong; the presentation of Harrison's ADHD feels superficial, though, and Trey often fades into the background. Trey is Black, and the other major characters present white.
An entertaining, puzzle-filled adventure for animal lovers.(Adventure. 8-12)
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"Richards, Natalie D.: SURVIVE THIS SAFARI." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A825128348/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=da7f7cff. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Twelve-year-old Lucy can't believe her luck when she is selected for the Wildlands Safari Escape Challenge, which involves solving a series of mind-bending puzzles to unlock access to new animal habitats across the local safari park. Her team will be racing the Wildlands Ambassadors, a group of student animal experts. And if they win, wildlife-loving Lucy will get the chance to be an Ambassador herself!
But this challenge is trickier than Lucy expects--broken locks, downed electronics, and empty animal enclosures are just the start. Lucy discovers something truly terrifying: Wildlands' beloved baby elephant is on the loose and might be in danger! The team is sure this can't be part of the competition--and with their walkie-talkie on the fritz, they have no way to call for help. Their fun puzzle has turned into a serious test, but Lucy and her team will surprise everyone with how they tackle the real Wildlands challenge.
We had to call New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author Natalie D. Richards to ask if we could join the safari, too!
Tell us a bit about your background/life growing up.
I was an only child (a lonely only!), so I spent a lot of my childhood dreaming up elaborate imaginary worlds. At some point, a bush had been removed from my front yard, but I was convinced the hole left behind was the entrance to an enormous undiscovered cave system. I spent countless hours trying to dig my way into the next mammoth cave, so it's possible that a pretty ordinary hole in my front yard is a big part of the reason I'm an author.
Tell us about your career and where you worked before you became a writer.
I work with the mayor of a small city near Columbus, Ohio, supporting communications and administration work, and I still do that job to this day. The mayor is really great and supportive of my writing career, which allows me to make time for school visits and other fun things!
What inspired you to become a writer?
The whole front yard hole situation certainly helped! But seriously, having a big imagination and a tendency to daydream certainly helps! And of course, when I was young, books helped me to escape from some of the hard, scary things in my life. I loved the feeling of being up all night just desperate to find out how a story turned out--I wanted to give that same feeling to other people, which has a lot to do with why I'm an author.
A little birdie told us that you won your very first writing contest when you were in second grade. What did you write about?
That story was about Barbara Frances Bizzlefishes, who would not dare do the dishes. I'm not saying I avoided doing the dishes when I was young, but it might have been part of my inspiration.
Tell us about Survive This Safari! What inspired the book?
My kids and I spent hundreds of hours in the zoo when they were younger. We loved the zoo and loved learning about animals. We spent a lot of time dreaming up stories that could happen in a zoo, but nothing turned into a book. But one day, we were all doing an escape room, one of the ones with different puzzles and codes. We love escape rooms, too, and the idea of merging these two things started to take shape in my mind. What if you could win something you wanted more than anything, and to win it, you'd have to solve an escape room set in a zoo?
Did you face any challenges in writing it?
Holy moly macaroni, did I ever! It is incredibly challenging to make up all those puzzles! Of course, I had to do a ton of research about animals, but honestly, that was easy as pie in comparison to the hours and hours I spent trying to create all sorts of wacky puzzles!
What is the best time of day for you to write? Are you a day writer or a night writer?
I used to write really late at night, but lately I'm a wimp who gets tired too early, so now my best time is mid-morning or after work, but I often write on my lunch breaks at work, too!
What are some of your interests/hobbies outside of writing?
I love to hike and travel, and when I have a little extra time, I love to throw pottery (working with clay on a pottery wheel, not actually flinging pottery around). I also make awesome chocolate chip cookies, which feels like a pretty cool hobby for everyone nearby.
What is your favorite writing snack?
Um... maybe those chocolate chip cookies of mine? I could go for one of those right about now....
What are one or two of your proudest moments in life, whether personal or writing-wise?
I don't have a single moment coming to mind, but I always feel a huge surge of pride when I write a scene that I absolutely love. I tend to be super critical of my work, but there are moments when a scene leaps off the page, and that's an amazing feeling.
What advice would you give a first-time author?
I think my best piece of advice would be to read super widely.
What book are you reading now (aside from your own)?
I'm just getting ready to start Olivetti, which looks so fun!
What's next for you?
I'm working on a super scary revenge book for teens and adults, but I've been daydreaming about my next middle grade adventure, and I'm thinking there might be some pirates involved!
For more information about Natalie D. Richards and her work, visit nataliedrichards.com.
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"Natalie D. Richards: Invites Readers on a Wild Ride." Story Monsters Ink, May 2025, pp. 26+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A843764374/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ec5a849b. Accessed 18 June 2025.